YMCA of Simcoe/Muskoka

On a very important note, I would like to judiciously use this final opportunity to spotlight latest updates buzzing around the international programs department of the YMCA of Simcoe/Muskoka. In mid January, after a rigorous three-day interviewing process followed by an international interview with the NGS of the YMCA-SL for the incumbent intern, who will be responsible for building upon the foundation I have laid – the Y ultimately selected the year 2 intern! This successful candidate is well-versed with the competencies indispensable for this mission. She is equipped with

the requisite skills and experience. Above all, she has the ambition, determination, resilience and eloquence – substantiating that she is the ideal candidate! In the words of Jeanette Heywood, Vice President, Philanthropy & Association Advancement; “She oozes what Peter oozed!”

To officially sign-off, it’s my pleasure to announce our new intern for year 2…Meghan Mergaert! Please join me in congratulating and welcoming Meghan to the YMCA of Simcoe/Muskoka team.

Although political instability ended about a decade ago in Sierra Leone, a variety of socio-economic challenges still linger as the country strives to reintegrate its ex-combatants and war affected youths. A lot of the precursors of the decade old civil strife are still evident, such as extensive violence, devastated economy, and widespread youth marginalization. These negative trends are fuelled by the lack of employment opportunities for young people who are roaming about the streets in major towns seeking the slightest opportunity to pilfer items they may set eyes on.

Turning Flour Production Into Futures in Sierra Leone

In order to effectively address the current predicament, it is indispensable to empower the youths to be innovative and engage in viable income generating activities via small/medium enterprises—which is primarily the objective of this proposal. In particular, the primary goal of this scheme is to create job opportunities for unskilled and unemployed youths by engaging them in producing, processing and marketing cassava products such as Garri and Cassava flour.

Prior to the bloody armed conflict in Sierra Leone, Garri was the main source of solving the problem of food security and low house-hold income that confronts majority of the youths and women in the Bo District. Garri enhances food security for the community when the staple food (rice) becomes scarce and expensive especially during the rainy season. Presently, due to global environmental factors, it is extremely probable that food scarcity may upshot in Sierra Leone. Current speculation indicates that with the increase in the cost of rice in both the international and local market, there will be a shift in demand for Garri in Sierra Leone.

Project Aims to Achieve Sustainable Living and Create Employment for Youth

Similarly, as the cost of imported flour continues to skyrocket, consumers are demanding substitutes such as cassava flour which is relatively affordable. Most entrepreneurs have not been able to tap into the market for Garri and cassava flour as they lack appropriate equipments, and produce on small scale basis in unhygienic conditions. Thus, prime aim of this project is to sustainably augment the income levels and create employment for youth through engagement in commercial production, processing and marketing of cassava so as to rebuild their economic status and live a sustainable life in their various communities.

YMCA of Simcoe/Muskoka intern, Peter Kugbanyande's view of the living conditions in Kroo Bay, Sierra Leone

The YMCA of Simcoe/Muskoka Objective in Sierra Leone

The primary objective of this four-year project is to bring about a demonstrable improvement in the lives of vulnerable young people and their families living in urban slums of Kroo Bay, Sierra Leone, focusing on young people as catalysts for community development. The key project activities include:

Life in Kroo Bay Slum

It’s difficult to believe that places such as this actually exist if you haven’t actually been there. However, Kroo Bay is a sprawling slum overrun with thousands of shanty structures made from pieces of discarded corrugated metals, vehicle tires, sticks, mud and garbage.  The area is devoid of basic necessities, notably: potable drinking water, electricity, and sanitation, with only two public latrines for the inhabitants. The residents are required to pay a minimal fee to use the facility but the majority of people cannot afford to pay the fees, resulting in “indiscriminate dumping” throughout the neighbourhood.

Further, waste from those residing on higher grounds of the city gets washed down to Kroo Bay especially when it rains, and the sea, being hostile to fresh water inevitably pushes back the waste including hazardous, human and biomedical waste  into the homes of the residents. People’s homes become inundated and transformed into an open sewer especially during the rainy season, seeing roughly 50 inches of rain over the course of less than a month. In many cases the “sewer” can reach heights of about 2-3 ft, which is vividly evident from the water-mark on the metal walls of the shanty houses.

Conditions viewed by YMCA intern, Peter Kugbanyande, in Kroo Bay

Life for the Children of Kroo Bay, Sierra Leone

Even more disheartening is the fact that children play soccer (often barefooted) on a daily basis on these grounds, while the local pigs spend the day exploring the sludge. Accordingly, residents in this community, especially children are prone to respiratory diseases primarily coughs and colds. Fortunately, there is one health clinic for the residents; however the cost deters over 90% of the inhabitants.

The Y of Sierra Leone, recognizing the challenges faced by the residents in this community, initiated the Slum Youth Livelihood Projects in the Kroo Bay slum and another slum community facing similar challenges (Dwarzack)…

Join our RSS feed in order to stay tuned and find out more in our next posting…  to help, please contact Cat O’Connor @ Catherine_oconnor@ymca.ca .

Cat O'Connor, Manager, Association Advancement, International Education & Program Development, with women of Sierra Leone

Happy New Year!

Our International Programs department has so much in store for 2012 that I can’t wait to take you along on our journey.

