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CHAPTER 17 | January 2024
We Want Your Feedback: Complete Our Survey!
YPN Chapter 17’s Board wants to hear from you. The board has created a survey to gather your feedback and suggestions. This survey will allow us to chart a path forward for our chapter as we move beyond the pandemic. Please share the survey with your Y colleagues and association staff as we are hoping for a large number of responses.
Upcoming Training Opportunities
The Mid-Atlantic Regional Service Hub is offering a variety of virtual trainings in the coming months, as a part of the 2024 Mid-Atlantic Regional Virtual RTE; please read on to learn more about upcoming development opportunities! For help planning your learning and development pathway, check out the attached worksheets for Team Leader and Multi-Team Leader.
 
This email is sent to anyone who has interacted with the Regional Hub – through training, sending inquiries, or submitting support requests. Please forward to your networks to help get the word out.

Leading People:
Leading People is a one-day course that develops and supports Y leaders to be successful at inspiring, motivating, compelling, supporting, and sustaining effective people. Whether it is a team you are assigned, create, or serve in the Y or in your community, this course will help you build the competencies to lead others in a supportive, inspiring, and non-authoritative or managerial way.

Be prepared to learn and develop competencies on topics such as: 
  • understanding yourself as a leader
  • building a collaborative community of people committed to achieving collective goals
  • creating a positive environment where all can thrive
  • establishing a trusting communication style that supports others to develop into stronger leaders

You will be asked to use your own experience as a personal case study. You will "think and ink" personal reflections on your own leadership hopes.

This course is required for Team Leader Certification.

Dates: February 19, February 21 & February 23
Time: 12:30 - 3:30 P.M.
Cost: $35

Dimensions of Diversity 2.0:
Leading with inclusion means working effectively with people of different backgrounds, experiences, opinions and perceptions. In this interactive five-hour course you will be able to develop an awareness of the different dimensions of diversity and how to apply those in your day-to-day work.

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:
  • Define diversity and inclusion.
  • Recognize your dimensions of diversity and what influences those dimensions.  
  • Explore dimensions of diversity and explore how they influence your perception of the world and how the world sees you.
  • Explain the benefits of diversity and inclusion at your organization.
  • Appreciate and have empathy for others’ dimensions of diversity and how this informs relationship-building. 
  • Recognize opportunities for inclusive practices among all areas of opportunity in your organization and your community.

Dates: February 28 - February 29
Time: 10 A.M. - 1 P.M.
Cost: $35

Cultural Lenses 2.0:

Cultural Lenses: Building Relationships Through Cultural Lenses is designed to enhance cross-cultural understanding, relationships, and engagement among all YMCA staff. Participants will be introduced to an analytical framework through which they can explore, recognize, and honor the influence of cultural background on patterns of human behavior. The tools presented foster personal reflection on the impact of culture—our own and others. Rather than exhaustively describing selected cultural groups, this training cultivates knowledge, dialogue, and interaction about culture. Cultural Lenses is a key element in the Y’s on-going strategy to build a culture of inclusion and to develop culturally competent staff. 

Dates: March 26 - March 27
Time: 10 A.M. - 1 P.M.
Cost: $35
2024 Women of Excellence Nominations Open
The WLRN's Women of Excellence Award celebrates exceptional women in all areas of YMCA leadership who are making a lasting impact in the Y and their communities. Qualities of excellence include being an advocate for change in the Y, inspiring the next generation of women leaders and making a lasting impact. Questions can be directed to Amy Vendt at amy@bathymca.org or Bridget Behrmann at bbehrmann@cincinnatiymca.org.

Whom should I nominate?
A woman who is a leader in the Y and who has accomplished specific achievement in the areas of:
  • Advocate for Change: Have been influential in leading improvement for women's equity within their organization, not afraid to speak up in the face of bias or other inequities, and a clear track record of meaningful community involvement, especially in the areas of Diversity Inclusion and Global initiatives that align within the YMCA values of strengthening community and being For All.
  • Inspiration: A woman whose example is so noteworthy as to spontaneously inspire others. Someone who not only embraces their personal ability to create influence for meaningful change but influences others to embrace theirs.
  • Impact: What specific change or impact has this woman created in the Y and/or the community in which she serves.
 
Can someone be nominated multiple times?
Yes. However, multiple nominations for the same person do not enhance the nominee’s chances of being selected as an honoree.
 
Why should I nominate someone?
This is a chance to honor a peer or a mentor. This is also an opportunity to share an inspiring story of success with others. If you know someone who serves as an example to you, this is your chance to help share that person’s story with a larger audience.
 
Will more than one nominee from the same YMCA be accepted?
Multiple nominees from the same YMCA are accepted, but because of the committee’s goal of finding a diverse group, only one would likely be chosen. However, multiple nominees from separate departments and/or branches of large YMCAs could be chosen.
 
Can I nominate a board member?
Absolutely!
 
Are self-nominations acceptable?
Yes! You can nominate yourself.
2024 We Wear Black Day
On the fourth Friday of February, YMCAs across the country commit to being an anti-racist, multicultural? organization and honor Black History Month in a show of solidarity by wearing black. In 2024, We Wear Black will take place on February 23. Created by the African American Resource Network in 2020, this is a great opportunity to get both your staff and members involved in the diversity, equity and inclusion work within your Y. The hashtag, should you wish to use it, is #WeWearBlack.
Follow along with us!