The YWCA Korea celebrated its 100th anniversary with an online commemorative event broadcast on April 20th at 2 p.m. The YWCA Korea has been preparing for its centennial celebration with the theme ‘Reflecting on the Past, Examining the Present, and Moving Towards a New Century’ since last year, unveiling an emblem and the slogan ‘YWCA 100 Years, Towards Change with Women.’
The event took place at Baekbeom Kim Koo Memorial Hall in Seoul and was live streamed on YouTube. YWCAs from around the world participated and sign language interpretation was also provided.
The 100th-anniversary celebration of the YWCA Korea began with a thanksgiving worship service under the theme of ‘Space of Hospitality, Time of Celebration’ Reverend Lee Jin-ah, through her sermon titled ‘Starting Afresh,’ inspired participants, expressing the hope that the confession, reflection on the past, vision, and mission established while preparing for the 100th anniversary become an opportunity and moment of ‘starting afresh,’ as mentioned by Jesus in the Bible.
The commemorative event proceeded in three parts: ‘Part 1. Journey: Together for 100 Years,’ ‘Part 2. Festival Together: Joy and Gratitude for 100 Years Shared,’ and ‘Part 3. Voyage: Together for 100 Years, Towards Change.’ The joint chairs of the YWCA Korea, Kim Sook-hee, Won Young-hee, and Seo Dam-hee, began the ceremony by reciting the 100th-anniversary commemorative speech.
In Part 1 ‘Journey,’ a video reflecting on the history of ‘Together for 100 Years’ was presented.
In Part 2 ‘Festival Together,’ congratulatory videos from President Moon Jae-in, Mirja Liikanen(President of the World YWCA), Song In-dong(Chairman of the National YMCA of Korea), Kim Hak-jung(Chairman of CBS), and YWCA members from 109 countries and the YWCA Korea were broadcasted. Despite being conducted online due to the impact of COVID-19, it became a moment of global connection like never before.
In Part 3 ‘Voyage,’ members who will continue for the next 100 years recited the vision statement which they prepared in workshops over several months.
The vision statement encapsulated the joy and gratitude for the past 100 years and the vision of change for the next 100 years for the YWCA, concluding with the commitment, “May the purpose and vision of the YWCA Korea, where the Kingdom of God is realized on this land, be experienced by members in their daily lives. May it be a journey full of solidarity and hospitality, practicing the teachings of Jesus Christ.”
President Won Young-hee expressed, “Even after 100 years since its founding, the YWCA Korea remains a Christian women’s civic movement organization with awakened youthfulness, challenging structural discrimination and exclusion. It will continue to respect the values of justice, peace, and life, taking a leading role in fostering social spirituality and peace networks.”
After the commemorative event, a special lecture on ‘How to Remember the 100 Years of the YWCA Korea: Utilizing Records’ was presented by architect Baek Hee-sung.
The YWCA Korea plans to continue various activities throughout the year to commemorate its 100th anniversary. Ongoing workshops will illuminate the past, present, and future of the YWCA Korea. Furthermore, a young people social participation project called the ‘Heungcheong Mangcheong: 100 Projects to Save the World,’ will be carried out, aiming to empower young people to navigate towards a brighter future. The project will support various activity costs for each team, ranging from one million to ten million won. Any young person can participate in this project and anyone can sponsor the project support funds regardless of membership status.
