YMCA World - Dec. 2009 - Striving for Global Citizenship

YMCA Worldwww.ymca.int December2009

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President’s Message p3

Global CitizenshipGlobal Citizenship in the YMCA p4

YMCAs in Asia & Pacific Promote Global Citizenship p6

Global Citizenship at Coventry and Warwickshire YMCA p8

Walking the Talk: YMCA Global Citizenship in Action! p10

Global Youth Work: Stepping Outside Our Comfort Zones p12

African Youth Moving from Subject to Citizen for the African Renaissance p14

World Movement NewsYMCA Argentina Strengthens Partnership with UNICEF p16

In Memoriam: Harold Jenner p16

Y’s Men International’s Journey Towards Global Citizenship p17

World Alliance NewsYMCA Youth Participate in the 10th University on Youth & Development p18

Building Up Our Capacities to be Successful Fundraisers p20

Journey in Mission: Global Citizenship for All p22

Do you have a story to share? Comments on our magazine? Internet links or resources that could be useful to the Movement?Please send an e-mail to [email protected]

Would you like to subscribe to our magazine?Please send an e-mail to [email protected]

The World Alliance of YMCAs is a federation of YMCAs in 124 countries with a membership of over 45 million. YMCAs seek to share the Christian ideal of building a human community of peace with justice for all, irrespective of race, class, religion, or gender. Formed in 1844, the YMCA is one of the largest and oldest youth movements in the world.

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YMCA World –No.4– December 2009 A quarterly of the World Alliance of YMCAsPublished in English and Spanish

President : Mr. Martin Meißner Secretary General : Dr. Bartholomew Shaha

12 Clos Belmont, 1208 Geneva, SwitzerlandTel : (+41 22) 849 51 00Fax : (+41 22) 849 5110E-mail : [email protected] Site : www.ymca.int

Editor : Rebecca Morton DohertyEditorial Assistant & Graphic Design : John Ainsworth Resource Material : Claude-Alain DanthePrinting : Sro-Kundig, Geneva, Switzerland

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Cover illustration by Rodrigo Pareja www.rodrigopareja.com

www.ymca.int YMCA World - December 2009 3

Editor Rebecca Morton DohertyWorld Alliance of YMCAs

Editorial

“Striving for Global Citizenship for All” – Under this theme, YMCA delegates from all over the world will be coming to-gether for the next World Council of YMCAs, due to be held in Hong Kong from the 19th to 24th July 2010.

Whilst the term “Global Citizenship” is becoming more and more widespread, it has many meanings and connotations de-pending on the geographical, social and economic context, and even the organisa-tion in which it is being used. This edition of YMCA World will explore the concept of Global Citizenship from a YMCA per-spective, including its limitations, and showcase YMCAs around the world who are using Global Citizenship as a response to critical challenges in their communities, and in the wider YMCA family.

YMCAs in the Asia and Pacific region for example are using Global Citizenship as a tool to educate their members on global issues including: human rights, peace and

Global Citizenship

President Mr. Martin Meißner

World Alliance of YMCAs

The act of learning is at the heart of Global Citizenship. As a Global Citizen I must listen before I speak, I must under-stand before I act, and learn before I teach. Wherever I go I carry my own cul-ture, experiences, and background with me, as do those I meet. The global YMCA family provides a unique oppor-tunity for learning with and from others. I will never forget an experience from the first World Council of YMCAs that I at-tended in 1981 when a delegate from a YMCA Movement in Asia reminded us: “Maybe we are economically poor – but we are rich in culture and history.”

The YMCA offers a diverse range of ed-ucational activities, exchange pro-

grammes and other volunteer opportuni-ties that allow young people from different countries to get to know each other. I personally know many young people who have gone through such ac-tivities, travelling from North to South (which is quite easy), from South to North (which is much more difficult) and even from South to South.

I am glad and proud that the worldwide YMCA family can offer these possibili-ties. Having this global perspective allows us to advocate for those who are in need. There are also many examples of YMCA Movements and Area Alliances support-

ing other Movements in crisis. In this context, Global Citizenship is an impor-tant aspect of the YMCA Global Operat-ing Plan for Movement Strengthening.

The world is getting smaller; no matter where I live I can talk to you immediately through the Internet, Skype, Facebook or Twitter for example. This widens my horizon, my perspective, and even allows me to have fellowship with people far away. We can share our experiences, plans, hopes and dreams, but also our concerns, difficulties and problems. The vision that “we all may be one” is closer to becoming a reality.

President’s Message

cooperation, economic justice and good governance, and have developed a region-al framework for Global Citizenship Edu-cation. The YMCA of Coventry and War-wickshire is using a Global Citizenship Programme to support young people to understand their rights and responsibili-ties, and to appreciate their roles as citi-zens in both their community and in the larger world family. Other Movements, such as the YMCA of Greater New York, facilitate opportunities for YMCA youth, staff and volunteers to spend time work-ing with a YMCA overseas, with a view to building the capacity of both the sending and host Movement, and allowing partici-pants to learn about the culture, society, and social issues addressed by the host YMCA.

The YMCA International Youth Forum, held just before the World Council of YMCAs, will explore Global Citizenship as a framework that could help young people to address contemporary global challenges and strengthen the work to-

wards achieving the Millennium Develop-ment Goals (MDGs) by 2015. During this three day event, youth delegates will have the opportunity to learn about and discuss MDG issues such as poverty, climate change and education, as well as what it means to be a global citizen, and how to effectively advocate on MDG issues.

Gleeson Job, Young Professional at the World Alliance of YMCAs, originally from Trinidad, is part of the planning team for this Forum. Speaking about what Global Citizenship means to him as a young person, he said: “As young leaders we are responsible for addressing interna-tional and regional inequalities, both social and economic. Global Citizenship means acknowledging our responsibilities to mankind as a whole, and understanding that issues such as HIV/AIDS, environ-mental sustainability and health, affect ev-eryone, whether directly or indirectly. A Global Citizen is willing to learn from the experiences of others without prejudice, and appreciate diversity”.


Just as the establishment of the YMCA was a response to the challenges facing young people at the dawn of the industrial revolution in the latter half of the 19th century, so too is the YMCA called to re-spond to the multiple crises facing hu-manity at this historical juncture. In this context, nurturing global citizens becomes an imperative, and an ethical demand on the YMCA.

While Global Citizenship became part of the YMCA’s global agenda in 2006, Na-tional Movements have already been im-plementing programmes that promote global learning on issues like poverty, mi-gration, multiculturalism, peace building and the environment long before the reso-lution existed. The YMCA’s global reach makes it a natural place for cultivating a sense of global consciousness among young people, enabling them to build con-nections between their realities with those faced by young people in other parts of the world. This global perspective, in turn, helps them to act more effectively in their own communities while strengthen-ing commitment to global justice issues.The purpose of this article is to share more insights on the concept of Global Citizenship and what these may mean for the YMCA as a global Movement com-mitted to the empowerment of young people.

Citizenship in a Globalised World

Growing interest in Global Citizenship has been due partly to the increased inter-

Concernaboutthe“intensifyingprocessofglobalisation”ledtheYMCAMovementtoadoptaresolutionatits16thWorldCouncilcallingforthepromotionofGlobalCitizen-ship,emphasisingglobalresponsibilityaspartofourcommonhumanity.

est in citizenship in the last twenty or thir-ty years. Calls for active civic engagement are made in the midst of widespread apa-thy towards electoral politics and engage-ment in public issues, especially among young people. In multi-ethnic contexts, issues about representation of minority and vulnerable groups and how their in-terests could be addressed pose a major challenge.

At the same time, an increasingly globalised world impinges on the State’s capacity to honour its contract with its citizens as indi-vidual and collective destinies are more and more shaped by forces external to it. These forces are international institutions such as the World Trade Organization (WTO) or the International Monetary Fund (IMF) or major economic organisations such as transnational corporations. It is the con-text of an increasingly globalised world and the impact it has on the exercise of citizen-ship that makes the connection to Global Citizenship and the need for it ever more apparent.

