CorpComms Magazine

After over 160 years of the Young Men's Christian Association, the organisation is rebranding itself as simply 'the Y' in the US.

The acronym YMCA was made famous by the eponymous seventies hit from disco band The Village People, but the nickname 'the Y' has been in common use for decades in reference to the charity in America.

The new logo - a letter Y composed of a triangle and an arrow - appears in a variety of different colours and is designed to reflect a health-conscious and forward-thinking organisation, The name is intended to emphasise the charity's focus on youth development and engagement with local communities in the US, alongside making the Village People's dance routine a great deal easier. Though the lead singer of the original line-up, Victor Willis, has released a statement saying that the change will affect neither the song nor the dance.

The English division will not be adopting the new moniker as international incarnations of the charity operate autonomously, but it will undergo its own 'brand refresh' with a new logo.

Kate Coleman, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at the YMCA in the USA, said: 'We are changing how we talk about ourselves so that people better understand the benefits of engaging with the Y.

'We are simplifying how we describe the programs we offer so that it is immediately apparent that everything we do is designed to nurture the potential of children and teens, improve health and well-being and support our neighbors and the larger community.'

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