Overview of the Collection
Historical Note:
Access Terms
Administrative Information
Arrangement of Materials:
Scope and Contents
Overview of the Collection
Collection Title: Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) of San Diego County Records
Dates: 1907-2008
Identification: MS-0396
Creator:
Young Women's Christian Association of the U.S.A. San Diego County
Physical Description: 35.87 linear ft
Language of Materials:
English
French
Japanese
Chinese
Repository:
Special Collections & University Archives
5500 Campanile Dr. MC 8050
San Diego, CA, 92182-8050
URL: http://library.sdsu.edu/scua
Email: scref@rohan.sdsu.edu
Phone: 619-594-6791
Note:
Other Information:
An inventory to Series I: Historical Files, prepared by the YWCA of San Diego County is available in the Louis Kenney Reading
Room.
Historical Note:
The Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) is the largest women’s international organization in the world, with participants
in more than 90 countries and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. There are community YWCA organizations in all 50 states,
with the US national headquarters in New York, NY. The YWCA’s philosophy embraces women of all religious faiths, as well as
those with none. Its programs are a combination of services and social actions, and are devoted to bringing about social change
– a broadening of educational, economical and political opportunities for women of all ages and races.
The YWCA of San Diego County was founded in 1907. Some documents assert San Diego's branch was organized by Dr. Charlotte
Baker, Ellen Browning Scripps, and George Marston, all important local leaders in the early 20th century. Other materials
name the first two presidents, Mrs. G. Audrey Davidson (1907-1908) and Dr. Charlotte Baker (1909-1910) as founder's of San
Diego's YWCA. YWCA San Diego is governed by a Board of Directors. The first documented meeting of the Board of Directors was
in 1907.
In 1907 San Diego had no recreational centers, no adult education classes, and no employment bureau for women. Within a year
of its founding, the local YWCA provided all of these services, and grew into a 500-member organization by 1908. From 1908
to1910 the YWCA opened the city's first cafeteria, the first employment bureau, and the first Traveler's Aid Office Bureau.
In the 1910s and 1920s, the governing body proclaimed leadership development and empowerment of women and girls as the organization’s
main purpose. The YWCA was involved in many projects, including summer camps, cooperative housing for women and families,
female unemployment, and others. During World War I, the YWCA was the only women’s organization of seven national organizations
which were chosen by the federal government to provide aid to servicemen and their families.
In the 1930s, the YWCA San Diego instituted many new services, some in conjunction with federal relief programs, such as programs
for non-working women. During World War II, the YWCA of San Diego County again concentrated its effort on providing services
to Navy Personnel and defense workers, their wives and children. The YWCA staffed Hostess Houses at military bases, organizing
dances and card games with servicemen. By 1944, attendance of YWCA programs averaged 25,000 a month.
Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, San Diego's YWCA continued to expand its services. Because of the city's growth, the YWCA
established branch divisions to satisfy the needs of local neighborhoods. These branches became centers of activity in communities.
They offered outreach programs, established recreational programs for teenagers, and health and physical activities. Children's
and Youth programs have been expanded. There were more than 20 "Y-Teen" Clubs all over San Diego in the 1950s. South, East
and San Ysidro Centers offered child care services.
The YWCA is known across San Diego for its public activism. Throughout the organization's history, the most significant and
long-term programs have been designed to aid physically and emotionally abused women and their children. In the 1970s, Battered
Women's Services, the first comprehensive domestic violence program, was established in San Diego. A series of state and county
grants received by the San Diego YWCA in the 1970s and 1980s funded a pilot project to provide shelter and support for victims
of domestic abuse. Casa de Paz, a shelter in the YWCA's downtown building, became the first shelter for victims of domestic
violence and for homeless women. Many of the temporary services started in the 1970s and 1980s have grown into long-term programs.
In the 1990s, the YWCA organized the 24-hour Domestic Violence Hotline, which provided crisis intervention, counseling, and
shelter placement to more than 2,500 callers each year. Since 2001, the Becky’s House Emergency Shelter, an 18-month 33-bed
transitional housing program, has provided temporary housing and support services to women and children victims of domestic
violence. The Becky’s House 2, an additional shelter facility with 55 beds in 14 apartments, was opened in October, 2007.
The YWCA also manages PASSAGES, a two-year supportive living program, which provides single women with the resources necessary
to complete transition from homelessness to independent living.
