We know we can’t change the world alone, but we know together we can do more. That’s the power of a global community.

Since 2005, the YMCA of Simcoe/Muskoka and the YMCA of Sierra Leone have held a mutually beneficial partnership to support one another as global citizens – a principle of YMCA’s around the world.

Our YMCA’s purpose of this partnership is to assist and improve the lives of the survivors of the devastating 12 year civil war; a war that has ravaged a country and its people.

In return, the YMCA of Sierra Leone provides global education and experiences for Canadian YMCA participants. Since this partnership began, several groups of staff and volunteers have travelled between these two countries to share global experiences and build an understanding of life in different parts of the world.

By working together, we’re harnessing the power of a global community to create opportunities to give more people the change to be healthy in spirit, mind and body.

The YMCA in Canada is only part of the story. In fact, the YMCA is part of a global network with YMCAs in 119 countries all over the world! While the Y looks a bit different from country to country, we are all united by our passion to improve the lives of the people, particularly young people, in our communities.