The YMCA of Greater Londonderry. Their mission is to help serve members of the community to achieve a life of good health, both physically and mentally. They have programs for everyone such as kids, athletes, families, and seniors. Enriching the lives of the community is what the staff of the YMCA strives for every day. There are over 100 classes to choose from each week in the Greater Londonderry facility and anyone can join at any time. At the core of the Y has been serving families. Building strong bonds within the family helps to achieve a happier life and thus being able to become more engaged within the community. Â
The YMCA of Greater Londonderry held a Community Leader Forum on November 1 to discuss various topics to help the community and make the YMCA even better. There was a large amount of information given at the community forum. In attendance were 64 community members and non-profit organization leaders, 13 YMCA board members, and 13 YMCA of Greater Londonderry staff members and association staff. In all, there were 90 attendees present at the meeting. There were five major questions asked in the forum to understand how the YMCA can play a bigger role in people’s lives.
The first questioned posed was: What are the critical social issues or pressing problems facing our community now and over the next five years? Financial issues were discussed such as development training and a lack of awareness of technical training and opportunities. The aging population is also a concern with affordable housing not being available. The lack of transportation was also brought up, because it is difficult for the YMCA to connect with those who live in more rural areas and do not have access to personal transportation. The youth population having enough safe space in the community was discussed and finding a way to give children a social media education on proper usage of technology and to help stop cyber bullying. Â
The second question brought up at the meeting was how can YMCA play a bigger role in building strength in the community? The Y offers great programs that can work together with the community to create a happy/ healthy environment. Connecting with the community is what the Y strives to do and work with appropriate organizations to collaborate their ideas and visions for the future. The YMCA offers a large center to accommodate more activities for families, youths, and seniors. Programming is another strong aspect of the YMCA. There are multiple programs offered such as character development, arts and music education, life skills (cooking), programs for young mothers, and also classes dealing with elderly parents and to be a caregiver for them. These are strong skills the Y prides themselves on to help make the community even stronger.
The community members were then asked what their perception of the YMCA is. Some members believe that there is not enough space to serve the whole community and that the Y is primarily seen as day care for children and there should be more programs offered. However, there were some programs that were impactful to the community, such as child care (a high quality program that instills core values in its children), senior fitness programs, and LIVESTRONG for cancers survivors.
The fourth core question brought up in the meeting was what can the YMCA do to be more effective in this area? Some ideas brought up were providing multi-age programming, such as life skills, relaxation and mindfulness programs, and parenting classes. Another idea was to partner up with local sports programs to get more involved in the community and emphasize the role of teamwork.
Finally, the YMCA addressed the question of what facilities or features could be developed to enhance the Y’s effectiveness in meeting the community’s needs. There were many ideas for the future of the Y and what could be a possibility. Some included an indoor basketball court, yoga studio, a teen center, large fitness center, an indoor year round pool, and a ropes course/rock climbing wall. There were lots of ideas to help the YMCA get the word out about their facilities and what they can do to make the community a better place.  Â