The CEO of the organization, scared of what I might uncover and have already uncovered, has instructed me not to “Visit the branches for the purpose of an an audit” - no problem, I’ll just visit the branches for a workout and audit off site!
It is clear from an audit of social media and program schedules, that there is a gross inequity across sites.
The YMCA Youth Programs Department began in 2003 as the Z beside the Y. Though, like all youth programs, it has a complex history, it was effective in that it provided a dedicated space, opposed to a YMCA after thought (i.e., renovated rooms made for Children’s programming. A similar model now exists in Guelph in the form of a Youth Wellness Hub, however, this is not available to Waterloo Region or Stratford Perth. To date, there is no Youth Wellness Hub in Kitchener - only a city-run youth drop-in program that emphasizes basketball, meaning there is no one consistent, holistic, youth-dedicated space in the City of Kitchener. Since then, it has expanded into a mishmash of programs.
Aside from what was already mentioned, lack of a proper holistic youth centre in Waterloo region, lack of specialized programs and efforts creating exclusion and segragation, and lack of access across the region.
To illustrate my point, I’m going to create a chart that illustrates the amount of youth programming available site to site, how many hours of programming are available from site to site, and of that, below the total number, the amount of programming that is clearly only available for a targeted demographic and inaccessible to others.
| | Programs per week | Hours per Week | Targeted Programming hours / week | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | ARK - Kitchener | 10 | 22 | 4 (40%) | | Chaplin - Cambridge | 5 | 9.6 | 2 (40%) | | Guelph | 7 + Daily Drop-in | 44 incl drop-in, 9 scheduled | 3.75 (53.57%) | | Stratford | 8 | 17 | 1 (2) |
As of today, the YMCA, once known for it’s leadership programs from site to site, does not offer leadership programs, or opportunities for youth voice (Youth Council), of any kind. The original Youth Centre in Cambridge prioritized youth voice by ensuring Youth Council was integral in the daily operations of the youth centre. To date, leadership programming is only offered in the summer to Newcomer Youth, and Youth Council, or a distilled version of it, only runs in Guelph and Stratford.
As far as 2SLGBTQ+ Program is concerned, I was the sole developer of this program, meaning, this program would not exist without my extensive research, program design, youth consultation, and proposal. Despite this, there is no consultation with me or intention to do so. Therefore, the versions of this program that exist today are segregated free-for-alls with none of the opportunities that Kitchener youth recieve. There are many essential developmental opportunities that Newcomer Youth in YTR recieve that Queer youth do not, including leadership development, connecting with guest speakers, special events, a dedicated sports space, community meal, etc, simply due to a lack of effort and the youth’s geographical location.
Newcomers in Cambridge also face inequity and barriers to programming as the program in Cambridge no longer exists. Newcomer programming is only offered in Kitchener and Waterloo despite need across all the communities YTR Touches. The question then becomes, why is there no effort to welcome Newcomers in Cambridge Guelph and Stratford, and why is there no effort to welcome 2SLGBTQ+ Youth in Kitchener and Waterloo, aside from vague messaging with no visible follow through?