Papers of the Young Christian Students (English Branch)

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Introduction

	Biography
	Contents
	Arrangement
	Related material - here
	Bibliography

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Catalogue

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Biography

The Young Christian Students (English Branch) was formed from the International Young Catholic Students in 1954 by Mildred Neville. From its inception, it was envisaged that the organisation should be run by young lay Catholics rather than by priests and teachers, who acted in a supporting capacity. In 1957, the first College Handbook was produced by Phil Alston, marking the launch of the Young Christian Students in the tertiary sector, specifically the Catholic teacher training colleges which the Church was eager to promote at this time. This ensured that the organisation was represented in Catholic grammar schools but it was not until the mid-1960s when growth became evident in the universities, as grammar school-leavers made the transition into students, with the establishment of branches at Keele, Manchester, Oxford and other universities. In 1962, Father Fay was appointed to the position of National Chaplain for the movement and established a Boys' group alongside the Girls' movement to create a single national movement. Links with international branches were also developed, notably through the organisation of a symphony concert in the Manchester Free Trade Hall to mark World Refugee Year and the appointment of Bob Chronnell to the international headquarters in Paris, with the English branch of the Young Christian Students actively involved in European and international sessions until 1978. Fundraising activities during the 1960s included the first national raffle and flag days, as well as the commissioning of a national survey on student life and 'Student Cross' processions. From a theological perspective, the movement was instrumental in developing the See/Judge/Act method devised by Cardinal Cradijn which encouraged members to take a critical (and self-critical) view of the world around them, evaluate it in the light of the Gospel and take appropriate action. It was given particular impetus by the Second Vatican Council, encouraging the broadening of its theological ideas to include ecumenical thinking and new forms of prayers and liturgy. Discussion in the organisation was focussed around “programmes”, documents produced nationally for each term, with specific themes to work on. The English branch was particularly strong and influential during the 1960s. It continued its activities into the next two decades but declining membership numbers and financial difficulties eventually resulted in the winding up of the organisation in 1984.

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Contents

Papers relating to the Young Christian Students in England, including links with other British, European and worldwide branches; administrative papers including the National Council, meetings, papers of the areas and diocesan teams, handbooks and policy papers, and annual reports; papers relating to fundraising and financial matters; papers relating to events and projects, World Sessions papers, and links with other organisations.

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Accession details

Donated by Cath Baldock to Durham University Library, June 2016.

Previous custodial history

Previously stored in the Salford Diocesan Archives

Conditions of access

Open for consultation.

Copyright and copying

Permission to make any published use of material from the collection must be sought in advance from pg.library@durham.ac.uk and, where appropriate, from the copyright owner. The Library will assist where possible with identifying copyright owners, but responsibility for ensuring copyright clearance rests with the user of the material

Arrangement

The arrangement of this collection reflects the thorough re-organisation of the Young Christian Students archive carried out by YCS members between the years 2009 and 2015. Each document has been individually listed and numbered by the volunteers and so it was felt that retaining this arrangement would allow potential researchers to locate relevant documents more easily. This online catalogue provides only a broad overview of each section. For more detail, potential researchers are advised to consult the detailed word-processed lists compiled by the volunteer archivists.

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Appraisal

Clean duplicates have been removed

Accruals

Occasional further accruals expected

Finding aids

Word processed box list with item level descriptions

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Related material - here

Papers of the Catholic Student Council CSU-D3

Bibliography

Peter Baldock, “YCS: the history of the movement in England”, unpublished draft (2006)

