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Our anniversary anthem
Come Alive @ the Y
From an idea born in Malta to Toronto and Cyprus, discover how YMCA Malta’s 50th anniversary song became an invitation to reconnect, participate and belong.
Read the full storyCome Alive @ the Y: A New Anthem for a New Generation
As YMCA Malta celebrates 50 years of service, community and social impact, its story is being carried forward through music with Come Alive @ the Y, an original anthem created to bring people together.
The song was developed by The Big Y, a creative collaboration between award-winning Maltese artist Ed Gar and Cyprus-based musician, producer and content creator Dominik The Storyteller.
Created exclusively for the YMCA, Come Alive @ the Y combines contemporary dance energy with a message rooted in friendship, inclusion and belonging. It invites people to step away from isolation, reconnect with those around them and rediscover the strength of real community.
From Malta to the global YMCA movement
The journey began when YMCA Malta invited Ed Gar to explore the possibility of creating an original song for its 50th anniversary.
What followed grew into something much larger than a commemorative track. Working together with Dominik The Storyteller, the project developed into a modern YMCA anthem capable of travelling across cultures, generations and communities.
The song was first introduced internationally in Toronto, Canada, during the 21st YMCA World Council, where YMCA representatives from across the world came together. Seeing people from different countries respond to the music confirmed that Come Alive @ the Y carried a message extending far beyond Malta.
Its international journey continued in Protaras, Cyprus, where YMCA Malta and YMCA Cyprus came together for a special premiere and celebration. The event marked another important step in transforming the song from a Maltese anniversary project into an invitation to the wider YMCA family.
A song about connection
At its heart, Come Alive @ the Y responds to one of the defining challenges of our time: people are increasingly connected through technology, yet many continue to experience loneliness and isolation.
The song encourages listeners to look beyond their screens, meet others and participate in the life of their communities. Its message is captured in the lyric:
“Meet a friend, change a life.”
This reflects what the YMCA has represented for generations: a place where people can belong, contribute and discover new possibilities.
Inspired by the joyful participation associated with the legendary YMCA song by Village People, Come Alive @ the Y does not attempt to recreate the past. Instead, it creates a fresh chapter for today’s generation, built around movement, inclusion and positive change.
The Big Y Parade
Come Alive @ the Y will take centre stage during The Big Y Parade in Valletta on Saturday, 19 September 2026, as YMCA Malta celebrates its 50th anniversary together with employees, volunteers, supporters, young people and members of the community.
The celebration will bring the anthem home after its journey through Toronto and Cyprus, turning the streets of Valletta into a shared expression of energy, unity and belonging.
Come Alive @ the Y is more than an anniversary song. It is an open invitation to participate, reconnect and help shape the next chapter of the YMCA story.
Born Healthy, But Without a Home to Return To
A 20-year-old mother has given birth to a healthy baby boy. It should have been a moment defined entirely by joy: a new life beginning, a mother holding her son and a family preparing to welcome them home.
But when this baby leaves the hospital, he will not be going home. He will return with his mother to Dar Niki Cassar, YMCA Malta’s largest residential facility for individuals, families and children experiencing homelessness.
For many of us, bringing a newborn home means preparing a cot, choosing blankets and creating a safe space in which the child can grow. For this young mother, home is temporary accommodation shared with others: a place of safety, but not the permanent home every family deserves.
The shelter will provide protection. Our employees and volunteers will offer care, practical assistance and emotional support. The baby will not be without people around him. But a shelter, however compassionate and well-run, cannot replace the security, privacy and stability of a home.
“This is the often-unseen face of homelessness. It is not always someone sleeping on the street. It can be a young mother leaving a maternity ward with nowhere else to go. It can be a newborn whose first address is a shelter. It can be a family trying to remain together while facing poverty, isolation and an increasingly inaccessible housing market.”
Anthony Camilleri, CEO and National General Secretary of YMCA Malta
This child’s story must not be allowed to define his future. He was born healthy, worthy and full of possibility. His mother deserves dignity and support, not judgement. Their identities must remain protected, but the reality confronting them should not remain hidden.
At YMCA Malta, we will continue to stand beside this family and others facing similar circumstances. Yet emergency accommodation alone cannot solve homelessness. Malta needs stronger prevention, accessible housing pathways and coordinated support that begins before a family reaches crisis point.
No mother should have to leave the hospital wondering where she will raise her baby.
No child’s journey should begin without a home.
The birth of this baby boy is a moment of hope, but it must also serve as a call to action: homelessness can begin on the very first day of life, and ensuring that every child has a safe and stable home is a responsibility we all share.
From the archive
Perspectives from YMCA Malta
Explore earlier stories and reflections from our work in homelessness, social justice and community action.
Born Healthy, But Without a Home to Return To
A healthy baby boy begins life in a homelessness shelter with his young mother, revealing the often-unseen reality facing families without a secure home.
From Screen to Street
How celebrity visits can raise awareness, strengthen solidarity and bring wider attention to services supporting people experiencing homelessness.
DAR: Not Just a Word. A Right!
DAR stands for Dignity, Access and Refuge, placing home, safety and belonging at the centre of public action.
Social Justice in Malta Today
A reflection on homelessness, material hardship and the role of services, advocacy and collaboration in building a fairer response.
Understanding Homelessness in Malta
Homelessness is not always visible. It may involve unstable accommodation, unsafe conditions, overcrowding or the constant risk of losing a home.
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