Monthly Monday Mission Update:
The Y Leading with Youth Voice
The Y may be synonymous with community, but its true spirit comes alive when you witness our Y youth passionately advocating for causes that matter to them. As James Torrence, Executive Director of the Maryland Alliance of YMCAs (and a Baltimore City Councilman) aptly puts it: “All roads lead to Y membership but all roads also lead to Youth Voice.” This “Youth Voice” has been out in full force lately - with a number of incredible events recently happening across DC and Maryland!
In early March, over 400 Y Advocates from across the nation (including a robust Maryland contingent) converged on Washington, DC, for National Advocacy Days, which focused on promoting six core federal legislative priorities. During this event, Y leaders and youth met with their members of Congress, sharing their stories in powerful ways, and ensuring that our elected representatives understand what they can do to support the Y’s work in their districts and states.
“The purpose of this event is to engage with our elected leaders to talk about the critical need for federal funding that supports the Y and those we serve. Taking a bipartisan approach, we advocated for funding of a wide range of critical programs, including the Child Care and Development Block Grant, Head Start, Community Schools, youth mental health, summer meals, chronic disease prevention, and more. We also put forward a new bipartisan bill called the Youth Workforce Readiness Act, which seeks to increase opportunities for youth to build knowledge and skills for the workplace," shares James.
While the issues themselves are impactful, it’s the passion on display from our young people that often shines through. One of the youth who joined us for our Congressional visits was Dulaney High School student Maeve Cirillo-Brinkley. She did a great job, and came away from the experience believing that Y National Advocacy Days deepened her understanding of how Congress works and the importance of on-going civic engagement.
Maeve originally got involved in this work at the Y because she was interested in learning about government and seeing how the process worked. Three years later, it’s now her favorite extracurricular activity.
“I really enjoy being involved in advocacy at the Y! Going to D.C. and going into the congressional meetings was a little nerve-racking at first. Fortunately, we were provided incredible training and coaching from Y leaders in the months leading up to the event. We also got the opportunity to meet a lot of new people and network. I loved connecting with other young people from all over the country!"
And if that event wasn’t enough, a mere five days later was the Y’s Maryland Advocacy Day in Annapolis, which saw 20 young teens visit over 100 legislative offices in just three hours! (yes, you read that right!)
Molly Walker, Senior Program Director of Youth Development at the Y, noted that the day in Annapolis provided the students with an amazing opportunity to be exposed to how government works on a local level.
“From participating in panel discussions to sitting in on a live session in the state house, this event gave students an incredible insight into what state government looks like in practice. The students also got to meet Maryland Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller, which was very exciting. All in all, both events gave students from across the Y the opportunity to get involved. We had students involved from across our programs including Leaders’ Club, Youth and Government, New Horizons and Community Schools.”
And while March may be over, there’s still plenty to be done! James is excited about what the future holds for our advocacy work.
“Everyone knows the Y, but people rarely understand the depth of what we do and the impact we’re making. We are looking to re-introduce ourselves and change the way we advocate.”
Yes; our politics are on shaky ground these days, as hyper-partisanship and gridlock have made many people understandably exasperated by it all. However, politics is how a democracy ultimately solves problems, and it’s inspiring to work alongside Y youth to help make our and their future a better one.
All the best,
John K. Hoey
President & CEO
The Y in Central Maryland