About us - Our Heritage

Today the Global Fellowship (GF) has grown into a vast network representing in excess of 750,000 young people spanning 60 organisations across the globe. The latest groups to seek membership within GF in 2006 have included The Boys’ and Girls’ Brigade Burundi and Pathway Bangladesh.

Our first member was established over 120 years ago by Sir William Alexander Smith with the establishment of The Boys’ Brigade in the United Kingdom (BBUK). In 1963 the international department of BBUK was replaced by The World Conference of Boys’ Brigade. The objective of the new entity was to ensure that ownership and the decisions of BB were shared internationally, rather than under the jurisdiction of the UK alone. In 2002 the World Conference underwent a name change and became known as the Global Fellowship (GF) of Christian Youth. This change was to acknowledge the growing and diverse nature of youth organisations who desire to partner with us. While some work exclusively with boys and young men, others welcome boys, girls, teenagers and young adults from the age of 5 to 25 years.

Along with the name change in 2002, GF began a formal affiliation with the World Council of Churches. This relationship affirms that our primary partnership is with the Christian church.

List of members

Please visit the link to Member Organisations to see a full list of organisations by region. Altogether there are between 500,000 and 750,000 children and young people involved in the member organisations of Global Fellowship.