The Paris Basis is a group of principles guiding the relationships between individual YMCAs.
Ninety-nine YMCA leaders of individual YMCAs from Europe and North America met for the first time prior to the 1855 Paris World Exposition to discuss the possibility of joining together in a federation enhance co-operation amongst individual YMCA societies. This meeting resulted in the Paris Basis which is still a guiding principle of the organization today.
Two themes resonated during the council:
- the need to respect the local autonomy of YMCA societies and
- the dogma that Christian churches are united and the YMCA is a way of manifesting that unity. (Muukkonen, 2002:85)
Read more about Paris Basis: Respect of Local Autonomy, Unity of Churches
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