If the first thing that comes to mind when you hear “YMCA” is group exercise classes, fitness centers, heated pools, or basketball and pickleball courts, you’re not wrong—but that’s only part of the story. The YMCA of Honolulu has long been just as dedicated to enriching young minds as it is to strengthening bodies. For more than a century, the Y has helped shape the lives of keiki across Oʻahu with a diverse range of youth enrichment programs, from model airplane building in the 1930s to today’s dynamic lineup of martial arts, music, dance, and sports. In the 1920s, the Nuʻuanu YMCA introduced Hawai‘i’s first YMCA swim team. By the 1930s, sewing circles for girls and model plane workshops for boys were in full swing. A major milestone came in 1927 when the Nuʻuanu Y hosted the first karate demonstration in the United States. by Jen Townsend, VP of Youth Development, YMCA of Honolulu 92 HAWAII PARENT July/August 2025 FROM MODEL PLANES TO HIP-HOP: THE YMCA’S RICH HISTORY AND EXPANSIVE YOUTH ENRICHMENT PROGRAMS
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