Discovering the wonders of YMCA Victoria

After a 24hr flight and arriving in Melbourne late on Sunday, Monday was pretty much consumed with jet lag, but the excitement of being on the other side of world kept me going so after touring the city on one of the oldest trams – something Melbourne is known for – I took myself off to the Melbourne Museum to see the First People’s exhibition.

First People's exhibition, Melbourne Museum

In recent years, the Australian Government has started to recognise the injustices inflicted upon Aborigines and many organisations have began to develop reconciliation strategies, including YMCA Victoria who start each meeting with an Acknowledgement of Country.

After managing to get about three hours sleep, the group were up bright, early and bushy tailed on Tuesday to visit YMCA Victoria’s central office. In our crisp white YMCA shirts, we certainly made an impression as we were welcomed by the lovely Ang, Manager of Global and Voluntary Services. As our host for the week, she made sure we were well looked after and couldn’t have been more helpful.

Suited and booted for our first day at YMCA Victoria 

The day included master classes from YMCA Victoria’s Services and Strategy Directors who took us through their approach. As a local YMCA with 6000 staff, they occasionally take the lead, working with YMCA Australia to develop the federation as a whole.

I was delighted to hear from Cinzia, Head of Engagement, who leads the brand team and spearheaded the Australian national rebrand.  The work they have done around segmentation, core messaging and brand awareness really enthused me and is something I’ll certainly be thinking about when we return.

After a full on day of presentations, and several cups of coffee, I was inspired but exhausted so after some delicious pasta in the Italian quarter, I attempted to get an early night.

Wednesday was all about youth services, a relatively small division of YMCA Victoria, which sits outside of their camping and recreation services. They presented some impressive projects, including Youth for Causes, a social enterprise programme for young people, and the hugely successful Youth Parliament programme which puts forward Bills to the Victorian government, such as the distribution of the morning after pill, which was recently passed.

Thursday was time to give back, so after three impressive sustainable project case studies – including unearthed, swim for safety and international camping – Gillian Sewell, CEO at YMCA Derbyshire, took the floor and gave a master class on social finance.

Both entertaining and informative, Gillian presented a thorough case study to YMCA Victoria about young residents who take part in a placement with key employers in the local area, resulting in enhanced employment opportunities.

The presentations took place at Carlton Baths, a centre run by YMCA Victoria on behalf of the City of Melbourne, which had an outdoor pool, fully equipped gym, café and various spaces to deliver activities.

It was interesting to see the City of Melbourne’s logo, which strangely resembled our new national brand! It was also exciting to see YMCA merchandise for sale, another thing I’ll be taking back to the UK.

YMCA branded merchandise and the City of Melbourne logo

After finally recovering from what I can only explain as ‘torture’, my sleeping pattern was back to normal and I was excited for the facilities tour which included a childcare centre and campsite – both key services delivered by YMCA Victoria on behalf of the local authority. The passion and dedication from the staff was prevalent and the sense of YMCA pride made me proud to be part of an amazing global movement.

After a dash back to the hotel to meet with marketing manager, Bec, we talked about our similar struggles and successes rolling out a national brand - another great global contact to add to my network and someone I’m sure to liaise with on a regular basis as we work together to raise awareness of YMCA locally, nationally and on a global scale.

Unfortunately, we didn’t have long to chat as we were expected at the YMCA Victoria AGM, followed by the Staff and Volunteer Awards. So after 15 minutes getting glammed up, we headed off.

Not knowing what to expect at the AGM, it was a slick affair and it is easy to see why the Chair, Anthea, who was stepping down, is loved and respected by all at YMCA Victoria. A natural public speaker and clear visionary, she has worked with YMCA Victoria over the past three years helping it become the dynamic organisation it is.

The AGM was swiftly followed by the awards and after some amusing and emotional performances, we heard about the amazing achievements of staff and volunteers, including a staff member who worked his sick colleagues shifts for months so he could continue getting paid.

Saturday was all about sightseeing and despite the torrential rain we visited the Hearsville Sanctuary and met Skippy the kangaroo. This was followed by some lunch, an informative wine tasting session and a trip to the chocolate factory.

Skippy the Kangaroo

After arriving back at the hotel, there was just enough time to pack and get ready for our flight to Brisbane the next day. With so much learnt and experienced, it’s hard to imagine what more I can take back, but I’m excited to see what YMCA Brisbane has planned for us – and of course get some sun. The weather in Melbourne has been shocking!

Jade Asije, YMCA England