THE World YMCA
PLAYBOOK
An easy guide to understand what the World YMCA movement is doing in 2014
In the world of sports the playbook is a team’s action plan for the game.
The playbook makes the strategy easy to understand so that every player involved knows exactly what is happening every step of the way. The World YMCA Playbook is our invitation to you and everyone in our movement to keep working together in our common focus to empower young people. Each page is an invitation to be a part of projects that are strengthening our movement for greater impact and visibility. Movement strengthening is the foundation that ensures that every YMCA can deliver on our mission in a powerful and relevant way to their local community. It underlies everything we do. We also believe that leadership engagement is crucial to ensure greater capacity, innovation and sustainability. We had a very successful National General Secretary’s (NGS) meeting in England last year. So much so that we will have two more in 2014—one in Kassel, Germany and one at Estes Park, USA. 2014 is a BIG year for all of us. We have a big story to tell about our 170 years of YMCA service to communities in 119 countries. To tell our story well, our mission must be clear, our vision focused and our collective action strong.
Raymond Ncube // Change Agent // Zimbabwe
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YMCA
CHANGE AGENTS
WHAT IT IS Change Agents are a new generation of young leaders inspiring the YMCA to live the change we believe in. They strengthen our focus on youth empowerment by bringing new energy and insight to YMCA leadership, relationships and processes.
220 YMCA Change Agents from around the world are now addressing the needs of young people in partnership with key leaders in our movement.
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KEY ACTIONS IN 2014
Integrate
change agents into daily YMCA life as a new generation of leaders for youth empowerment.
Evaluate
the change agent programme for impact and efficiency to improve it for future change agent generations.
Recruit
WHY WE DO IT Change Agents help to unify our YMCA identity and vision for the future. We believe that our young leaders need to play a strategic role in our journey towards youth empowerment.
For more information contact: romulo@ymca.int
LIFE-LONG LEADERS
a 2nd generation of change agents through a selection process that will begin at the end of 2014.
GLOBAL LEVEL The World YMCA is overseeing the training programme for change agents and creating leadership opportunities at the global level.
AREA LEVEL In coordination with the World YMCA, area offices will continue to be responsible for keeping change agents closely linked with regional needs.
NATIONAL & LOCAL LEVEL
WHO WILL DO WHAT
National and local offices are integrating change agents into their structures and activities so that change agents can fully realize their job descriptions.
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YMCA
WORLD CHALLENGE
WHAT IT IS In 2012, 432,000 people celebrated the YMCA in over 80 different countries at 1000+ locations on the same day.The YMCA will do it again on June 6th 2014. To celebrate our 170th year anniversary we will launch the 2nd edition of the YMCA World Challenge with thousands of community events and a global campaign to collect signatures in support of young people.
“I stand up for young people and I want their voice to be heard.� The YMCA Global Declaration for Youth
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STANDING UP
FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
KEY ACTIONS IN 2014 Unite
Showcase Advocate
as ONE world movement by celebrating all young people on the same day, across all continents and timezones. the best of our YMCA programmes and activities to our communities, members, and external partners. with and for young people so that their voices will be heard in vital processes that affect them most.
LOCAL LEVEL
WHY WE DO IT If half a million YMCA people can move the world with basketballs, imagine what they can do when they stand up together for youth empowerment. The YMCA World Challenge is a unifying opportunity for the YMCA to raise the voice of youth and call for more resources to be invested in youth empowerment programmes worldwide.
For more information contact: romulo@ymca.int
GLOBAL LEVEL The World YMCA is providing guidance and resources for communications online engagement and on-the-ground logistics to be used at all levels of the YMCA.
WHO WILL DO WHAT NATIONAL LEVEL National offices are coordinating the preparation of local events.
Local associations are planning a wide variety of World Challenge events and raising awareness around the global campaign to collect signatures in support of youth.
AREA LEVEL Area offices are overseeing and leading World Challenge activities at the regional level.
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YMCA
ADVOCACY With 1.8 billion young people living on the planet today the need to prioritize young people is critical.
WHAT IT IS YMCA Advocacy means influencing policy and action for the well being of young people. Worldwide collective action strengthens YMCA participation in key world discussions. This will empower young people to speak for themselves on the issues that affect them most.
YMCA Change Agents & leaders are speaking up and becoming visible players as they address the needs of young people in sustainable ways.
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LISTEN/ LEARN COMMUNICATE
KEY ACTIONS IN 2014 Listen
to the stories of young people in the movement, expert opinions and research findings that will help us identify positive advocacy models we may use at the global level.
Learn
how to engage each other in peaceful dialogue, ask critical questions, spread awareness and act together as a unified movement.
Communicate
WHY WE DO IT Youth unemployment is at an all-time high. Basic health conditions deteriorate in communities around the world. Citizens are disempowered by their governments and politicians, and humanity faces drastic climate change. Youth empowerment means young people must play a central role in creating their future—a task that begins in the present.
For more information contact: romulo@ymca.int
a common YMCA vision focused on our strategic areas: youth employment, health, civic engagement and the environment.
