Do you have memories from the old YWCA centres in Scotland?

The Young Women’s Movement, formerly known as YWCA Scotland, is seeking stories from its 100-year history in Scotland, as part of an oral history project funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The charity, which is Scotland’s national organisation for young women’s leadership and rights, is hoping to speak to people who were involved with the YWCA in Scotland from 1924 to present-day. This could include those who worked or volunteered with the YWCA; stayed in a YWCA hostel or residence; or delivered or took part in activities or events with the YWCA. Local centres could be found all over the country, and the charity are hoping to hear from people with memories of these.

The stories will be collected into a digital archive, which will continue to grow with new stories as the organisation’s work continues. The archive will serve as a record of our 100-year history and how life has changed for young women and girls in Scotland, and a source of inspiration for the next generation of young women.

This project, called Young Women Remember, is a participatory research project being co-produced by The Young Women’s Movement and a group of volunteer researchers from across Scotland.

Jenni Snell, CEO of The Young Women’s Movement, said: ‘We’re thrilled to be marking our centenary by uncovering and celebrating the work people put into our movement in its first 100 years. We know there are stories of activism, support, and community linked to our organisation all over Scotland, and we’re excited to bring those to life to inform and inspire our next 100 years of re-imagining Scotland for young women and girls.

‘If you have a story about the YWCA in Scotland to share, please do get in touch. Our thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund for making this project possible.’

Caroline Clark, The National Lottery Heritage Fund Director for Scotland said; ‘Thanks to National Lottery players our support will enable this project to connect across generations to collect and preserve this important heritage of grassroots community activism across Scotland. And, in the process, it will also deliver opportunities for young women to develop the valuable skills needed to gather and archive these stories.’

If you have a story to tell about the YWCA in Scotland, find out more at youngwomenscot.org/young-women-remember or get in touch via email to samar@youngwomenscot.org or by phone or text to 07538136230.  

• ENDS 

Notes to editors

Please direct all media requests to Abi Baross, Communications and Influencing Lead at The Young Women’s Movement, at abi@youngwomenscot.org or on 07733 025610.

Please note, The Young Women’s Movement operates on a Monday–Thursday 4-day week.

The Young Women’s Movement

The Young Women’s Movement is Scotland’s national organisation for young women’s feminist leadership and collective action against gender inequality. The charity, founded in 1924 and previously known as YWCA Scotland, is celebrating its 100^th anniversary in 2024.

Our vision is a fairer Scotland for all self-identifying young women and girls: a Scotland where young women are meaningfully heard, valued and supported to lead collective action and enact transformational change throughout society, systems and structures. We work to build a movement embedded in safe spaces and wellbeing for young women and girls to come together and access resources, networks and platforms to collectively challenge inequality, lead radical social change and re-imagine our world.

Find us online at youngwomenscot.org, or find us on @youngwomenscot on X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund

Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. That’s why as the largest funder for the UK’s heritage we are dedicated to supporting projects that connect people and communities to heritage, as set out in our strategic plan, Heritage 2033. Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on to future generations. We believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place and connection to the past. Over the next 10 years, we aim to invest £3.6billion raised for good causes by National Lottery players to make a decisive difference for people, places and communities.

heritagefund.org.uk