|
 YMCAs
are first and foremost volunteer organizations. To put it
in perspective, not every YMCA has a building, but every
YMCA has volunteers. All 2,400-plus YMCAs are volunteer
founded, volunteer based, and volunteer led. Local
volunteers establish YMCAs—not the YMCA of the USA—and
local volunteers run YMCAs, continually ensuring that
YMCAs are meeting the unique needs of their communities.
Volunteers are at the heart of every YMCA and that is why
YMCAs are at the heart of community life in more than
10,000 communities nationwide. From helping Civil War
troops more than a century ago to helping victims of
Hurricane Mitch and international disaster relief efforts
today, YMCAs are one of the nation's leading volunteer
organizations.
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Volunteer Links |
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YMCA
volunteer facts
 Volunteers
have been YMCAs' greatest strength for 150 years. The YMCA
movement was founded by a volunteer and did not have any
paid staff until the founding of its 51st YMCA. Each year,
YMCAs' commitment to volunteers grows stronger.
In 1999, 600,467
volunteers enabled YMCAs to reach out to nearly 17.9
million people of all ages, incomes and abilities.
America's
Promise
 YMCAs
are continually looking for new and better ways to recruit
volunteers. In 1997, YMCAs made up the largest contingent
attending the Presidents' Summit for America's Future.
Just two years later, YMCAs met their Summit pledge to
serve 1 million more kids and Ys are close to meeting
their pledge to recruit nearly 200,000 more volunteers by
2001. Ys have achieved this by working with Colin Powell's
America's Promise and launching the nationwide
Commitment
to Volunteers campaign—featuring the
first-ever national public service advertising in YMCA
history.
Membership
by Design
 In
other efforts to promote volunteerism, the YMCA of the USA
recently unveiled Membership by Design. The goal of this
program is to encourage all members to become committed
partners to their YMCA and to their community. Every
person who walks through YMCA doors is considered a
potential volunteer. Also, YMCAs offer time-crunched
families the chance to volunteer together and design
volunteer projects to bring older adults together with
kids and teens.
Service-learning
 YMCA
volunteers don't just volunteer in YMCA-run programs. Ys
are one of the leading service-learning organizations.
Service-learning uses the community as a classroom,
encouraging civic responsibility, volunteerism, leadership
and character development. Because volunteers identify
objectives and outcomes, often the volunteer experience is
more meaningful. Recently, the YMCA of the USA formed a
national partnership with the Pew Charitable Trusts to set
up local programs for young adults to learn about,
practice and promote involvement in their communities and
the democratic process. Service-learning is for all ages,
although it's particularly popular with young people.
Earth
Service Corps
 One
of the Y's most successful programs that incorporates
service-learning is the Earth
Service Corps. Founded in 1989, the Earth Service
Corps now boasts thousands of teens in 30 states. Each
year participants (almost half of whom are from low-income
families) contribute 200,000 hours of service. By running
recycling projects, planting trees, adopting streams and
writing elected officials, these young people learn
science as they become future volunteers and leaders. |