Globalisation and the Imperatives of Global Citizenship

Along with the development of interna-tional institutions and the spread of a neo-liberal, free market economic model, glo-balisation could also be thought of as a process that has changed our concept of space. In a globalised world, social space becomes global, states become borderless and distance is no longer a factor for com-munication in real time.

This process of “deterritorialisation pro-vides the most insight into the process, which, while it has been going on over the last 150 years, gained momentum in the last 30 years” (Dower, 2003). It is this process of deterritorialisation that makes the practice of Global Citizenship possi-ble, while it is access to knowledge in the sense of global consciousness (also made possible through globalisation) that makes the case for Global Citizenship.

At the YMCA Workshop on Global Citi-zenship organised last October 2009 in Coventry, England, participants identified several imperatives that must underpin the practice of Global Citizenship. These are the moral, ecological, economic and secu-rity imperatives. They are imperatives be-cause they underscore the common nature of our fate, the signposts that determine the survival of significant numbers of the human population if not all of humanity. Consider these: the income of the richest 5% in the world is 114 times the income of the poorest 5%; water, which is funda-mental to our survival, is considered an industrial good that is bought (by those who can afford it) and sold (by private companies); the outcome of the Copen-hagen Climate Conference held in De-cember 2009 falls far short of ensuring safe levels of CO2 in the atmosphere nec-essary to reverse global warming; strate-gies to counter terrorism have often justi-fied violations of fundamental human rights in the interest of security.

Clarissa BalanExecutive SecretaryWorld Alliance of YMCAs

Global Citizenshipin the YMCA

Dr. Jai Chang Park, Chair of the World Alliance Task Force on Global Citizenship

Global Citizenship


Global Citizenship in the YMCA: Elements of a Framework

The YMCA Workshop on Global Citizen-ship in Coventry provided the opportuni-ty for the sharing of good practices on Global Citizenship programmes within and outside the Movement. The presenta-tions as well as the discussions that ensued came up with a list of elements that could constitute a framework for the develop-ment of work on Global Citizenship among young people. These are:

Motivation• The motivation underlying work on Global Citizenship is the belief that a more just, peaceful and sustainable world is possible and its attainment is part of our mission and vocation as Christians.• Global Citizenship programmes must be relevant to young people and help them to think critically about global issues.

Objectives• To fulfill Challenge 21, the contempo-rary mission statement of the YMCA.• To challenge traditional understand-ings of global realities and develop inno-vative ways of responding to and trans-forming our world.• To promote active citizenship and ways for its practical application in a globalised world.• To demonstrate the link between local and global, between the universal and the particular.• To empower young people to have a voice and take action.• To facilitate the building of solidarity, through purposeful partnerships and based on mutual sharing between YMCAs on a global scale.• To encourage the widest involvement of YMCAs around the world.

Outcomes• An increased awareness of belonging to one world.• A deeper understanding of local and global issues and a readiness to take ac-tion.• At a personal level, young people are more confident, better able to make life decisions, and are more open to partici-pate in associative actions around local-global issues.• Young people are able to own their ac-tions and their achievements are acknowl-edged and recognised.• The formation of a new generation of young leaders.• An enhanced sense of our Christian vocation and mission.

Global Citizenship: The Question of Access

While it is true that globalisation has fa-cilitated the emergence of a global con-sciousness and “produced greater capacity to act at a distance,” it is also true that glo-balisation as a process has also excluded many from benefitting from it. Access to communication and information technol-ogies is limited to those who can afford it, not to mention the fact that in some plac-es, these technologies are not even avail-able yet! Poverty, illiteracy, HIV and AIDS debilitate people’s capacity to see their survival as tied to that of others – this would be a luxury they could ill-afford, much less, act upon! Does this mean then, that Global Citizenship is itself an expen-sive commodity that could be enjoyed only by those who have the time, the re-sources and access to knowledge and par-ticipation? If this is the case, does this not make the practice of Global Citizenship similar to any other hobby like painting or jogging, a mere middle class exercise and a choice one can make if one wants to?

Assuming that access to Global Citizen-ship is a valid argument, does this not cre-ate another hierarchy and therefore un-dermine its value as a means to influence

global decision-making: Are those self-professed Global Citizens who make claims about ecological integrity and economic justice legitimate representatives of those that are most affected by those issues? If not, what gives Global Citizens the right to speak and act on behalf of the poorest and most vulnerable in the planet?

These were some of the concerns put for-ward in discussions about the theme of the next World Council of YMCAs. While affirming the value of Global Citizenship, some members of the YMCA felt the need to state that Global Citizenship is as much a means to act on global justice is-sues as well as an end to be reached first before it becomes a means for others. Hence, the theme, Striving for Global Cit-izenship for All. With these as well as other unresolved issues about Global Citi-zenship, the World Council promises to be a place for a lively and healthy debate on this timely and critical subject.

ReferencesDower, N. (2003), An Introduction to Global Citizenship, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

Ken Colloton, Chair of the Coventry & Warwickshire YMCA presenting a

memento to Dr. Bart Shaha, Secretary General of the World Alliance of YMCAs

Global Citizenship


Introducing Global Citizenship in Asia and Pacific

When the Asia and Pacific Alliance of YMCAs (APAY) adopted its new Qua-drennial Programme Plan in 2008, Global Citizenship and Social Responsibility were core elements. Soon after the Plan’s adop-tion, Asia and Pacific YMCAs attended a roundtable meeting in Manila, where they made a strong commitment statement on Global Citizenship: “As Global Citizens, YMCAs will act on global concerns, speaking out against injustices to make an-other world possible through local actions with global impact. Our responses must therefore be multi-pronged, and lead to transformation within the YMCA and the larger society.”

A special APAY taskforce was also estab-lished and mandated to develop a working definition of Global Citizenship to be used by all YMCAs in the region.

APAY’s Definition of Global Citizenship Global Citizenship is an awareness and act of commitment rooted in the spirit of global consciousness and the interconnectedness of the world. It recognises the need to understand global realities and social responsibilities. It motivates people to think and act as citizens of the world with human and ethical values. It encourages citizens to be agents of change, working towards justice, peace and sustain-ability of life.

Developing a Framework for Action

From 16 – 19th October 2008, APAY or-ganised a forum on Global Citizenship in Tokyo, Japan. Participants identified some of the key components of citizenship: rights, duties, membership and participa-tion. They also discussed global issues such as universal human rights, climate change, multiculturalism, and the new in-formation society. Participants agreed that Global Citizenship is a pragmatic re-sponse to all of these issues.

The Forum called on all YMCA move-ments to use Global Citizenship as a tool to educate their members on global issues. Forum participants also agreed on the need for a framework that could be used by all National Movements to develop their own curriculums for Global Citizen-ship Education. This has subsequently been developed, and provides guidance on:

a) Focus areas for Global Citizenship Education Programmes including: human rights, environmental interdependence, multicultural coexistence, media literacy, information technology, health, peace and cooperation, economic justice and devel-opment, spirituality, globalisation, and good governance; b) Actions including: advocacy, resource mobilisation, leadership development and local actions and c) Target groups for Education Pro-grammes.

YMCAsinActionYMCA Korea and Kookmin Bank: “Friends of Asian Peace” - Raonatti Project

YMCA Korea is working with one of the biggest banks in Korea, Kookmin Bank, to foster Global Citizenship among Ko-rean youth. Through a corporate social responsibility partnership, the bank is contributing 600,000 USD annually for YMCA Korea to implement the project with other YMCAs in the region.

The project’s slogan is “Serving Sustain-able Local Community, Serving Sustain-able Asian Community”. During the first two phases of the project, 100 Korean youths were given the opportunity to work with local communities in East Timor, In-donesia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, India and Vietnam for 5 months to promote sustainable de-velopment and social integration. Through this project, local YMCAs in the region have also been supported to under-take activities for sustainable community development, including in the areas of peace building, poverty alleviation, public and reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, and children and youth at risk.

