Good evening from a warm and peaceful balcony in beautiful Madrid.
We have so far enjoyed 3 productive, thought-provoking and lively days here in Spain as part of the annual YES Network seminar which I have had the privilege to facilitate for the first time alongside the other board members. This, as well as the fact that I celebrated my birthday yesterday night, may go some way to explaining why my blog post is a little delayed - my apologies.
Gerald Chifamba - a new, but already valued member of the network - has done an excellent job in setting the scene and detailing some of the content of the seminar so instead I will share with you my perceptions of the values illustrated in the network over the week which I have been particularly inspired by.
1. Commitment
I should hardly be surprised, after all everyone here is involved with the YMCA in some way. But I have been so amazed by the hard-work and dedication of the YES participants during the seminar. We have discussed some pretty intense topics, such as the difference between activism and advocacy (still considering whether you can be one and not the other - comments welcome!) and have had a packed schedule every day. Yet, during our coffee breaks, free time, after the seminar has finished, people are still thinking, connecting and developing projects with one another. I am positive that if we can sustain this momentum we will be able to extend and strengthen our reach and visibility beyond the seminar and the GA more than we have been able to in previous years. Watch this space.
2. Critical thinking
This afternoon we were supposed to have a session which increased understanding of YE strategy 2016-2020 which will be put forward at the GA. We had allocated this a half an hour time-slot. We ended up scrapping our original schedule and critically discussing the strategy for a few hours. The facilitation of this session was of course spontaneous and so not perfect. However, it reminded me of why the YES Network's participation in processes such as the development of a new strategy is so important. I feel proud that, in my opinion, over a short space of time at the seminar we have been able to create a safe, equal platform for young people, who may otherwise not get to have a say on the strategy, and who come from all different levels of experiences, to feel comfortable to critically debate with their peers and hopefully take these points forward in the right manner and at the right time for maximum impact.
I can't wait to meet you at the GA soon if you will be there. If not, please do get/stay in touch and follow our work on the Facebook YES Forum!
Buenas noches,
Alice
We have so far enjoyed 3 productive, thought-provoking and lively days here in Spain as part of the annual YES Network seminar which I have had the privilege to facilitate for the first time alongside the other board members. This, as well as the fact that I celebrated my birthday yesterday night, may go some way to explaining why my blog post is a little delayed - my apologies.
Gerald Chifamba - a new, but already valued member of the network - has done an excellent job in setting the scene and detailing some of the content of the seminar so instead I will share with you my perceptions of the values illustrated in the network over the week which I have been particularly inspired by.
1. Commitment
I should hardly be surprised, after all everyone here is involved with the YMCA in some way. But I have been so amazed by the hard-work and dedication of the YES participants during the seminar. We have discussed some pretty intense topics, such as the difference between activism and advocacy (still considering whether you can be one and not the other - comments welcome!) and have had a packed schedule every day. Yet, during our coffee breaks, free time, after the seminar has finished, people are still thinking, connecting and developing projects with one another. I am positive that if we can sustain this momentum we will be able to extend and strengthen our reach and visibility beyond the seminar and the GA more than we have been able to in previous years. Watch this space.
2. Critical thinking
This afternoon we were supposed to have a session which increased understanding of YE strategy 2016-2020 which will be put forward at the GA. We had allocated this a half an hour time-slot. We ended up scrapping our original schedule and critically discussing the strategy for a few hours. The facilitation of this session was of course spontaneous and so not perfect. However, it reminded me of why the YES Network's participation in processes such as the development of a new strategy is so important. I feel proud that, in my opinion, over a short space of time at the seminar we have been able to create a safe, equal platform for young people, who may otherwise not get to have a say on the strategy, and who come from all different levels of experiences, to feel comfortable to critically debate with their peers and hopefully take these points forward in the right manner and at the right time for maximum impact.
I can't wait to meet you at the GA soon if you will be there. If not, please do get/stay in touch and follow our work on the Facebook YES Forum!
Buenas noches,
Alice
Thanks you Alice, it is posts like this that confirm to me that the future of YMCA and all that we do is safe in the hands of YMCA Youth Ambassadors. Fabulous post. Thank you.
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