Blueprint of a YMCA

Vital Stats

Richard R

Chicago, IL

  • people helped20000000
  • People Doing It 20000

The Problem

There's a phrase within the Y that "When you've seen one YMCA, you've seen one YMCA". Every Y is very different and very vibrant in its own ways. It's one of the hallmarks of why the Y has survived so long is that it molds itself to the needs of local communities. However, most people only know one Y or one part of their local Y. It has been difficult to express the mission and value of YMCA work through traditional means. I want to help the 20,000,000 served by the Y see the Y in a new light and in turn engage them to take action to further the mission of the Y.

Plan of Action

What I would like to do is create a "Blueprint of a YMCA" book. I'd go to in-person meetings with top performing YMCAs across the country and learn about the way they operate and the people they serve. I'd pair professional photos of the Ys and their programs with info-graphics on their internal structures. It'd make a sort of "coffee table" book of the different Ys nationwide. The journey itself would also make a fantastic complement to the book. I'd compile this report into the book and if in the end it is something that could be sold commercially I would create a YMCA national fund for social innovation with the proceeds. There are some Ys nationwide doing mind-blowing work and if I could not only get local Ys excited about implementing similar work at home, but then also have a fund to innovate programs it would be a dream. I've done a sample of this project under the title of "Blueprint of a Campus Y" with the 15 campus Ys nationwide and we had incredible results. It not only uncovered some great insights into the way we operate and how the YMCA of the USA can better serve those sites, but it also allowed the Executives to take a moment to be reflective on their own operations.
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