Think global, act local: How international partnerships shape local communities

“Friendship makes prosperity more shining and lessens adversity by dividing and sharing it.” --Cicero

 

While many of us dream about getting away from the snowy roads and cold temperatures we love to hate, two YMCA staff are currently having the experience of a lifetime in Colombia and Mexico.

Those trips, however, are a far cry from a mere vacation to a sunny destination.

Among the many things we do to build healthy communities at home,  we’ve forged and maintained strong and beneficial partnerships with 8 local YMCAs around the globe to do the same abroad; Senegal, Colombia, Mexico, Lebanon, Ghana, Myanmar, Liberia and Jamaica. These partnerships support mutual learning, capacity building, and most of all, enrich the lives of those living in the communities we serve.

The Henry Labatte Scholarship, named after the former President and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Toronto, is a unique learning opportunity for professional development for YMCAGTA staff, providing an opportunity for full-time staff to develop an understanding and learn from the cultural context and work of our international partners while sharing their unique skills to support various projects.  Scholarship alumni have participated on various camping, environment, communications, and youth strategy projects in English, French and Spanish in the (#) years the scholarship has been running.

In February and March 2016, the YMCAs of Medellin, Colombia and Mexico City, Mexico will be our partners for two projects: an informational exchange on youth engagement based on the successful model created and operated in Medellin, and the implementation of an inclusion and diversity pilot project in Mexico City based on the YMCA of Greater Toronto's model. Andrew Kowalchuk, an advisor with the Newcomer Youth Leadership Program and longtime youth advocate, is our representative in Medellin; Amanda Kinghan, a Director of Employment Services, is our representative in Mexico City.  

"Our international work creates a world of possibilities for our members, staff and volunteers to discover, inspire and be inspired, co-create, and be part of the transformations happening today in the communities of our international YMCA partners, " says Esperanza Monsalve, General Manager of International Programs at the YMCA of Greater Toronto. "It fulfills our overall mission of being home to the healthiest children, youth and adults."

Acting locally can seem like a daunting task at first when thinking globally, but when all is said and done, the relationships made between friends--and associations--are the key to making a difference in the communities we serve.  Learning about what is effective for one community may be beneficial to another. Teaching isn't necessarily demonstrating the need for something, but rather the broadening of a perspective that one may not have thought of before. Sometimes, that involves exploring said perspectives outside our borders.

For more information about the YMCA of Greater Toronto's Global Initiatives, click here.