The Interregional public organization for promoting the development of youth and family "YMCA" is a non-political public association.

One of the main goals of the organization is to unite youth of different countries around the idea of peace and cooperation, to popularize international youth exchanges.

The YMCA of Russia unites 12 local public organizations that conduct creative, sports, health, leadership and volunteer programs, youth camps and international youth exchange projects in Moscow, Leningrad, Yaroslavl, Ivanovo, Novosibirsk, Sverdlovsk, Kaliningrad regions, the Altai Krai and on the Kola Peninsula.

The YMCA of Russia:

• is the full member of the European and World YMCA Alliances, 
• cooperates with YMCA of the Rockies (USA) and YMCA-YWCA Denmark (Denmark).

Some regional YMCA organizations also develop international youth cooperation, for example, YMCA-Ivanovo partners are YMCA organizations from Hanover (Germany) and Reading (USA) as well as the Staffordshire Volunteer Center (UK).