Global Citizenship

Jose VargheseExecutive Secretary for ProgrammesAsia and Pacific Alliance of YMCAs

YMCAs in Asia & Pacific Promote Global Citizenship


Global Citizenship

Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong Launches Young Explorers Pro-gramme (YEP) The Young Explorers Programme (YEP) aims to foster Global Citizenship among youth in Hong Kong and abroad through youth exchange programmes. The Chi-nese YMCA of Hong Kong has therefore established working partnerships with other YMCAs in the region and around the world.

Each year, 30 selected youth leaders and volunteers from Hong Kong will be able to spend between 2 weeks and 2 months over the summer, experiencing a new cul-ture through volunteer work abroad. At the same time, the Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong is able to welcome 20 over-seas YMCA youth leaders and volunteers to work as camp counselors in Hong Kong for one month.

Global Citizenship Education in Japan

YMCA Japan has developed a seven-step strategy for a Global Citizenship Educa-tion Programme. It includes: fundraising, recruitment, preparatory studies for par-ticipants, National Global Citizenship training, International Global Citizenship training, mentoring, and a Global Citizen-ship Award.

From 22nd to 28th August 2009, YMCA Japan organised the “Youth Global Citi-zenship Project 2009 – Summer Training in Tozanso” at the YMCA Tozanso inter-national conference centre. 60 YMCA participants from Japan, China, Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan were present. As part of the programme, participants did practical fieldwork around the themes of

“multicultural society”, “peace”, “the pov-erty gap” and “sustainable development”, visiting real projects, to get a deeper un-derstanding of the issues. On the last day, participants developed an action plan to be carried out in their local YMCAs and communities. This was YMCA Japan’s first pilot project to promote Global Citi-zenship.

After the training, participants reflected on Global Citizenship and what it means to them…

“See the unseen and make action to do it.”

“You and me. History and future.”

“A person who knows how to love people around the world…who loves the earth and takes responsibility…who cares for others and makes friends with all…with an open attitude to accept different things.”

Global Citizenship Education in Sri Lanka

This year, YMCA Sri Lanka developed a basic programme on Global Citizenship Education for school students. Local YMCAs in Sri Lanka will be directly re-sponsible for implementing this school-based programme.

The programme aims to reach 500 stu-dents, aged between 15 and 18 in five re-gions. The course will focus on three par-ticular elements of Global Citizenship: environmental interdependence, multi cultural co-existence, and health and re-lated issues.

YMCA Singapore combines Interna-tional and Local Community Service Programmes

There are currently 15 YMCA-Tan Chin Tuan Community Service (YMCA-TCT CS) Programmes in Singapore. They en-gage 3,000 volunteers, benefiting 1,500 people on a regular basis. Programmes in-clude Y-Outing, Y-Visits, Y-Camp Chal-lenge, Y Green Fingers, Y Movie Esca-pades, and the YMCA Festival of Love. These programmes reach out to the men-tally and physically challenged, out-of-school youth, youth-at-risk, underprivi-leged and abused children, the poor, and the elderly.

In addition to local community service ac-tivities, YMCA Singapore also encourages young people to engage in International Service Programmes (ISP). ISP reaches out to less privileged communities in Cambodia (Siem Reap & Phnom Penh) and China (Shanghai & Ningxia). Volun-teers embark on expeditions that range from 8 to 16 days to support these com-munities and gain a deeper appreciation of the host country’s people and culture.

National Forum on Global Citizenship in the Philippines

From the 16th – 18th July 2009 YMCA Philippines organised a National Forum on Global Citizenship. The aim was to use the regional framework developed in To-kyo (October 2008), to develop practical actions on Global Citizenship for the Fili-pino context. In total, 51 YMCA pro-gramme staff, youth leaders, and youth club advisors from various local YMCAs and educational institutions participated in this forum. Participants took part in workshops on multi-cultural society and international migration, democratic elec-tions, good governance, poverty and sus-tainable development, healthy lifestyle, and environmental advocacy.

Global Citizenship is an awareness and act of commitment rooted in the spirit of global consciousness and the interconnectedness of the world.

“ “


Ken Holmes, Chairman of the Coventry and Warwickshire YMCA was one of the main proponents of the resolution, and in 2009 our YMCA launched its first Global Citizenship Programme, in-keeping with the recommendations made in Durban.

Our Approach to Global Citizenship

The Global Citizenship Programme was developed, not only as a reaction to the Durban resolution, but also as a response to the young people we work with who feel powerless to change the world around them. Being able to think as global citi-zens can help our young people to have a voice, and take responsible action in the world.

Coventry and Warwickshire YMCA’s Global Citizenship Programme supports young people to understand their rights and responsibilities, and to appreciate their roles as citizens in both their com-munity and in the larger world family. Our

course does not seek to offer easy answers to difficult questions; rather it aims to in-spire young people to search for their own answers. The Global Citizenship Pro-gramme is based on the belief that skills associated with being an active global citi-zen include communications, enquiry, and critical thinking, all of which are essential for dealing with the demands of an in-creasingly globalised and interdependent world.

The Programme is based on five areas of learning that emerged out of a confer-ence on Global Citizenship organised by the Asia and Pacific Alliance of YMCAs in October 2008. These are: food chain & fair trade, health needs, globalisation and sustainability, peace and conflict, jus-tice, and the connectedness of the YMCA world family.

The target group for the Coventry and Warwickshire YMCA is young people who are having difficulty in mainstream education, for a variety of reasons. The

Global Citizenship at Coventry and Warwickshire YMCA

Programme is designed with this in mind, and comes from a practical youth perspec-tive, rather than academic ideology.

From Knowledge to Action!

The Coventry and Warwickshire YMCA ran its first Global Citizenship Programme in mid-2009. We offered it as an alternative curriculum and had nine students from two local schools aged between 13 and 14 years. We met once a week for ten weeks, with each meeting lasting three hours.

During weeks one to five, the programme of study covered all five learning areas mentioned above. The remaining weeks were guided by the young people and based on the actions they wished to take. We did not only want to provide young people with knowledge of global issues, we wanted them to develop a sense of their own agency and give them the tools to act, allowing them to realise that each action, no matter how big or small can have an impact.

Beth ZeenYouth and Community Worker Coventry and Warwickshire YMCA

Howcanwehelpyoungpeopledealwiththechallengesofamodern,globalisedworld?

Atthe16thWorldCouncilofYMCAsheldinDurbanin2006,aresolutionwasputforwardrecommendingthedevelopmentofaYMCAGlobalCitizenshipProgramme.Theresolu-tionrecalledthatasawide-reachinginternationalMovement,theYMCAwasperfectlyplacedtohelpyoungpeoplefacethesechallenges.

Global Citizenship


We did not only want to provide young people with knowledge of global issues, we wanted them to develop a sense of their own agency and give them the tools to act.

International Connections

During the programme we also intro-duced young people to the YMCA world family, and particularly the YMCA of Ma-lawi, who were keen partners in Global Citizenship. We discussed topics such as McDonaldisation (including a visit to our local McDonalds) which led to an exami-nation of the destruction of the rainfor-est, and what concrete action we can take for the environment.

The connection to the YMCA of Malawi helped our young people to better under-stand their place in the world: it gave the globalisation process a ‘real face’. Letters and photographs were exchanged be-tween young people in Coventry and Ma-lawi, and during weeks six to ten of the programme, one of the actions taken by our young people was to raise £1,000 for the young people in the Malawian YMCA.

Lessons Learnt

It was fascinating to watch the young people’s learning progress throughout the course. One young person had not been outside of Coventry in his lifetime, and when asked to think of places he would want to visit, to learn more about them, he said he did not want to go outside Coven-try. By the end of the course, the young man said he would like to visit Malawi, as did all the young people! This was one small change in his thinking, but it showed that his horizons had been broadened and his mind opened to new possibilities.

Many of the lessons learnt during this first phase will be used when planning our next Programme. Generally speaking however, it was a great success, and the young par-ticipants’ efforts were accredited with a

recognised UK qualification, that helped them to re-engage in mainstream educa-tion.

We will be running this course again, and we are also thinking of ways to incorpo-rate Global Citizenship into all aspects of the work we do at the Coventry and War-wickshire YMCA.

