With a mission to create an atmosphere of inclusivity and connect people throughout the community the YMCA is, in part, known for its youth programming.
The YMCA Simcoe Muskoka is reviewing how youth engage in their communities and how to offer them new opportunities.
Naomi Murray, general manager at the Midland YMCA, oversees and supports the child and youth programs for North Simcoe Muskoka. She says that the youth leadership program is something that has been with her since she started working at the YMCA.
Since 2000, Murray explains, youth programming has faced multiple obstacles, mainly in the fall of 2019 when the facility closed its doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The current challenge is reconnecting with youth,” she says.
As a result, the director of leadership and outdoor education, Dylan Lalande, “is currently working on assessing the needs/wants of youth in the North Simcoe community to see how the YMCA's youth leadership programming can be adapted/evolved to help,” Murray said in an email.
She points out that the needs of young people now differ from when she first started.
One facet of the youth leadership program, for grades five through 12, is incentive to complete training and certifications.
The goal is to relaunch in September at the Midland YMCA before branching out to more areas.
Murray explains that the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board offers students a credit for completing the aquatic leadership program at the YMCA. The same thing is offered through the Simcoe County District School Board.
She notes the difference is that the Catholic School Board offers the course in the evenings, while the Simcoe County School Board runs during school hours.
Murray says that a common positive aspect of the youth leadership program is that young people often remain involved after completing it. Like with the aquatic leadership program, some have become employed lifeguards at the YMCA.
Research into youth programming continues, though Lalande was not available for comment at the time of this article.