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Catalogue

D14/1/1-3   4 January 1965 - 14 January 1979
Papers relating to links with other British branches:
3 files 
D14/2   31 May 1957 - 2006
Papers relating to the Boys' group, including correspondence and minutes of meetings relating to the formation of the Boys' group, papers on the Boys' Summer Week, minutes of section reports, and newsletters
Also includes a draft history of the Boys' group, written by Peter Baldock
File 1: 31 May 1957 - 29 November 1959
File 2: February 1960 - 30 December 1961
File 3: 8 August 1964 - 31 December 1967
3 files 
D14/3   1960 - 13 February 1984
Papers relating to college and university groups of the Young Christian Students, including reports of university and summer weeks, planning papers, correspondence, and college/university address lists:
File 1: 1960 - 1964
File 2: 1965 - 3 October 1969
File 3: August 1970 - 13 February 1984
File 4: undated [1963 x 1970]
4 files 
D14/4-6   1945 - 18 July 1984
Papers of individual English sections, including correspondence, section reports, financial papers, and newsletters
60 files 
D14/7/1   30 January 1959 - November 1985
Papers of the National Team, including agendas/minutes of meetings, correspondence and reports
2 files 
D14/7/2/1-3   26 July 1968 - 13 April 2000
Papers of Fr Fay
3 files 
D14/8   1964 - 1985
Papers relating to the National Council meetings, mostly agendas, reports, and other meeting papers:
File 1: 1964 (first Council meeting)
File 2: 1965
File 3: 1966
File 4: 1967
File 5: 1968
File 6: 1969
File 7: 1970
File 8: 1971
File 9: 1972
File 10: 1973
File 11: 1974
File 12: 1975-1977
File 13: 1978
File 14: 1979-1985
14 files 
D14/9/1   9 January 1959 - 19 August 1978
Papers of area teams, including minutes of meetings, correspondence and newsletters from the Liverpool, Manchester and Salford area teams
2 files 
D14/9/2   December 1957 - January 1966
Papers of diocesan teams, including minutes of meetings, correspondence, newsletters and reports
2 files 
D14/10-11   1959 - 1982
Young Christian Students programmes:
2 boxes 
D14/12/1-4   1961 - 1974
Young Christian Students handbooks
4 files 
D14/12/5   1963 - 1980
Young Christian Students discussion documents and associated papers, mostly on the responsibility of the Christian student
1 file 
D14/12/6   [?1969] & 1970
Essays entitled “Reform or revolution” (by Robert Kline) and “Inequality in Britain”
2 items 
D14/12/7   1963 - 1980
Young Christian Students lectures/talks, including
“The natural qualities of a leader” by Phil Alston
“Love in courtship and marriage” by Ann Holland
“What is man? The Christian perspective” by Peter Baldock
“Making an apocalypse” by Peter Baldock
“Belfast and Brixton parallel situations?” by Ultan Russell
“Sexism” by Margaret Henley
“Young Christian Students”
“And thy kingdom come”
“Theology of liberation”
1 file 
D14/12/8   1965 - 1979
Young Christian Students reports, including “A criticism of Sedgley modern school sodalities conference” by Chris Dykhoff, as well as reports on ecumenism, religious education, social awareness, and leisure
1 file 
D14/12/9   [?1960 x 1985]
Young Christian Students questionnaires on subjects including the transition from school to work, aims and philosophy of organisations, as well as questions for local youth councils, local authorities, voluntary organisations and colleges/universities
1 file 
D14/12/10   [?1960 x 1985]
Young Christian Students hymns and song sheets
1 file 
D14/12/11   September 1962 - September 1982
Booklets and leaflets from other organisations, including the Union of Liberal Students, the Young Liberal Movement, the Minority Rights Group, Christian Aid, the Prisoners’ Sunday Committee, the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, the Anti-Apartheid Movement, the International Movement of Catholic Students, and the British Council of Churches Youth Unit
2 files 
D14/12/12   September 1969 - [?1980]
Other Young Christian Students handbooks and manuals
1 file 
D14/13   1959 - 1984
Young Christian Students newsletters, including YCS News, YCS Newsletter, Contacts, Crux, The News, and Trauma
59 items 
D14/14   1958 - 1985