Global Citizenship has an enormous po-tential for good that should be celebrated. As the YMCA World Movement we are perfectly placed to drive this change for good. We have an opportunity to show the world how belonging to One World Family can bring about a better world, a better Humanity, where young people can live peaceably one with another and thrive through caring, loving and respecting one another in this globalised world.

Global Citizenship

“ “


YMCA Go Global Programme

Like so many others, when Sayid Roberts applied to the YMCA Go Global Pro-gramme, he radiated idealism and opti-mism, eager to see if the ‘world’ he had heard of in his university courses and seen in the media was the reality. “Brazil was only a dream for me. Now I have memories of a country that I love and I had the opportunity to meet and better understand the people of Brazil. This journey has served to enlighten me about the world outside of the U.S. and has mo-tivated me to explore more of it.”

The YMCA Go Global programme, run by the International Branch of the YMCA of Greater New York, aims to connect im-passioned, motivated volunteers with op-portunities for service and capacity build-ing with YMCAs and other NGOs around the world. Individual volunteers are fully immersed in the culture and society of their host country, where they are exposed to the myriad of social issues addressed by the programmes and services of the host YMCA. Volunteers generally work in fields such as youth development, English instruction, environmental conservation,

The world is getting smaller; our ‘global village’ is becoming more closely intercon-nected than ever before. Aided by instantaneous communication through multiple me-diums, we no longer have to wait days or even hours to feel the impact of world events in our own communities. Instead, we get SMS messages, twitter/facebook updates and emails alerting us to the most recent natural disaster, terrorist attack, or other global occurrence. As one of the most highly regarded and trusted NGOs in the world, the YMCA is uniquely positioned to lead the way in connecting people with opportunities for meaningful international service and exchange.

administrative support, community out-reach and general movement strengthen-ing and capacity building. Host YMCAs assist by providing accommodation for volunteers during their stay and serve as a support network during their interna-tional service experience. Volunteers aver-age 2 to 4 months of service, and roughly 20 volunteers are placed annually, but with growing interest from both YMCAs inter-ested in serving as hosts, and people in-terested in international service, we hope this number will continue to grow as the programme expands.

Building Capacity in Sending and Re-ceiving YMCAs…

The team at YMCA Colombia, led by Na-tional General Secretary Alveiro Valencia said, “for the YMCA of Colombia, it has been really important to have internation-al volunteers interested to come and help with the development of our local pro-grammes. We have had young people from different cultures that have improved the quality and capacity of our programmes and have made a “mark” on all the chil-dren and young people they have worked with.”

While many volunteers are college stu-dents or recent graduates, more and more U.S. YMCA staff are reaching beyond their local communities to globally engage in the YMCA movement. Cheryl Francione, Senior Health Enhancement Director of the West Essex New Jersey YMCA has volunteered with YMCAs in Spain and the Dominican Republic and helped to bring new and innovate programme ideas in the areas of Youth Sports, Healthy Living and Management, while learning new strate-gies she has implemented at her home YMCA in the U.S. The International Branch of the YMCA of Greater New York works to prepare and train volunteers to view their experi-ences around the world through the lens of a ‘global citizen’, rather than the lens of a ‘U.S. citizen’. It is our hope that YMCA Go Global volunteers will enable their host Movements to grow and further enhance the amazing programmes and services they are providing, while gaining valuable experience, insight and knowl-edge they will bring back with them to their home communities.

Walking the Talk....YMCA Global Citizenship in Action!

Chad Nico HiuProgramme DirectorInternational BranchYMCA of Greater New York, USA

Global Citizenship


Speaking of one of three volunteers hosted by his YMCA, Thys Nell, YMCA South Africa National Administrative Di-rector and CEO of the Pietermaritzberg YMCA said, “Cassandra (St. Vil) devel-oped a Media Kit, Sponsorship Proposals for the Sports Centre and Youth Devel-opment Projects that are used today by our Human Resource Manager. She also developed and facilitated a two day lead-ership workshop with our Local Youth Committee which motivated all of us to strive and achieve more.”

Building lasting relationships across the globe is what the YMCA does.

Changing the lives of the Dominican people every day:Cheryl Francione’s Experience…

“In July of 2009 I spent ten days in the Dominican Republic, visiting several YMCA locations in the country and learn-ing about their programmes. The Execu-tive Director, Andres Fortunato, takes his YMCA work personally and seriously. Over the past 15 years, he has brought the YMCAs of his country “back to life”. The results of his efforts are extremely fruitful. It is obvious even to a visitor that the YMCA initiatives in this country are changing the lives of the Dominican peo-ple on a daily basis.

The YMCA of Santo Domingo provides a variety of programmes for the sur-rounding community. I met with a group of YMCA Young Leaders during my stay.

I heard about their community action work. These youth are role models to their peers. They also promote HIV and Drug Prevention programmes, which are part of the daily services provided by these YMCAs. The Young Leaders pro-gramme is developing Dominican teens, who are the catalysts for positive change.

I visited the YMCA skills training schools, which teach technical skills to allow local people to earn a living and improve the local economy. I saw the nursing school and beauty school at which massage ther-apy and physical fitness programmes are also provided.

Every moment of my stay in the Domini-can Republic was enlightening. However, the site that had the greatest impact on me was the YMCA of Don Gregorio. I wit-nessed first-hand the poverty of a com-munity that lacks enough food, clothing and shelter for its people. I also witnessed a YMCA that sustains these people, re-pairing their homes, providing them with nutritious meals, and giving them hope for the future. The YMCA of Don Gre-gorio has brought proper education to this community, for both children and for adults. Basic reading, writing and mathe-matic skills are taught, and there are future plans for a technical school at this site as well. The YMCA of Don Gregorio is the anchor of the community, and provides a path to progress for its people.”

Ashley Carlisle, currently in her eighth month volunteering with YMCA Peru beamed “I hope that through me they get a good view of the United States and will someday want to come visit me!”

Empowering people to reach their full-est potential is a cornerstone of the mis-sion of the worldwide YMCA Movement. YMCA Go Global enables volunteers to truly ‘walk the talk’ of Global Citizen-ship and powerfully engage in the global YMCA Movement, working to better our world, one life at a time.

The YMCA of Greater New York has provided international exchange and ser-vice opportunities for roughly 10,000 young people annually from over 84 coun-tries around the world since 1911. We are always looking to build new connections and relationships with colleagues around the world. For more information about the programmess and services we pro-vide, please visit www.internationalymca.org or www.ymcanyc.org. You can also email Chad Nico Hiu at [email protected] or call +1.212.727.8800.

Global Citizenship


It is therefore no surprise that many of us are still confused about how to do such work in our YMCAs, and meaningfully en-gage young people in the ‘global’. One thing is clear, if we are to truly engage young people, we need to step out of our YMCA comfort zones, stop thinking of ‘what we have always done’, stop seeing the ‘global’ from our own perspectives and needs, and instead think critically about the best way to do it.

Global Youth Work in Action

In essence, global youth work is about bringing global issues into the youth work that YMCAs already do with young people. Global youth work uses informal education to help young people explore the links be-tween their lives and the lives of young people across the world. They can use this knowledge to analyse their personal and lo-cal realities with a fresh perspective.

Over the last 5 years Y Care International has established itself as one of the leading global youth work agencies in the UK and Ireland 1.

It is difficult to give one definition of global youth work; it is associated with global citizenship, development education, international partner-ships, and international youth work; the list is long.

It supports YMCAs in the UK and Ireland to develop and run global youth work proj-ects. These have ranged from small locally delivered workshops, large scale national events, to larger projects involving interna-tional exposure and sharing visits with our partner YMCAs in the Global South. Ac-tivities have focussed on diverse issues in-cluding unemployment, poverty, conflict, alienation, gangs, youth justice and HIV/AIDS.

Examples of current activities include:

• An accredited ‘Global Life Skills Course’ which is aimed at young people in support-ed housing projects. It integrates global is-sues into the 5 key areas of basic life skills training: housing, employment, budgeting, social skills and cooking.

• Global youth work sessions with young prisoners to explore the issue of gangs, looking in particular at the causes and solu-tions to this problem in different parts of the world.