In 2008, during my first trip to Sierra Leone, I was presented with a gift from one of the Gender equity committee members, a women named Mariatu. It was a dress, handmade by one of the benefactors of our programs. As I opened it, Mariatu said to me, “This is a gift given to you with the hope that, every time you wear it back home, you will think of us and the women of Sierra Leone, crying out for your help. Please do not forget us.”

I made a promise to the women of Sierra Leone that day and I continue to do my best to follow through by any means possible; to never forget, to share their stories and to raise funds to continue to support the growth and development of the people in Sierra Leone. With that said, today, I would like to ask for your help. Our Charity Calendars are now on sale for only $10.00, with all proceeds going to support the many deserving people of Sierra Leone. Please stop by your local YMCA or call me today to purchase yours 705-726-9622!

How you can help prevent gender inequality

We will kick off the new year with our International Work group meeting this Thursday, where we will discuss and plan for ways to get our community engaged in the Y’s international events and initiatives. If you have ideas or suggestions, I’d love to hear from you!

I am excited to announce that, beginning today, we will have two students from Georgian College on a placement with the Y to work on our next big event coming up in April. We will be keeping everyone posted with more updates and news through this blog.

Also this week, interviews are underway for our second overseas internship. The successful applicant will receive training prior to departure, following which, they will travel to Sierra Leone to work and assist with youth leadership, vocational skills training and gender equity programming for the next 5 months. This will be an incredible opportunity for our Y, the Y of Sierra Leone, and the successful intern!

I wish you a peaceful 2012, filled with abundance and gratitude.

When the month of December hits, thousands of communities all around the world gather with their family and friends to celebrate special traditions, which come only once a year. From gifts to feasts, there are many great things that take place during the holiday season.

Holiday Diversity

Today most Communities around the world are culturally diverse, which has brought people of all different ethnicities and religions together to enjoy one of the most anticipated holiday seasons of the year. Although all these religions have different traditions, most share the tradition of gift giving. Whether you are celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzza, or another religious holiday, families are brought together with the joy of spending quality time together. Whether families are exchanging gifts, feasting, or listening to festive carols, they all share the warmth of this festive season.

YMCA of Simcoe/Muskoka Embracing the Holiday Season

Not only do families celebrate the holidays, but companies and organizations do as well. Like most organizations, The YMCA of Simcoe/Muskoka is eager to celebrate the holidays. A number of our locations throughout Simcoe and Muskoka will be holding their own holiday activities for members and staff. To fully engage in the holiday spirit, staff and members are also encouraged to get into the spirit giving. We encourage all our members and staff to consider making a donation during the holidays to a charity of their choice. As a long standing charitable organization located in your local community, donations to your YMCA will help more young people build self-confidence, learn new skills and begin their journey to lifelong health.

Share your Holiday Stories and Traditions

Every family has a unique way of celebrating with their family and friends, from the type of food cooked, to the way gifts are exchanged (Secret Santa). The YMCA of Simcoe Muskoka invites you to share your 2011 holiday experiences! Share your stories and photos on our Facebook and Twitter Page.

Happy Holidays!

Every year we have a chance to come together and think of our accomplishments at our Annual General Meeting. This year, I was able to experience speaking at my first AGM as CEO of the YMCA of Simcoe/Muskoka. The AGM offers us a chance to evaluate our progress and reflect. This year we said goodbye to old board members and welcomed in the new board as well.

From 2005-2010, your Y focused on creating a sustainable organization through renewal of our physical buildings and facilities. I was able to share that the YMCA of Simcoe/Muskoka succeeded in hitting the overall target of doubling the number of people engaged with the YMCA to 130,000 people. This is something that everyone should be very proud of and reflects the strong leadership of the Board of Directors, our former CEO Tom Coon and our highly skilled staff.

Listening to communities to gain perspective on the Y’s role

While the numbers presented in the report help us to gauge our progress, there are ways that we impact our communities that can’t always be counted. Unfortunately, there is no line for all of the Y stories in the annual report.

As we embark on our next phase of development, I think it’s time to give greater focus on becoming re-engaged in our communities and their needs. Part of this re-engagement strategy will include listening to people share their story about how the YMCA has made a difference in their lives. One of the first steps in changing our culture is to listen more and give more people a chance to engage in conversation with us. With listening, we begin to get more of an “outside-in” perspective and a better idea of how we are perceived and the roles we might play in a community.

New strategic plan is for Y communities first

Some of the steps we will be taking to make this happen are the implementation of our new strategic plan, “Plan Y”. This is the first strategic plan we have developed in our 160 plus years that is actually not a strategy for YMCA Canada, but a plan for all of the YMCA’s communities in Canada.

Core to the development of this strategy and the first major piece of work that YMCA Canada needed to do, was to get a better understanding of the YMCA’s brand and how a cohesive brand strategy could help all our YMCA’s have greater impact in the communities they serve. By listening, we’ve heard that a sense of community is what many people are missing, and seeking to find at their Y. Our next challenge will be to define the role the YMCA will play in helping build strong, healthy communities across Simcoe and Muskoka, to successfully respond to our community’s needs.

View the full YMCA of Simcoe/Muskoka  2010/2011 Annual Report.