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Character Development
The YMCA since its beginning has been about developing
young men and then young women of Christian Character.
Character has always counted!
YMCA Character
Development Program
YMCA began to fulfill a
great need in its character development initiative,
particularly in having clear definitions of what Caring,
Honesty, Respect and Responsibility meant.
- Caring: to love others, to be
sensitive to the well-being of others, to help others.
- Honesty: to tell the truth, to act
in such a way that you are worthy of trust, to have
integrity; making sure your choices match your values.
- Respect: to treat others as you
would have them treat you; to value the worth of every
person, including yourself.
- Responsibility: to do what is
right, what you ought to do; to be accountable for your
behavior and obligations.
Cornerstones of Character
The Y's commitment to character development makes it
extraordinarily valuable to the communities and people we
serve. Building on this commitment and making it part of
everyday operations and programming can be challenging.
What are the three challenges that Ys must accept to
enjoy all possible benefits in recommitment to character
development?
- To embed character development and the Y's four core
values—caring, honesty, respect and responsibility—into
the Y's culture (who the staff and volunteers are and
how they operate) so it will last.
- To become involved in a long-term process in which
character development gives focus to everything they do
in the Y, including programming, hiring, planning and
budgeting.
- To ensure that everyone—staff and volunteers at all
levels of the organization—is involved and committed to
this process. Everyone must accept the role of a
teacher of values as an integral part of his or her job.
All staff and volunteers must accept the challenge to
teach the Y's core values first and foremost by leading
by example in their own attitude and behavior.
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