• In partnership with YMCA Ireland, two projects with Catholic and Protestant young people to explore the impact of the conflict on their lives and the role of young people in building peace. Participants have the opportunity to visit peers in YMCAs in Sierra Leone, Israel and Palestine.

• The ‘Changing your World’ campaigning and lobbying skills course (www.chang-ingyourworld.org.uk) has offered over 200 young people the opportunity to learn a range of practical skills for campaigning and lobbying, to meet other young people who want to make a difference, and have fun learning how to do it.

Y Care International also devotes signifi-cant resources to supporting staff and youth workers in YMCAs to deliver global youth work projects. We run a 300-person strong ‘Youth Workers Network’ which of-fers members global youth work training, online resources and support to develop global youth work projects. We are sup-porting the delivery of 25 ‘seed funding’

Global Youth Work - Stepping Outside Our Comfort Zones Matthew Jackson

Y Care International

Global Citizenship

I’m glad that there is a project like this, I finally feel like there is space for me in the world.“ “

- Global Youth Work Participant


1 InarecentDFID-commissionedreportbytheDEA Global Youth Work in the UK: ResearchReport,YCareInternationalwaslistedasoneofthe5Keyagenciesinthedeliveryofglobalyouthwork

projects run by network members, explor-ing a variety of global issues (www.yciyouthworkersnetwork.org). We also sup-port the higher education sector to train youth workers in global youth work, work-ing closely with De Montford University and the George Williams College. Y Care International also plays an active role in the wider global youth work sector, sitting on the Development Education Association’s Advisory Council and the Joint Agencies Group.

Changing lives

This work has a powerful impact on young people. Not only do they gain a greater un-derstanding of global issues and how these affect their lives, through the various activi-ties they also develop increased confidence and self-esteem, and the ability to make more informed decisions about their fu-tures. Young people also gain new skills in literacy, communications, IT, numeracy, or drama and music. External evaluations of the projects also show that young people have an increased awareness and respect for the local community, respect for equal-ity and diversity issues, and a developed motivation to volunteer in the community.

Dangers?

There are nevertheless dangers when bring-ing the ‘global’ dimension to youth work. When we introduce a global element to our work in the UK, it should be to provoke empathy, rather than sympathy from young people. For too long practitioners in the development education and global youth work field have used global issues to ‘guilt’ young people into feeling sympathy for those in the Global South. This is based on a dangerous, almost colonialist attitude, that our only relationship with those in de-veloping countries should be one of pater-nalistic sympathy.

Instead global youth work should always be used to provoke empathy. The issues that affect young people in the UK can be the same issues that affect young people across the globe; though of course different so-cio-economic and political frameworks in each country mean that young people are affected in different ways to different ex-tremes. Young people share many of the same hopes and challenges, whether related to unemployment, homelessness, unfair justice systems, conflict, or sexual health. By exploring these issues we can see what we have in common and create relation-ships of solidarity through which we can learn from one another as equals.

‘Good’ Global Youth Work

Global youth work must be based on ac-tion. It should empower and enable young people to take positive action on the issues they learn about. This action could range from making personal changes to their per-spectives and lifestyle, such as buying fair-trade goods, or becoming involved in cam-paigning and advocating on issues at local, national or international levels.

Global youth work, if done well, can have a powerful and meaningful impact on the young people we work with. Because it is not based on sympathy, or on a traditional notion of “helping” those in poorer coun-tries, it enables young people to create rela-tionships with other young people across the world, based on shared experiences, empathy and action.

Links

www.ycareinternational.org/gyw

www.youthjusticeinaction.org

www.yciyouthworkersnetwork.org

www.changingyourworld.org.uk

Global Citizenship

You taught us we can make a difference and everyday people can play a big part in changing their community for the better.“ “

- Global Youth Work Participant

As young people we benefit from global youth work in many ways...We learn about the different issues in different countries...We are trained on how to get messages across to the right people in an appropriate way. We get opportunities to go to the countries and speak to the people who have experienced such issues. My work with Y Care has truly changed me as an individual. It has shown me that as a young person my voice does count and that I can make a change.

“ “

- Lola Ukandu, Chair of Y Care International’s Global Youth Work Subcommittee


African Youth Moving from Subject to Citizen for the African Renaissance Gil Harper

Executive Secretary: CommunicationsAfrica Alliance of YMCAs

Almost 50 participants from 12 African YMCA Movements underwent an intensive transformation at the Africa YMCA Youth Summit, held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 28 October – 5 November 2009. This involved developing both subjective and ac-tual competence, to prepare the first group of S2C Ambassadors. These ambassadors will be held accountable for the roll-out of the S2C model throughout the youth move-ment in the YMCA and for continuous per-sonal development.

The methodology involved creating a para-digm shift in the way youth view and re-spond to the challenges in our leadership and our programme offerings in Africa – one that looks at root causes instead of re-sults or effects.

“Instead of looking at lack of education as the problem to be tackled, we were chal-lenged to dig deeper and see that the root causes could involve the youth poverty men-tality, a lack of drive or purpose and a way of thinking where we just focus on problems and not solutions. This feeds directly into our beliefs and values that as youth that we are inferior, victims, have a dependency syn-drome and an individualistic attitude,” said Samukele Ngubane from YMCA South Af-rica.

In crisis identification, a powerful and mov-ing visual display of youth as subjects during the violence in Kenya last year was led by award-winning photographer Boniface Mwangi and editor Billy Kahora.

Sessions involving testimonies from youth who had struggled against all odds to trans-form from subject to citizen, underpinned the process of personal development that was woven throughout the programme. These included an ex-child soldier, a deported illegal immigrant and an ex-gang member.

Reflecting on the testimonies, John Wamu-koya from YMCA Kenya said, “They were very moving and made a lot of impact. It made me realise that if we share the positive sides of every situation, we can learn so much about personal transformation. Lis-tening to the one case study on how HIV infection was reduced was powerful – think-ing that youth did not abstain or take precau-tion just because nobody told them how simple it was and what the benefits were.

It was so great to hear that the young man who sought greener pastures because he did not think he would make it in Africa, now is back and believes in himself and has made a success of his situation. This showed me that first I need to believe in what I have, to achieve my best.”

The journey then took the youth on a rise to the summit, through various sessions on creating belief and value systems to over-come the identified crises and identifying results from choices based on these.

“This was an important part of decolonising our minds. We realised that we do not have to be conditioned as youth to accept what we are told or manipulated by those in au-thority. We began to unlock our ways of thinking to know that we have a choice to

make positive changes in our own lives. We looked at creating our voice and how to use various platforms to begin to influence for positive change that affects youth in Africa,” said Daniel Ceesay from the YMCA of The Gambia.

Maryse Coly from YMCA Senegal ex-plained, “We were able to make a clear link between our development as individual lead-ers and institutional leadership development. We all set personal goals, which then fed into action plans that we made to roll out the S2C model on a practical level in our Movements across Africa.”

Commenting on the shift in mindset and process, Aisa Akapson from YMCA Nigeria and a member of the Africa Alliance of YMCAs’ youth committee, said, “As young leaders, we believe that embarking on a jour-ney of personal transformation is the start-ing point, then uniting our efforts is next to achieving the most needed transformation of our communities, nations and great con-tinent of Africa.”

Sessions were also held on the African Youth Charter and the work that needs to be done at country level to ensure implementa-tion of youth-orientated policies.

“We are now challenged to take on our re-sponsibilities stated in the Charter, as citizens. While some countries have ratified it, we re-alise we are nowhere near enjoying the rights it confers on us. We know that it will only remain as useful as the paper booklets that were handed out unless we, collectively, ad-vocate and hold our governments to ac-

A group of African YMCA youth embraced the ‘From Subject to Citizen’ (S2C) youth empowerment model at the recent Africa Youth Summit 2009, and are geared up to act as S2C Ambassadors for positive change.

Global Citizenship


count,” said Reginald Faulkes Crabbe from YMCA Ghana, and a member of the youth committee.