Young Christian Students national and annual reports
19 reports and 3 letters 
D14/15   8 September 1963 - [1984]
Correspondence with the National Office, mostly on the management of the Young Christian Students and its functions:
File 1: 8 September 1963 - [?December 1975]
File 2: 8 January 1976 - [?December 1978]
File 3: 1 January 1979 - 7 December 1982
File 4: 12 January 1983 - [1984]
4 files 
D14   25 January 1958 - 29 June 1984
Young Christian Students financial papers:
22 files 
D14/19   25 April 1957 - 5 October 1988
Papers relating to the Young Christian Students Religious Assistants and Chaplains, including correspondence, notes, reports, transcripts of talks, and minutes of meetings, as well as a file of papers concerning the Assistant's Handbook:
File 1: 1957 - 1959
File 2: 1960 - 1965
File 3: 1966 - 1969
File 4: 1970 - 1988
File 5: Assistant's Handbook file
5 files 
D14/20/1-6   1960 - 24 June 1972
Papers relating to the involvement of the Young Christian Students with various community projects:
6 files 
D14/21A-B   29 January 1971 - [July] 1984
Papers relating to the Young Christian Students Weeks (Summer, Christmas and Easter), including conference reports, agendas and minutes of conference meetings, workshop papers, briefing notes, notes of talks, programmes, correspondence, and publicity material:
File 1: 1960 - 1965
File 2: 1966 - 1969
File 3: 1970
File 4: 1971
File 5: 1972 - 1973
File 6: 1974 - 1984
File 7: Additional material
3 files 
D14/22-23   July 1952 - 9 September 2006
Papers relating to the International Young Christian Students (IYCS), including conference papers, correspondence, reports on Young Christian Students activities in Africa and Europe, as well as papers on significant anniversaries:
File 1: September 2006 (85th anniversary celebrations)
File 2: July 1952 - December 1959
File 3: [undated]
File 4: September 1961 - 1969
File 5: 22 January 1970 - 19 February 1980
File 6: 23 January 1960 - 1970 (additional material)
File 7: June 1980 - 1989
File 8: 2006 - 2009
8 files 
D14/24-27   1961 - 1982
Papers relating to the Young Christian Students World Sessions, including agendas and minutes; workshop papers, publicity material, reports and correspondence:
14 files 
D14/28-30   2 November 1959 - February 1984
Papers relating to the European Young Christian Students (EYCS), including European Committee meetings, papers and correspondence on European Sessions, reports on European matters, papers on European Summer Weeks, and publications
D14/28, file 1: 2 November 1959 - 13 May 1969
D14/28, file 2: 27 March 1970 - November 1974
D14/28, file 3: 10 February 1975 - 17 December 1980
D14/29, file 1: Altenburg Study Session, 16-25 August 1980
D14/29, file 2: EYCS publications 1974-1982
D14/29, file 3: [undated]
D14/30, file 1: May - November 1981
D14/30, file 2: February - 4 November 1982
D14/30, file 3: 7 January - February 1984
D14/30, file 4: Other papers, including Young Christian Students events in Austria, Luxembourg and France, 1959-1974
10 files 
D14/31/1-13   [?1960] - 11 September 1983
Papers relating to Young Christian Students activities and links with African countries, including correspondence with representatives in Africa, publications, and other papers of African Young Christian Students groups
13 files 
D14/32/1-15   3 August 1946 - 1981
Papers relating to Young Christian Students activities and links with countries outside of Europe and Africa, including correspondence with representatives, publications, and other papers of worldwide Young Christian Students groups
8 files 
D14/33-35   1957 - August 2012
Papers relating to Young Christian Students activities and links with other Catholic, religious and secular organisations
15 files 
D14/36-37   8 July 1938 - 26 June 2015
Papers relating to Young Christian Students history documentation and post-1990 activities
18 files 
D14/38/1-6   [1960?] - 20 October 1981
1. Miscellaneous papers, mostly documents on Catholic issues, as well as photographs of Boys YCS events, World Session, Fr Fay etc.
5 file 
D14/39   2017
Papers of the YCS Day, including agenda and associated papers, as well as papers relating to the IYCS-JECI Fund
1 file