Ghana YMCA has been named the winner of the 2026 World YMCA Impact Award in the Meaningful Work category, earning global recognition for its outstanding contribution to youth empowerment through innovative skills development.
The prestigious award was presented during the 21st World YMCA Council in Toronto, Canada, where more than 1,300 delegates from over 100 countries gathered to celebrate transformative initiatives from across the global YMCA Movement.
Ghana YMCA received the award for its flagship initiative, Resilient Africa: Training in Filmmaking and Media for Peace, a programme that equips young people with practical filmmaking, digital storytelling and media production skills while promoting peacebuilding, social cohesion and sustainable livelihoods. Through the initiative, thousands of young people have acquired industry-relevant skills, creating pathways to employment, entrepreneurship and social impact within the creative economy.
The World YMCA Impact Awards recognize projects that demonstrate measurable impact while advancing the objectives of YMCA Vision 2030, which is anchored on four strategic pillars: Community Wellbeing, Meaningful Work, Sustainable Planet, and Just World.
This year’s awards attracted 70 project submissions from YMCAs across the world, with only 16 projects shortlisted across the four award categories. Ghana YMCA emerged as the winner in the highly competitive Meaningful Work category ahead of three distinguished finalists:
YMCA Tayside, Scotland – Learn2Earn,
YMCA Sierra Leone – Youth Livelihoods,
YMCA East Jerusalem – Building Sustainable Futures through Vocational Training.
The recognition underscores Ghana YMCA’s growing reputation as one of Africa’s leading youth development organisations, delivering innovative programmes that respond to the evolving needs of young people while contributing to national development and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Ghana YMCA expressed profound appreciation to its development partner, Bread for the World, whose financial and technical support has been instrumental in the implementation and expansion of the Resilient Africa initiative. The organisation also acknowledged the dedication of its facilitators, volunteers, regional YMCAs and community partners whose collective efforts continue to transform the lives of young people across Ghana.
Receiving the award reinforces Ghana YMCA’s commitment to empowering young people through innovation, skills development and strategic partnerships. It also strengthens the organization’s resolve to expand opportunities that enable young people to become entrepreneurs, peacebuilders, creative professionals and community leaders.
The recognition further places Ghana firmly on the global stage, demonstrating how locally designed solutions can generate lasting impact and inspire youth development beyond national borders.
For more than a century, Ghana YMCA has remained at the forefront of youth development in Ghana, implementing programmes that promote leadership, education, health, livelihoods, environmental sustainability and social inclusion. This latest international honour further cements the organization’s position as a trusted partner in advancing sustainable development and investing in the next generation of leaders.
Held every four years, the World YMCA Council is the highest decision-making gathering of the global YMCA Movement, bringing together member movements from around the world to strengthen partnerships, share best practices and celebrate initiatives that are transforming lives. Ghana YMCA’s victory in Toronto marks a proud moment for Ghana and the African YMCA Movement, affirming the power of investing in young people to create lasting social and economic change.
