Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog!
How was your week? Our oldest son left on a trip to Arizona on Saturday, so we are down to one young adult for the next couple of weeks. It will be a fun trip for our oldest while we’ll enjoy some one-on-one time with our youngest.
Black History Month
February is Black History Month. The posts this month are focusing on leaders, issues and pioneers who have influenced the history of the different races in our country. The teen resource
I am featuring today is no exception. The Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) is a worldwide youth organization that helped create Black History Month.
Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA)
According to YMCA.Net, the YMCA (also known as the Y) was founded by George Williams and eleven of his friends in London in 1844. It started as a refuge of Bible study and prayer for young men seeking refuge from the hazards of life on the streets.
The first YMCA in the United States was founded by Thomas Valentine Sullivan. He was a retired Boston Sea captain who was working as a marine missionary. He noticed a need to create a safe “home away from home” for sailors and merchants. Now there are more than 2700 locations nationally.
Their Mission
Their commitment is to Make a Better Us. How do they do that?
For Youth Development – Empowering young people to reach their full potential
For Healthy Living – Improving individual and community well being
For Social Responsibility – Giving back and inspiring action in our communities
Diversity and Inclusion
In my Teen Challenge – Respecting Diversity and Inclusion post earlier this month, I talked about the Respect Diversity Foundation and their “Different & The Same” program. The YMCA also has a commitment to Inclusion by offering opportunities for people from all walks of life to reach their full potential.
Have you thought about ways to improve Inclusion of diversity in your life? The Y has a way for us to do just that by declaring our Inclusion Resolution for this year. Head over to the YMCA Diversity and Inclusion page and download the Y’s Inclusion Resolution Template to declare how you will be more inclusive of others this year. Share your commitment on your social media and include the hash tags #BeCauseY and #YForAll. I will share my commitment later this week, so be sure to check back.
How Black History Month and the YMCA are connected
Carter G. Woodson
According to an article written by the YMCA of Greater Kansas City, in 1915, Carter G. Woodson arrived in Chicago to attend a celebration of the 50th anniversary of emancipation of Black Americans. The three-week celebration included exhibits which highlighted the progress their people had made since the end of slavery. Woodson and a small group of people met at the Wabash Avenue YMCA and formed the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH). This group created Negro History and Literature Week which would evolve into Black History Month.
YMCA as a Teen Resource
In their commitment to Make a Better Us, the YMCA offers many Youth Development programs. They are set up to nurture the potential of all kids and teens.
- Camps
- Child Care
- Education and Leadership
- Food Programs
- STEM
- Swim, Sports and Play
Do you know about the YMCA? Do you know of one near you? Please let me know in the comments below. If you don’t know for sure, you can check on their website Find Your Y. With COVID guidelines, the Y is offering as many programs as they can with everyone’s health and safety being the priority. If you find a program you want to get involved in, be sure to contact your local Y and see how they may be offering it.
Deep Valley Book Festival
Looking for a book festival? It’s hard to find one to attend in person. How about attending one virtually? I have just the one for you. The Deep Valley Book Festival will be taking place online March 6-7, 2021, in their Cabin Fever edition.
I will have an author page and The Hard Way will be available for purchase! Be sure to check it out.
Have a great week!
#MakeaBetterUs #BeCauseY #TeenReasources #YForAll #Diversity #YouthDevelopment #YoungMen039sChristianAssociation #CarterGWoodson #CabinFever #GeorgeWilliams #YMCA #RespectingDiversityandInclusion #DeepValleyBookFestival