During Contextual Bible Study (CBS) ses-sions, clear links were also made to the need for advocacy based on a reading of the Bible which is rooted in our realities. On the CBS on the rape of Tamar, 2 Samuel ch 13 v1 -22, Mutale Chanda from YMCA Zambia and a member of the youth committee, said, “Our young men and women are clearly aware of the effects of gender injustice, and the importance of one having and using their voice, and having the ability to influ-ence. I am glad the planned Transformative Masculinity initiative is one of the interven-tions of African YMCAs, through the S2C model.”

Looking forward, David Ngosa from Zam-bia said, “Our key focus over the next year is to develop as many of our youth as possible to a level of S2C Ambassadorship. The be-lief in ourselves now is the basis of our civic competence, and this has been enhanced with hard skills we learnt such as those of advocacy. We are confident we will be able to begin to positively influence decision making processes and policy formation in favour of us as youth. At the same time, we are developing ourselves as future leaders for Africa.”

Thirteen participants from Europe, Canada and USA participated in the Summit and have also developed action plans around Af-rican youth claiming their spaces, in support of their African colleagues.

“The challenge now lies in ensuring that we keep the fire burning for these emerging young leaders. While they have clearly identi-fied roles and targets to meet as S2C Ambas-sadors, much work needs to be done to con-tinuously support their development. This involves mentorship, opportunities for fur-ther training and their full participation in YMCA decision-making forums,” said Car-los Sanvee, General Secretary of the Africa Alliance.

It is planned that after a successful period of holding S2C Ambassadorship, these youth will themselves graduate to a level where they will be groomed to become mentors to the next group of ambassadors.

We looked at creating our voice and how to use various platforms to begin to influence for positive change that affects youth in Africa

“ “Global Citizenship


Meeting the New UNICEF Representative On the 9th of October, YMCA Argentina invited the new Director of UNICEF Ar-gentina, Andrés Franco, and the Pro-gamme Director, Ennio Cufino, as guest speakers for a special Breakfast Meeting. The two organisations have a long-stand-ing strategic partnership. One of the most notable outcomes of the partner-ship is the YMCA Parliament Programme which provides civic training to children and adolescents across the country.

Mr Franco introduced UNICEF Argenti-na’s upcoming priorities as it enters a new phase of work, and gave an update on some of the existing initiatives. He ex-pressed UNICEF’s interest in building al-liances with civil society organisations, academic centres of excellence and the private sector. He also noted that UNI-CEF will be playing an important role on

the issue of social exclusion, particularly in light of the recent agreement signed by Argentina with the United Nations. UNI-CEF plans to launch a programme with indigenous children; this is an area in which YMCA Argentina would also like to work. YMCA Argentina also expressed its interest in the UNICEF South/South cooperation projects described by Mr Franco, an area in which he believes Ar-gentina has a great deal to contribute.

Overall, this meeting was very fruitful, and an important step in further strength-ening the YMCA/UNICEF partnership in Argentina.

YMCA Parliament Programme On the 14th and 15th October, YMCA Argentina organised a National Meeting of all the “YMCA Parliaments” across the country. This year, 14 provinces have been in involved in the project as well as

the City of Buenos Aires, reaching 7,500 children and adolescents directly, and over 70,000 indirectly.

The meeting brought together 400 repre-sentatives from all the participating prov-inces and 50 teachers. The first day’s ses-sion was held at the Palacio San Martín, the headquarters of Argentina’s Foreign Ministry. The official opening of the meeting was led by Norberto Rodriguez on behalf of YMCA Argentina, Nora Ca-sas for UNICEF, Mara Brawer, Assistant Secretary of Equity and Quality from the Ministry of Education, Maria I. Diez, Na-tional Deputy for the province of Salta, and Nicolas Francisco, Youth Chairman for the meeting.

The meeting was a great success and had a strong media impact. This has been partly due to the strong financial support and participation of UNICEF Argentina, and the German NGO Bread for the World.

YMCA Argentina Strengthens Partnership with UNICEF Norberto Rodriguez

YMCA Argentina

World Movement News

In Memoriam : Harold JennerIt is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our dear colleague and friend, Harold Jenner. He was an out-standing YMCA professional, with a deep commitment to the YMCA Mission and a very kind heart.

Harold commenced employment with the Brisbane YMCA in 1940 as Boys of Work Secretary, and retired in 1988 after eight years as an Executive Secretary with the World Alliance of YMCAs.

His Australian YMCA career included two years with the YMCA of Sydney, two years as General Secretary of the Canber-

ra YMCA, and seventeen years with the National Council. Harold was awarded the Order of Australia Medal in 1982 for his services to the YMCA and the com-munity. His commitment to YMCA work continued even after his retirement as he had also raised funds for YMCA Retirees.

His passing away is a great loss to the YMCA movement. On behalf of the World Alliance of YMCAs, we wish to ex-press our deep condolences to his wife Irene, and to his children, grand-children, relatives and friends.

We pray that he may find eternal rest in the Peace of Christ.


Y’s Men International’s Journey Towards Global Citizenship Rachelle R. Reeg

Liaison to the World Alliance of YMCAs

Y’s Men International (YMI) was established in 1923 in Toledo, Ohio, as a service club of the world YMCA Movement. The ideal of Global Citizenship has always been a central thrust in YMI’s work and service.

Sharing Cultures and Experiences

In 1931, YMI began a fund to promote the Movement outside of North America and to enable YMI members to attend In-ternational Conventions. In 1968 the name of this fund was changed to the “Brotherhood Fund” and, as its name suggests, its purpose became to strength-en the brotherhood of Y’s Men through-out the world. It offered the possibility for members to visit Y Service Clubs in distant regions. Delegates were able to promote international understanding by sharing club activities and local cultures. Even today, twenty-one such travel op-portunities are offered each year to mem-bers. It is a great learning experience, which can be used by members to build the capacity of their own clubs.

Over the years, the men and women of YMI have become increasingly involved in supporting projects at the global level, with local service clubs sponsoring food and clothing collections as well as solicit-ing financial assistance for victims facing homelessness, drought, crop failures, dis-ease, wars and natural catastrophes.

Supporting International YMCA Activities

Since the inception of the Time of Fast programme in 1973, YMI has contributed more than US$ 4.5 million to various YMCA community projects and emergen-cies around the world. Themes for these grants have been Underprivileged Chil-dren, Community Development and Fam-ily Involvement, Building Peoples’ Fu-tures, and Building a Peaceful Future.

In 1994, YMI adopted a Unified Global Project to support YMCA projects deal-ing with HIV/AIDS through its Time of Fast Programme. Since then, YMI has ap-proved grants totaling more than CHF 450,000. Some ongoing projects are lo-cated in Ethiopia, Togo, Kenya, Nepal, India, Costa Rica and the Caribbean.

Partnering with the United Nations to “Roll Back Malaria”

Y’s Men International initiated its most re-cent global project as a result of being granted “Special Consultative Status” in 2006 with the Economic and Social Coun-cil (ECOSOC) of the United Nations. During 2008-09 more than 1,500 YMI clubs participated in Roll Back Malaria, setting a goal to raise funds to furnish 20,000 mosquito nets to help eradicate

malaria. Members conducted information sessions, held parades and other public ac-tivities, and engaged partners such as stu-dent groups and church youth groups. Our clubs gave such enthusiastic support that the original target was surpassed by 14% thus enabling an increase in the num-ber of mosquito nets to more than 25,000. Rolando Dalmas, International Secretary General of YMI, presented the contribu-tion for distribution of malaria kits in Si-erra Leone through the International Fed-eration of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). Next steps…A Policy on Climate Change

As Global Citizens, we cannot ignore our responsibilities when it comes to climate change issues. YMI has been working on this issue since 2007, and at the meeting of its International Council in Sri Lanka in 2009, the Environmental Committee was mandated to evaluate the cost implica-tions of YMI becoming “carbon neutral”. YMI will be encouraging clubs and mem-bers to provide leadership, and advocate on climate change issues, devising strate-gies and promoting projects that are viable for their communities. These projects in-clude those that impact the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and sustainable use of land and resources.


World Alliance News

YMCA Youth Participate in the 10th University on Youth & Development

Timotheus KamaboakaiYMCA Liberia

Gleeson JobYoung ProfessionalWorld Alliance of YMCAs

From the 13th to 20th September, seven YMCA representatives from three continents joined 300 other young people at the 10th University on Youth & Development in Mollina, Spain.