Since 2002, the YWCA has operated Cortez Hill - a 120-day transitional housing program for homeless families. More than 70
percent of individuals served by the YWCA of San Diego County's social services have been successful in finishing the YWCA's
transitional program, in obtaining employment and permanent housing, and in maintaining a stable, self-sufficient lifestyle.
In 2008, The YWCA of the San Diego County celebrated its centennial. The YWCA receives some governmental funding, but it relies
on the community to donate the additional funds. The organization continues to be at the forefront of providing services that
respond to the needs of women and families.
Access Terms
This collection is indexed under the following controlled access subject terms.
Corporate Name:
National Organization for Women. San Diego County Chapter -- Archives
Young Women's Christian Association -- California -- San Diego
Young Women's Christian Association of the U.S.A.
Genre/Form of Material:
Artifacts
Audio Recordings
Digital Records
Organizational Records
Photographs
Publications
Slides
Video Recordings
Geographic Name:
San Diego County (Calif.) -- Social conditions -- Sources
San Diego County (Calif.) -- Social life and customs -- Sources
Topical Term:
Women -- California -- San Diego
Women -- California -- San Diego -- Social conditions -- Sources
Women -- California -- San Diego County
Women -- Legal status, laws, etc
Women -- Services for -- California -- San Diego County -- History -- Sources
Women -- Social conditions -- California -- San Diego County -- History -- Sources
Women -- Societies and clubs -- California -- San Diego County -- History -- Sources
Women's organizations
Women's rights
Women's rights -- California -- San Diego County
Women's rights -- United States
Women's rights advocates
Women, Services for -- California -- San Diego
Administrative Information
Accruals:
2008
Conditions Governing Use:
The copyright interests in some of these materials have been transferred to or belong to San Diego State University. The nature
of historical archival and manuscript collections means that copyright status may be difficult or even impossible to determine.
Copyright resides with the creators of materials contained in the collection or their heirs. Requests for permission to publish
must be submitted to the Head of Special Collections, San Diego State University, Library and Information Access. Permissions
is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical item and is not intended to include or imply permission
of the copyright holder(s), which must also be obtained in order to publish. Materials from our collections are made available
for use in research, teaching, and private study. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including
but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials.
Conditions Governing Access:
This collection is open for research.
Preferred Citation:
Identification of item, folder title, box number, Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) of San Diego County Records,
Special Collections and University Archives, Library and Information Access, San Diego State University.
Related Materials:
Tish Sommers papers, 1970-1985
Older Women's League, San Diego County Records, 1947-1997
Center for Women's Studies and Services Records, 1947-1997
San Diego City Advisory Board on Women Records, 1972-1989
National Organization for Women (NOW), San Diego County Records, 1964-1984
Arrangement of Materials:
I. Historical files, 1907-2005
II. Administrative Information, 1907 - 2006
1. Board of Directors Meetings, 1907 - 2006
2. Financial Documents, 1908 - 2006
3. Membership Records, 1908 - 2002
4. Staff/Volunteers, 1925 - 2003
5. Publicity, 1919 - 2005
6. World and National YWCA, 1926 - 2000
III. Buildings/Facilities, 1923 - 1991
IV. Programs and Services, 1908 - 2007
V. Conferences and Events, 1919 - 1999
VI. Media and Artifactual Materials, 1947-2003
1. Audio Materials, 2001-2003
2. Board of Directors Computer Files and Software, 1992-2002
3. Video Materials, not dated
4. Artifactual Materials, 1907-2008
Scope and Contents
The
Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) of San Diego County Records document the YWCA's growth and evolution as a service organization for women and families from its inception in 1907 through
the early 2000s. The collection comprises approximately 67 linear feet of materials including the organization’s administrative
records dating from 1907 to 2006, financial records dating from 1908 to 2006, legal documents, correspondence, publicity,
photographs, 35mm color slides, negatives, scrapbooks, audio and video tapes, computer software, floppy disks, CDs, and artifacts.
Some administrative records are in paper and audio format. There is an extensive amount of material which documents programs,
events, and conferences. The collection includes an extensive amount of photographic material documenting many of the YWCA's
most important activities, including photos from the 1910s-1920s. The collection consists of six series:
Historical Files,
Administrative Information,
Buildings/Facilities,
Programs and Services,
Events and Conferences, and
Media and Artifactual Materials.
