The International Council has always been the most important governing body of the IYCW. As the democratic and representative representation of all national YCW’s, it has a rich history. Although the first official meeting was in Rome in 1957, the first initiatives towards an international, democratic and representative body were taken more than a decade earlier during the International Study Days in Brussels (1945). The IYCW-archives shed an invaluable light on the humble beginnings of the International Council.

The archive file contains a note made in preparation of the International Days with annotations from Jozef Cardijn (p.1-2). It concerned essential questions like ‘what should we discuss and who will attend?’. Among the topics to be discussed were mainly the establishment of an International Secretariat in Brussels and the basic principles of international collaboration. The second question was harder to answer than it seems nowadays; Canada and Luxemburg had already confirmed by telegram, the US will soon send one, the Netherlands, England, Scotland and Ireland will probably attend, shouldn’t Switzerland and Portugal also be alerted? Communication was quite the adventure…

On February 23th, 2021, the archives of the International Young Christian Workers (IYCW) were moved from the International Secretariat in Brussels to KADOC Documentation and Research Centre on Religion, Culture and Society connected to the Catholic University of Leuven.

The IYCW has a rich history and pre-history. From its origins in the Young Christian Workers (YCW) (1925) movement, to its official recognition as an international movement in 1957 and beyond, it envisaged the emancipation and education of young workers all over the world. Through the years, the IYCW has produced vast archives containing written correspondence with the national branches and local (Church) authorities, documents on daily governance and activities, information on personnel and finances,… It really reflects the history of more than seventy years of IYCW.

The International YCW is concerned about young workers from all countries, on all continents. In the different moments and stages of the history of our movement, the organization of youth groups, from the initial awareness of their problems to the collective action to solve them, to finally the shaping of a specific identity of the Panafrican YCW, has always been a challenge.

Today in this issue of the newsletter, we thought it would be interesting to provide you with some information and analysis on Africa. It is also a call to solidarity from other continents, starting with the time you spend reading the articles in the following pages. We encourage you to get to know and understand a little more about the reality of that continent, the vision of the young people who contributed their testimonies and examples of the actions that are being carried out to reinforce the work of the YCW, the efforts to extend the movement to new countries, the role of former activists and leaders, in solidarity with the historical mission of the International YCW. In this respect, this special issue on Africa aims to strengthen the Panafrican YCW.

In addition, starting with this issue, the newsletter begins its journey towards the celebration of the YCW's centenary. We will keep you informed about the work of the organizing committee and the initiatives in the countries and regions to achieve the goals that we have set for the centenary activities. Enjoy reading the newsletter!