This event was co-organised by the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe, the Spanish Government, the European Youth Forum, the Spanish Youth Council, and sev-eral other international youth organisations.

The overall goal of the event was to create a space where young people could explore their role in elaborating global development policies. Throughout the week-long event, several workshops, training courses and meetings on diverse issues linked to globalisa-tion, development, and global youth work were organised.

Celebrating Global Youth Work

This year’s University event was held under the theme: “Celebrating Global Youth Work.” Gleeson Job, Young Professional at the World Alliance of YMCAs, Timotheus Kamaboakai of YMCA Liberia, and Fernan-do Guilin of YMCA Uruguay, participated in a specific training course on this theme. Par-ticipants learnt about the complexity of glo-balisation and its impact on the lives of young people, and shared success stories of how their organisations are responding to the challenges of globalisation.

Participants discussed the various definitions of youth work; some saw youth work as a response to particular social needs, services, issues; others saw youth work as a platform for young people to voluntarily give their time for a particular activity or event. Whatever the definition, all agreed that “global youth work is a process that empowers young people though personal, social and educational de-velopment in a globalised context, through informal education.”

Global youth work calls on all of us to think about our local context with a global perspec-tive. As such, global youth work could be a very powerful tool in addressing global social, economic and political issues, such as those expressed in the Millennium Development Goals.

Participants also explored four crucial ele-ments for effective global youth work:

1. Full participation of young peopleAs highlighted in so many international decla-rations and conventions, the full, meaningful and genuine participation of young people in programmes that affect them is paramount. Young people must be involved in the initia-tion, design, creation and implementation of global youth work activities. Through these processes young people gain a voice and sense of real belonging.

2. Good governancePoor governance can lead to poor delivery of services, activities and results. Ensuring that the proper structures are in place, including effective communications and coordination, and having a clear mission, objectives and workplan are crucial for any global youth work programme to be successful. Several ex-amples were shared where poor governance had led to the departure of young volunteers and the collapse of the initiative. 3. AdvocacyAdvocacy is one of the most inclusive and dynamic components of global youth work. During the training course participants were able to get a full understanding of advocacy and what it entails. It can include writing arti-cles/letters, printing t-shirts, media campaigns and petitions. As such, advocacy is one of the most effective ways of highlighting concerns around issues such as HIV/AIDS, climate change, and education, and influencing rele-vant decisions and policies.

4. Fundraising and Financial ManagementMany youth organisations have great ideas for programmes but because of a lack of funds and inability to fundraise these ideas may nev-er materialise. Participants shared different fundraising strategies for attracting individu-als, businesses, corporations and government agencies.


Effective financial management is crucial for the longevity and sustainability of any youth organisation. Proper financial systems should be transparent and include investments, ex-penditure, budgets and reporting.

Climate Change: The Road to Copenhagen

Janet Chan, Young Professional at the World Alliance of YMCAs participated in the work-shop on climate change, during which various organisations shared their work on climate change and discussed strategies for a concert-ed approach and stronger impact at the cli-mate change conference scheduled for Co-penhagen, Denmark in December 2009.

There is growing evidence to suggest that the expected changes in the earth’s atmosphere and climate will have serious consequences for human living conditions and for the bio-sphere as a whole. There is an urgent need for action, and detailed and long-term action strategies should be developed at the interna-tional level.

From Global to Regional Participation

In addition to holding international events such as the one in Mollina, the University on Youth & Development also has a strong re-gional presence. YMCAs around the world are also involved at the regional level of the University in the following ways:

Latin American University on Youth & Participation

In March 2010, YMCA Uruguay will host the Latin American University on Youth & Par-ticipation. This event will provide a space for YMCAs within Latin America to share infor-mation on the work that they do and position the YMCA brand strategically among leading youth Movements in Latin America.

Africa-Europe Long-Term Training Course (LTTC) for Youth Organisations

Timotheus Kamaboakai of YMCA Liberia is one of the trainers in the Africa-Europe LTTC. The first phase of the training course, which was held in Abidjan, Ivory Coast,

brought together 30 young people from youth organisations in Africa and Europe. The purpose of this training course was to build the capacity of young people who are already trainers in their organisations and en-hance partnership between youth organisa-tions in Africa and Europe. The next phase of the training is expected to be held in June 2010 in Cape Verde, under the auspices of the African University on Youth & Develop-ment.

Next Steps

It was an exciting week for YMCA partici-pants to be among 300 other young people from various organisations for a week of learning and sharing. The YMCA participants expressed their excitement at meeting each other and learning about the amazing work done by other YMCAs in different parts of the world. The participants also formed a team that would work together to follow-up on issues at the global level, including the YMCA’s participation in the International Coordination Meeting of Youth Organiza-tions (ICMYO) and the climate change con-ference.

I will certainly not forget my experiences in Spain. The cross-pollination of diversity, information, culture, experiences and knowledge will be integrated into my every existence. Events like these reinforce the reason why I wake up every morning, why I live my life in a ‘glocal’ perspective, and how I know that the future will be youth-centred, and future-driven. Together through global youth work we can create ‘Voice for the voiceless and hope for the hopeless...’ - Gleeson Job, YMCA Youth Delegate

“ “Timotheus KamaboakaiYMCA Liberia

Gleeson JobYoung ProfessionalWorld Alliance of YMCAs


A strategic plan has been developed, out-lining work to be done in four key areas if the YMCA is to successfully mobilise new resources. The Global Staff Team (GST), composed of the World Alliance Secre-tary General, and Area Executives are leading implementation of the plan, and despite limited funding significant prog-ress has already been made…

Goal 1: Strong institutional capacities (e.g. in governance, financial management, hu-man resources) at all levels of the Move-ment support successful resource mobili-sation

All Areas – Asia and Pacific Alliance of YMCAs (APAY), Africa Alliance of YMCAs, Latin America and Caribbean Alliance of YMCAs (LACA) YMCA Eu-rope, YMCA Canada and YMCA of the USA, have developed and begun imple-menting workplans to build capacity for movement strengthening and resource mobilisation in their respective regions. This is being done through:• Training workshops and seminars• Development of guidelines and mini-mum standards on capacities to be built• Creation of networks for sharing of good practices and experiences• Direct support and accompaniment of smaller YMCA Movements

“I have been immersed in a continuous learn-ing process, especially since the creation of the Latin America and Caribbean Network on Philanthropy, Fundraising and Solidarity. Through this, we have been able to learn from good practices from the YMCAs of Mexico, Sao Paolo, Bogota, Uruguay and others…we are entering a new era in the institutional life of YMCA Peru, and are close to making our first steps in resource mobilisation.”

Pedro Vasquez Podesta, General Sec-retary, YMCA Peru

In addition to advancing capacity in the region, the Areas have worked hard to convince volunteers, members and staff of the importance of resource mobilisa-tion through face to face meetings and presentations.

“At this year’s European Assembly Meeting, I announced that since we had already focused two Assembly meetings on resource mobilisa-tion, next year we would change topics. Peo-ple got up and protested. They unanimously demanded that next year’s meeting also focus on resource mobilisation. It is now seen to be a number one priority that needs further dis-cussion and learning.”

Johan Vilhem Eltvik, General Secretary, YMCA Europe, and GST Member

At the global level, to facilitate the sharing of good practices, tools and resources among YMCA practitioners, the World Alliance of YMCAs has been working on a new knowledge sharing initiative. This includes a “Tools and Good Practice” Li-brary on our Extranet, as well as a Global Online Community that allows YMCA practitioners to connect with one another, chat, share documents and photos, and build communities of practice. The World Alliance has also been testing tools that al-low for online learning and exchange, and will begin running a series of Webinar trainings in the coming months. For more information on this initiative please visit: http://www.ymca.int/1170.0.html

Goal 2: Socially relevant YMCA pro-grammes attract the attention of donors and lead to increased funding

At the end of 2008 the Global Staff Team created a small Working Group on Impact Assessment, coordinated by the YMCA of the USA. The Group has been work-ing to create a framework and methodol-ogy for effectively monitoring, evaluating and communicating the impact of the YMCA’s work in strengthening youth and community. At present, the tools are being tested in various African YMCAs. YMCA Europe is also undertaking impact assess-ments of several projects including HIV/AIDS early prevention and Training of

In May 2008 the World Alliance of YMCAs and Area Alliances embarked on a new process to build up their capacity to be “successful” fundraisers. Why? So that the YMCA Movement is ready to face the urgent and increas-ing needs of young people and communities around the world.