The
Historical Files (1907-2005) consist of the Index of Archives/Historical Files Directory, created by the YWCA of San Diego County. Materials
in this part of the collection document the association’s attempt to create and maintain its own archive in the 1990s and
early 2000s. The series includes many materials from the YWCA 's history, including founding documents and papers, materials
about the central YWCA building and other facilities, and information about programs, services, and conferences. Oral history
documents, correspondence, and photos from the early years of the organization are of particular interest in this series.
Other interesting materials include papers and correspondence describing social activism of the YWCA of San Diego county in
the 1960s (Fair Housing Act). The Historical Files mark many of the most important milestones in the history of the YWCA,
but the series represents only part of the collection's historical materials. Materials in other series provide additional
substantial information.
The
Administrative Information (1907-2006) is the collection's most extensive. Materials are further divided into 6 subseries:
Board of Directors Meetings,
Financial Documents,
Membership Records,
Publicity, Staff/Volunteers, and
World and National YWCA. The series consists of records created by the San Diego YWCA’s governing and administrative bodies, such as the Board of
Directors and various sub-committees. Materials include minutes, acts and resolutions, constitutions, by-laws, annual reports
and statements. The
Board of Directors Meetings (1907-2006) document YWCA activities and the Board's monthly meetings. They are arranged chronologically. Records from 1982-1998
are missing. The
Financial Documents (1908-2006) contain ledgers, some audit reports, federal tax return records, bank documents and papers, deeds, and information
about mortgage accounts and financial contributors. The
Membership Records (1908-2002) consists of membership rosters for the Board of Directors and documentation about membership campaigns. The
Publicity (1919-2005) subseries documents YWCA activities in promoting the organization and includes scrapbooks, magazines, newspaper
clippings, and other promotional materials. The
Staff and Volunteers (1925-2003) subseries documents personnel and volunteer policies, and includes photographs and lists of staff members. The
World and National YWCA (1926-2000) subseries documents the San Diego organization’s affiliation with the YWCA's national and world headquarters.
All series are filed chronologically except for the Publicity subseries, which is filed alphabetically.
The
Buildings and Facilities Records (1923-1991) document the downtown YWCA building campaign and building fund in the 1920s, downtown building renovations in
the 1970s-1980s, and construction and remodeling of the YWCA branches in the 1930s-1990s. Included are materials about the
Clay Avenue branch, North branch, and South branch. Materials are arranged alphabetically by facility name, and chronologically
within each grouping. The series contains some photographic materials, including oversized framed photos.
The
Programs and Services Files (1908-2005) details the programs and services offered by the YWCA throughout the century, from the 1910s to the 2000s. The
series documents child care, fitness, youth programs, women in leadership, domestic violence prevention, homeless services,
and many others. Materials about the most ambitious YWCA of San Diego programs, such as Becky’s House, Battered Women Services,
My Sister’s Closet, Women in Transition, Women Together, TWIN can be found in this series. City-wide and branch-specific programs
are also included. Materials are filed alphabetically by the name of the program or service. Video materials contain promotional
and educational materials about YWCA programs and services, including recordings of numerous television programs about the
YWCA.
The
Conferences and Events series (1919-1999) consists of materials documenting various YWCA activities included conferences, annual meetings, conventions,
fundraising campaigns and rallies, anniversaries, and holiday celebrations. The series primarily consists of newspaper clippings
organized in scrapbooks and photographs. They are arranged in chronological order. Of special interest are scrapbooks dated
in 1919-1922 with documents and photos from the first Asilomar conferences, Y-Wives Program Scrapbook (1949-1959), "Seven
Cities of Gold" fundraising event scrapbook (1955), and documents about annual meetings in the 1920s-1980s. The series contains
a large body of photographic materials, many of them are unidentified. Oversized framed proclamations from 1992-2006 are also
included in this series.
The
Media and Artifactual Materials (1947-2003) series consists of materials in other formats documenting a variety of YWCA programs, administration, and other
events. It is divided into 4 subseries:
Audio Materials,
Board of Directors Computer Files and Software,
Video Materials, and
Artifactual Materials. Floppy discs, audio and video tapes are numbered and grouped by content. The
Audio Materials contain cassette tape recordings of Board of Directors meetings from 2001 to 2003, annual meetings, and seminars. Five audio
tapes with oral history interviews are of particular interest in this subseries. The
Board of Directors Computer Files contain work files from 1992-2002, backup disks, and software. The
Video Materials (not dated) include promotional videos of the National YWCA, recordings of some YWCA of San Diego events, and recordings
of TV Programs about YWCA services in San Diego and other U.S. cities. The final subseries contains artifacts, produced throughout
the existence of the YWCA.