The East Jerusalem YMCA is a Palestinian non-profit community-based organization whose mission is to develop and empower youth and communities to reach their full potential in mind, body and spirit. It was established in 1948 in a tent at the Aqbat Jabr refugee camp in Jericho, and is an independent, neutral and professional organization affiliated with the global YMCA movement as a member of the World Alliance of YMCAs.
Its programmes run across vocational and technical training, economic empowerment and employment, rehabilitation and mental health, advocacy, youth participation and women’s empowerment. The Vocational Training Centre dates from the association’s earliest years and teaches technical skills to young people from the refugee camps; the Career Advancement Centre, opened in 2020, works with 15- to 35-year-olds in Jerusalem; and the Rehabilitation Programme, begun in 1989, works with young people injured during the uprisings. Community centres operate in Jerusalem, Beit Sahour and Ramallah.