The founder of the YMCA of Aruba, Bob Steele, got his inspiration from a YMCA camp in Pennsylvania: "To go to camp, to live with friends outdoors, and spend wonderful days with friends was an unforgettable experience".

It was a sense of love and responsibility that moved Bob Steele to invite his friends to a meeting of the Provisional Committee, which took place in the Lago Reception Center in San Nicolas on April 27 of 1956. In that meeting, they discussed the desire to give life to an organization that would provide help to the children and adolescents of Aruba. Back in the day, there weren't any places to go to, besides the streets. It was therefore that this group of concerned, responsible citizens took the decision to found the YMCA of Aruba.

The Y has come a long way and we may look back with satisfaction, we can look back with a confident smile, we do look back with a great deal of gratitude to all the fellow-citizens for their interest and understanding of youth and elderly in relation to the welfare of our island as a whole.

We are a non-profit christian organization whose mission is to strive for spiritual, intellectual, and physical well being of individuals and wholeness of communities. It is a holistic approach to development, symbolised by the well-known YMCA triangle representing body, mind and spirit.

OUR VISION

Our vision is to nurture the potential which lies within every child and teen, in tandem with the servitude and support we provide to our neighbors. To help the youth develop self-confidence, self-respect, to grow as responsible members of their families and to society. To teach them that physical fitness and mental well-being are conditions to be achieved and maintained. This ensures that everyone has the opportunity to become healthier, more connected and confident in themselves.