Throughout the YMCA’s 180-year history, its leaders have challenged us to be changemakers, helping society navigate and overcome some of the most pressing challenges of the moment.
This Black History Month, as we join to honor, celebrate and listen to the accomplishments and struggles of Black Americans, we reflect on our past and look to the future. The YMCA first began working at building bridges and supporting the Black community in the 1850s, when the first Y to serve African Americans was established in Washington by a former slave.
While we have not always gotten it right, as all organizations can and should, the Y continues to ask what more we can do to ensure all Black and Brown children can access places and programs that help them discover their full potential.
That is why today, the YMCA’s African American CEO Network, in partnership with Hispanic and Latino YMCA leaders, is renewing our commitment to ensuring young Black and Brown people feel safe and supported. All told, our goal is to engage at least 100,000 Black and Brown youth annually in four existing Y programs:
—Achievers: A program that provides academic aid, career exploration, mentoring and more to encourage young people to raise their academic standards, build character and confidence, explore diverse college and career options, and learn from inspiring role models.
—Youth and Government: An expansive nationwide state-organized, model-government program where teens practice democracy. Throughout the year, they meet locally to discuss and debate issues, propose legislation and more, culminating with participants serving as delegates at their state conference, debating bills on the floor of the legislature.
—Leaders Club: A program that connects young people ages 12-18 with adult advisers to develop their leadership potential while fostering a culture of service. With the help of role models and mentors, young people develop the skills they need to lead positive change in their communities.
—Boys and Young Men of Color (BYMOC): A strategy to build pathways to success to help boys and young men of color ages 11-17 reach their full potential through an emphasis on education, college and career readiness, character development, belonging and community building, and health and well-being.
To ensure we can sustain this work for years to come, we also have an ambitious goal to create an enduring endowment. This will help provide the financial support necessary to expand and sustain our efforts and support growing Black and Hispanic populations. While we recognize that all teens have needs, right now, we are expanding our focus on this demographic and how we can further support them.
During the last two decades, according to Pew Research, the Black population in the United States has grown by 32 percent, to more than 47.9 million people, with a median age of 32 (compared to the overall median age of 38) — meaning Black Americans are a relatively young population. The U.S. Hispanic population reached 63.6 million in 2022, with a median age of 29.5 years.
Research also found that educational attainment among Black and Hispanic Americans is rising, with 26.1 percent of Black adults and 20 percent of Hispanic adults ages 25 and older earning at least a bachelor’s degree.
We have an opportunity to build on this momentum, make a greater effect, and increase the number of youth who remain in our programs until the end, unlocking even more doors for upward mobility.
As African American and Hispanic/Latino leaders of YMCA’s nationwide, we are deeply invested in the safety and prosperity of these individuals and understand that the programs we offer in our communities can nurture the potential of Black and Brown children to help even more of our youth develop the skills they need to become the leaders of the future.
We hope to enact positive change in communities that are too often left behind.
As we embark on this work, we are not just committing but igniting the Y movement to support the dreams and aspirations of underserved youth. We hope this progress will reverberate across our communities to create a lasting legacy of change. Together, the Y can unlock a world of possibilities that will ensure every Black and Brown child reaches their goals and surpasses them.