AREA LEVEL GLOBAL LEVEL The World YMCA is creating a framework for collective action, global dialogue and a common understanding of advocacy.
WHO WILL DO WHAT
Area offices are engaging national YMCAs and helping the World YMCA identify regional common points and differences.
NATIONAL LEVEL
LOCAL LEVEL
National offices are collecting stories of empowerment & preparing for the global discussion on advocacy.
Local associations are supporting the efforts of the national movements to prepare for a deeper conversation on the 4 strategic areas.
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YMCA
ONE MILLION VOICES (OMV) Global Survey
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LISTENING TO YOUNG PEOPLE
KEY ACTIONS IN 2014 Train
WHAT IT IS
Collect
The “One Million Voices” (OMV) project is an unprecedented global survey that the YMCA is leading in more than 60 countries.
Communicate
The survey will reveal how young people view their life, their world and their needs around 4 critical areas: youth employment, health, civic engagement and the environment. The OMV is a historic game-changer.
WHY WE DO IT
We are listening & learning from the most understudied age group (15-24) so that the YMCA can help raise their voice and influence policy at the global level. The findings of the survey will strengthen YMCA work and expand partners locally, nationally and internationally. For more information contact: selma@ymca.int
implementation teams of national coordinators and change agents to gather local data on young people. data from young people ages 15-24 in 60+ countries. how the OMV engages young people’s voices to understand their current hopes, needs and perspectives.
LOCAL LEVEL
GLOBAL LEVEL The World YMCA is coordinating OMV training and preparing additional resources to be used by all YMCAs.
WHO WILL DO WHAT AREA LEVEL Area offices are facilitating and supporting regional involvement in the OMV.
GLOBAL In coordination withLEVEL national National and local offices offices, local associations are arecollecting integrating change data in their agents into their structures communities through and activities so that teams. they implementation can fully realize their job descriptions.
NATIONAL LEVEL National offices are identifying national coordinators and building implementation teams
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YMCA
RESOURCE MOBILISATION
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SUSTAINABLE YMCAs
KEY ACTIONS IN 2014
Assess
WHAT IT IS
Mobilise
Resource mobilisation includes:
Grow
The Investor’s Circle: expands capacity and raises funds. Property Development: opportunities to invest under-developed YMCAs for greater good and impact. Joint Initiatives: targeted fundraising projects focused on youth empowerment — for employment, health, civic engagement and the environment.
resources, needs and capacity building requirements to develop sustainable YMCAs. financial and technical resources to strengthen YMCAs. in our capacity for widespread sustainability by improving and expanding our resources.
LOCAL LEVEL
WHY WE DO IT To be strong, YMCAs need a diversified resource base to ensure long-term sustainability. For that reason, YMCAs need to build their own capacity and work collaboratively to access, increase and leverage new funding opportunities.
For more information contact: selma@ymca.int
GLOBAL GLOBALLEVEL LEVEL
The TheWorld WorldYMCA YMCAisisproviding guidance and resources coordinating resources,for raising communications online funds and offering technical engagement on-the-ground assistance toand area offices. logistics to be used at all levels of the YMCA.
WHO WILL DO WHAT
AREA LEVEL Local associations are planning Areaaoffices are developing wide variety of World resource mobilisation plans Challenge events and raising and implementing capacity awareness around the global building training. campaign to collect signatures in support of youth.
NATIONAL & LOCAL LEVEL National and local offices are developing new skills to increase access to financial and technical resources.
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YMCA
WORLD COUNCIL
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KEY ACTIONS IN 2014
Inspire
Unify
WHAT IT IS Every four years the global YMCA movement comes together to be inspired, work together and plan for the next 4-year period. In 2014, the 18th World Council will be held in Estes Park, Colorado (USA) under the theme:
“Empowering Young People”
KICK-OFF!
Kick-off
the World YMCA movement to learn together as we trace our 170-year journey of peaks and valleys. around our vision of youth empowerment by taking ownership of our common YMCA history, identity and future. a vibrant 4-year period for the World YMCA (2014-2018) with a new executive committe, strategy plan and change agent leadership to take us forward.
WHY WE DO IT The World Council is a tradition that brings all YMCAs together to elect global leaders and formulate strategies for the future of the World YMCA movement. Through it, the World YMCA addresses the interests of its members and strengthens the world movement’s focus on youth empowerment by building consensus on the strategy plan for 2014-2018.
For more information contact: selma@ymca.int
GLOBALLEVEL LEVEL GLOBAL
TheWorld WorldYMCA YMCAisisproviding The organising World Council guidance and resources for preparations and consulting with communications online all YMCAs on strategic direction engagement and on-the-ground for the period of 2014-2018. logistics to be used at all levels of the YMCA.
WHO WILL DO WHAT
LOCAL LEVEL
AREA LEVEL Local associations are planning Area offices will facilitate, a wide variety of World support Challenge eventsand andprepare raising delegations for regional awareness around the global involvement at signatures the World campaign to collect in support ofCouncil. youth.
NATIONAL & LOCAL LEVEL In coordination with area offices, national offices and local associations are preparing to send delegations to the World Council.
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