LIETUVOS JAUNŲJŲ KRIKŠČIONIŲ SĄJUNGA  /  YWCA-YMCA  LITHUANIA

Lietuvos jaunuju krikscioniu sajunga - LJKS (YWCA-YMCA Lithuania) is a youth ecumenical,

non-profit organisation  which seeks to unite young people for a joint cultural, educational

work and solve problems of today’s society together.

LJKS was registered at the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Lithuania on 26 June 1996.

The organisation implements and offers the society projects and courses which could help solving crime and drug prevention, youth unemployment as well as issues of problematic families.

Currently, there are 5 local associations in Lithuania (in Vilnius district, Palanga, Traupis, Leliunai, and Elektrenai), 3 of which have their own legal entities.

There are about 40 leaders-volunteers taking part in LJKS activities. There are about 450 people reached through different kinds of programmes and activities organised by LJKS every year. Leaders from Estonia, Latvia, Belarus, and Russia (Kaliningrad) take part in the international projects of LJKS.

During those years, funding for projects was searched in other  sources. LJKS summer camps were financed by its participants and partly by the Ministry of Education and Culture of Lithuania, prevention programmes were funded from the means of Vilnius Municipality. In 2000, training for leaders of newly established local units was supported from the World Service funding, a substantial support came from World YWCA for LJKS women’s projects (computer and English courses for women who’s former qualification no longer comply with the requirements of contemporary labour market).

LJKS has a very short 11 year history. Differently than in other YWCAs and YMCAs in the Baltics, there was no YWCA or YMCA established in Lithuania before the World War II.

Estonia, Latvia, Poland received an investment support from the developed YMCAs of the USA in 1920-1940.    Therefore, after regaining an independence re-established those organisations got their real estate (buildings, camps, land) back from the Government.

Today,  this is a strong base for the development of those organisations.

Being an ecumenical organisation, LJKS has acquired a big experience in working with representatives of various denominations (Catholics, Evangelical-Lutherans, Methodist, Orthodox). The main denomination in the Lithuania is Roman Catholics, therefore LJKS is constantly indulging with being identified as a sect and has to constantly explain and present its ecumenical and historical background.