Wednesday, January 12, 2011

YWCA drops the word Christian from its historic name to call itself Platform 51

(The Daily Mail) One of the country’s best-known charities has changed its name, losing the clearest link to its Christian roots.

The Young Women’s Christian Association has dropped its historic title after 156 years because ‘it no longer stands for who we are’.

Instead the organisation – which is mainly funded by legacies left by Christian supporters over 15 decades – will be known as ‘Platform 51’...

It also appeared to open a rift between the renamed grouping in England and Wales and the worldwide YWCA that grew after the charity was founded by two Englishwomen in 1855.

Officials at the World YWCA headquarters in Geneva said none of the 124 branches in other countries are changing their names. 

Spokesman Sylvie Jacquat said: ‘The name has been there for more than 150 years and we are not even discussing a change. 

‘We see our name as an opportunity for promoting Christian values and principles.’

The YWCA is the latest in a series of charities that have tried to update their image, sometimes in the hope of getting more money from the Government. 

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