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Strong Communities Agenda
The Racine Family YMCA’s mission is to put Christian principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind and body for all. One of the primary methods that the Racine Family YMCA will use to accomplish its mission is implementation of a Community Development Agenda
The YMCA of the USA’s Strong Communities Development Team (originally called the City Agenda Development Team) began working on this strategic initiative in 1997. Their collective work yielded two conferences. The 1997 conference established the focus and priorities for the Strong Communities Agenda. The 1999 conference analyzed the progress made between the 1997 and 1999 conferences and introduced innovative models for today’s programs. In January of 2000, a new Strong Communities Agenda Development Team went to work building and expanding on the strong foundation laid by the initiative’s original leaders.
National and local research shows that there are 40 Developmental Assets young people need to succeed. They’re the things that really matter in a young person’s life. The 40 assets can be divided into two main categories: external assets and internal assets. Young people need sufficient numbers of each to thrive.
A 2003 profile conducted by the Racine Community Coalition for Youth found that “on average, Racine County students in grades seven through 12 possess 16.7 of the 40 developmental assets. According to the Search Institute, communities should strive to ensure that youth develop 31 or more of the 40 assets.” In addition, the profile identified that the number of assets decreased as students get older (e.g., 7th graders having an average of 18.2 assets, and high school seniors having an average of 15.8 assets).
The Racine Family YMCA is proactively addressing the issues through its Strong Communities Agenda programming that provides asset-based programming to 3rd through 12th grade students in Racine County. In addition, the Community Development Department has established collaborations with the Racine Unified School District and other community development programs within Racine County.