Building Up Our Capacityto be Successful Fundraisers


Trainers in NIS countries, and Roots for Reconciliation in the Caucasus. Another tangible outcome from the pro-cess is that both the Africa Alliance of YMCAs and YMCA Europe have pub-lished popular Annual Reports highlight-ing their activities and impact on youth and communities over the last 12 months. Significant work has also been done, par-ticularly by the YMCA of the USA in de-veloping impact testimonials, including from newcomers and immigrants involved in YMCA programmes at local level.

The Latin America and Caribbean Alli-ance of YMCAs is running a pilot-project to evaluate a series of social practices from YMCAs across the region with a view to assessing the relevance of the YMCA’s work, and communicating the learning to members and potential do-nors. Please visit: http://ymca.reprasis.org/ to learn more about this initiative.

The Global Staff Team has also identified three flagship programme areas – HIV/AIDS, Migration, and Civic Engagement – in which a majority of YMCAs at the national and local level are already en-gaged, running innovative programmes, which have a high potential to generate new resources. The Global Staff Team are focusing efforts to explore the poten-tial for multi-regional projects and fund-ing opportunities in these three areas. Specifically, YMCA Europe and the Africa Alliance of YMCAs have been working together to build a framework for a joint project in the area of migration.

Goal 3: Effective communications and advocacy increase the visibility of the YMCA and its impact among donors, me-dia, civil society and others

In each of the Areas, significant progress has been made towards developing stron-ger regional brand identities. LACA for example has created a corporate brand manual and successfully reduced the num-ber of different logos being used in the region. They have also launched a new website. The Africa Alliance of YMCAs has undergone a similar process, and has created Communications Teams in 5 countries to boost the Alliance’s capacity to communicate its work and impact to the public and donor community. They are also producing weekly web alerts and a monthly newsletter. Their efforts are al-ready being rewarded with increased visi-bility. The YMCA of the USA is also en-gaged in its own branding process, and has been sharing valuable learnings with the Global Staff Team, that will help in-form the process at a global level.

At the global level, the World Alliance of YMCAs has been working to build a case and strategy to harmonise the global YMCA brand, including core messages, positioning, visual identity and flagship programmes. The World Alliance has also worked to strengthen its own communica-tions materials by updating the design of its quarterly magazine, and developing a popular Annual report aimed at external audiences including media, donors and partner organisations.

Goal 4: High Potential Funding Opportu-nities are being pursued and start generat-ing increased income

In Europe, a campaign has been launched to raise 100 Euros each from YMCA Eu-rope friends and family over a period of three years to support the resource mo-bilisation process. YMCA Europe has also identified opportunities to submit several grant applications to external do-nors.

In the Asia and Pacific region, a popular fundraising campaign has been launched called “Skip (a meal) to Save” to generate resources for youth capacity building. You can view the campaign launch here: h t t p : / / w w w . y o u t u b e . c o m / watch?v=aOzhTTxxYCU

Similarly, at the national level real changes are happening. YMCA Iceland used les-sons learnt at a YMCA Europe session on fundraising to successfully convince their government to continue offering financial support.

Breaking New Ground…

From the outset, the Global Staff Team has acknowledged that this process is “breaking new ground” and it is a learning process for all of us. Over the last year, we have gathered collective learnings that will inform the implementation of the Plan and the planning process in the run up to World Council (July 2010). We know that resource mobilisation is a slow and time-consuming process, but we are already seeing results. Regular updates on this ex-citing work will be posted on the World Alliance website in the coming months! www.ymca.int

KoheiYamada,GeneralSecretaryfor theAsiaandPacificAllianceof YMCAs, presents the Skip toSavefundraisingcampaign.


Global Citizenship for AllSecretary General

Dr. Bart ShahaWorld Alliance of YMCAs

Recently (June 2009) in my sharing at the National Conference of YMCA Canada in Winnipeg, Portage 2009, which was a call to action to dramatically improve the health of children and youth, I had referred to Mar-shall McLuhan’s coining in the 1960’s, of the phrase “global village”. In that “village”, ob-viously everything is interconnected and in-terdependent. Therefore, the health and well-being of one segment cannot flourish or be ensured if any of the other parts are “ill” or unhealthy. By overall health, of course, we mean not only the health in spirit, mind and body of an individual, but also of the entire community. And, by overall health of the community, we would mean not only their economic well-being, but also other as-pects such as their freedom, self-determina-tion, guarantee of human rights, etc.

In this light, as citizens in this “global vil-lage”, we do have a challenging task ahead. For, we all know how disparate the world is; and how the contradictions between nations and between peoples within a nation are be-coming wider and wider every day. While there is abundance in some places, there is scarcity, poverty and hunger in other places. While some people are connected, many are in total isolation.

Let me share with you two recent stories from the daily International Herald Tribune. The first which appeared on 22nd October 2009 is titled “Feeding a hungrier world gets harder, even with all the tools” by Neil Mac-farquhar writing from Rome. He notes therein that according to the Food and Agri-culture Organization (FAO) “the number of hungry people in the world rose to 1.02 bil-

Journey in Mission

lion this year, or roughly one in six people.” Kostas G. Stamoulis, a senior economist at the FAO stated, “There is something wrong – the way we manage the global agriculture and food security system doesn’t work.” A key question raised in that news story is whether the food can be grown in the devel-oping world, where the hungry can actually access it, at prices they can afford.

The FAO Secretariat, as part of its contribu-tion towards defining the objectives and possible decision of the World Food Sum-mit to be held in November this year, has called for the “complete eradication of hun-ger from the face of the earth by 2025 and for secure, sufficient, safe and nutritious food supplies for a growing world popula-tion expected to reach 9.2 billion in 2050.”

The other news article that appeared on 27th October from Medford, Oregon, USA, written by Ian Urbina, titled: “Recession in America pushes more teenagers to live on the streets,” says “over the past two years, government officials and experts have seen an increasing number of children leave home for life on the streets, including many under 13. Foreclosures, layoffs, rising food and fuel prices, and inadequate supplies of low-cost housing have stretched families to the extremes, and those pressures have trick-led to teenagers and pre-teens.”

At our recently held Workshop on Global Citizenship, we analysed the process of glo-balisation and noted that while there are many positive aspects of the process, there are also many negative consequences, par-ticularly on the fate of young people. We

concluded that in a globalised world, we are challenged to see the world in a wholistic perspective. In that vision, it is not my com-munity first and your community next, but that we are all living in One World: Our World. And so we need to decide on how we are going to live in this One World as Global Citizens.

“No man is an island”, said the mystic, Trappist monk Thomas Merton many years ago. How true it is! And, that is why the in-ternational work of the YMCA is of so much significance.

It is so good to see how YMCAs around the world are making headway addressing the key issues connected to awareness raising, education and action on global citizenship. Innovative programmes are being conduct-ed in food production, community organis-ing for empowerment, micro-credit, pro-grammes for addressing environmental degradation and climate change, inter-faith and inter-cultural dialogue and partnership for peace, juvenile justice, advocacy on youth issues and many more activities suited to the respective contexts and needs of the people the YMCA serves. Through these program-mess and activities YMCAs are exploring new ways of responding to “Challenge 21” - the contemporary statement of mission of the YMCA.

As we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ at Christmas, may we take a moment to reflect on how we as individuals and as YMCAs can further engage in the efforts to make this world a place where everyone can really be Global Citizens.

In a globalised world, we are challenged to see the world in a wholistic perspective. In that vision, it is not my community first and your community next, but that we are all living in One World: Our World.

“ “



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YMCA World - Dec. 2009 - Striving for Global Citizenship

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