Y Monthly Monday Mission Update
Having Deep Impact in the Community Every Single Day
When I arrived at the Y as CEO back in 2006, having left a career in the private sector that I had enjoyed immensely, I really had no idea what I was getting myself into. I had limited knowledge of what the Y here in Central Maryland did, but an outsized sense of what we could accomplish if we were willing to commit to having a deep impact on the community in everything we chose to do.
Fast-forwarding to today, I believe that we’ve created the kind of organizational culture in which it is widely understood that the Y has a responsibility to create positive change in our community every single day.
Here are but three examples of why I believe that.
Last month, 30 high school students from Baltimore City Schools attended the Y's Youth & Government Statewide Pre-Legislative Conference at MERVO high school. Students learned about government and chose their roles in a mock simulation of the legislative and judicial processes. This is all a part of the statewide Maryland Y Youth & Government program, which is designed to give high school students a hands-on lesson in how democracy works. Teens learn how to elect their own leaders, debate and pass legislation (which is often the product of that elusive thing called compromise), and lobby for their vision of a better future. The program is open to all high school students in Maryland and culminates in a three-day mock legislative assembly at the Maryland State House in Annapolis. While a few participants in Y Youth & Government go on to pursue careers in government or politics thereafter, pretty much every participant leaves the program with a better understanding of how to make positive things happen through collaboration, communication and building relationships with people outside their immediate circle of friends. That skill set serves one well no matter what profession she or he ultimately chooses.
Speaking of how democracy works, in a new twist on our longstanding recognition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we recently held a fascinating inter-generational breakfast discussion about the progress we’ve made - and not made - since the civil rights movement and Dr. King’s tragic assassination in 1968. Among the topics discussed included:
- The ever-evolving drive to build safe and welcoming spaces;
- The critical need for young people to have positive outlets and opportunities;
- The absolute imperative for all citizens to participate in democracy on every level;
- The essential role that community plays in making progress
It was a thought-provoking conversation, modeling the kind of civic engagement we need far more of in our society.
One of the Y’s most essential examples of civic engagement would be our local Community Leadership Boards, made up of dozens of volunteers who care deeply about their local communities and see the Y as playing an essential role in ensuring a greater quality of life there. The Y’s Community Leadership Boards around the region have been holding planning retreats this past month to determine what they want to focus on for the year ahead. These regional boards help raise awareness about the depth and breadth of the Y's work; encourage volunteerism at the local level; and engage the local community to support the Y’s mission. Their work is critical to the success of the Y and we are ever grateful for their passion and engagement.
While I’ll never know what might have happened if I remained in the private sector, I wouldn’t trade the fulfillment, challenge and inspiration I find all around me every single day here at the Y. I can say, unequivocally, that we are indeed having a very deep impact!
All the best,
John K. Hoey
President & CEO
The Y in Central Maryland