Greater Green Bay YMCA

Youth development: youth development or nurturing the development of every child and teen means we believe that all children deserve the opportunity to discover who they are and to foster growth and development of not only the child but also the family. That is why we help young people cultivate the skills, values and relationships that lead to positive behaviors, better health and education achievement. The Greater Green Bay Ymca has many programs for the youth division that offer a range of experiences that enrich cognitive, social, physical and emotional growth. Expenses include subsidies and financial assistance to make sure participation is possible for those with a financial need. In 2023, $232,918 in financial assistance was provided to 4,738 participants. The Ymca continued to partner with brown county's largest school district as a community- based provider of enrichment programs to complement their robust full-day summer school programs in 2023. From an academic and social emotional learning perspective, the ongoing impact of the pandemic has led to even deeper disparities in achievement gaps and learning loss amongst our most vulnerable youth populations. The Ymca has worked alongside local school districts to integrate literacy and social emotional learning into our youth programs and out-of-school time enrichment offerings. In 2021, our organization established the department of youth outreach to support brown county high school graduation success rates with a small group mentorship program called y achievers that helps to support middle school youth along their educational and career pathway. In 2023, this program continued to grow, serving 410 youth from 9 schools, and has multiple partners who work with the program. Additionally, at a time where civic engagement is so needed, the Ymca re-established the youth in government program to teach middle and high school youth about the various dimensions of government and advocacy. There are 102 students from 9 schools plus homeschool youth that participate in this program. Additionally, we have embedded social emotional and academic resources into our out-of-school time offerings at our 4 of our ymcas, camps and afterschool programs.education, encouragement and modeling healthy behavior is important and necessary for the Ymca to facilitate lifestyle changes in youth. There are a variety of programs offered to youth: food & fun, teen adventure programs, preschool and youth gym and swim classes, dance classes, aquatic classes, gymnastics classes, martial arts, summer camps, gymnastics events and camps, youth sport leagues and clinics, fitness and strength classes, babysitting classes, special populations, 21st century community learning centers (cclc), school age child care, studio dance, competitive gymnastics, competitive swim team, sports classes, safety around water program, y nights, girl's night out, boys night out, power zone, full circle autism program and family engagement events. The Green Bay Ymca, in collaboration with yusa, is implementing strategies and professional development opportunities through the character development learning institute. This critical work focuses upon building social emotional capacity in children and teens such as empathy, emotion regulation and relationship building through positive programs and adult interactions with youth. This grant provides resources and supports for the positive reinforcements that all youth deserve, to build their self-worth and confidence in their developmental journey.

Social responsibility or giving back and providing support to our neighbors means the Ymca has been listening and responding to the Green Bay community's most critical social needs for more than 150 years. Our programs, such as safety around water (water safety for children), y night, and 21cclc afterschool programs are examples of programs that help strengthen our community and empower individuals to change and overcome obstacles. Our full circle program for children on the autism spectrum addressed a programming gap in the community. This program serves children as well as their parents/caregivers and siblings through family engagement events, parent cafe support events and subsidized summer camp experiences at our day and resident camps. Our summer camps were fully and safely operated in 2023, with an emphasis upon increasing access to youth who might otherwise not be able to attend.in 2023, the y strengthened our ability to ensure that the y is a place for all. We are committed to ensuring our staff and organization is equipped with the knowledge and resources to respond to diverse needs, communicate with diverse communities, and be champions of equity and inclusion.

Healthy living: improving the nation's, or more specifically Greater Green Bay's health and well-being means building a healthy spirit, mind and body for all. The Ymca is a leading voice on health and wellbeing. We bring families closer together, encourage good health and foster connections through fitness, sports, fun and shared interests. Ymca healthy living programs are medically based and stress the value of prevention through balanced efforts of good exercise habits and overall health including proper nutrition, stress management and health education. This is important as our nation struggles with an obesity crisis, families struggle with work/life balance and individuals search for personal fulfillment. Our programs are family oriented and offered at affordable fees, with financial assistance for those that are unable to pay the full fees; in 2023, we provided $839,023 in financial assistance to people seeking healthy actions and who otherwise would have faced economic barriers to participation. The Ymca provides a variety of programs that assist our community with attaining healthier habits and includes fitness classes, family camps, cpr and first aid, lifeguard training, livestrong at the y, aquatic exercise, sports and swim lessons, indoor cycling and senior social groups. The nature of these programs is to promote one's own self-worth by emphasizing skill acquisition & development, safety, cooperation and self-confidence, leadership & teamwork. The depth and breadth of Ymca programs also serve all ages: infants, preschool, youth, adult, family and active older adults; all programs promote the desirable state of leading a healthy lifestyle through practice and education.in response to growing community health and wellness challenges and trends, the y's department of community wellness provided educational opportunities, chronic disease prevention initiatives and programs to support people living with parkinson's, cancer, arthritis and diabetes. In 2023, the y partnered with the aging and disability resource center of brown county to launch the brain and body fitness program in the Greater Green Bay community, an evidence-informed group exercise program for people living with mild to moderate alzheimer's disease and other related dementias.