Thank you very much, Mr. Chair, and thank you to the committee.
Good morning, I am Patricia Pelton, a volunteer member of YMCA Canada's national board world relationships committee and immediate past member of the executive committee of the World Alliance of YMCAs. Accompanying me is Mary Anne Roche, vice-president, global initiatives and governance, of YMCA Canada.
The challenges facing young people around the world seem daunting. With nearly half the world's seven billion population comprised of children and youth and a record number now living in developing countries, we share your concerns of the many risks facing children and youth on a daily basis, risks that have been the focus of this committee's deliberations in recent months.
The YMCA was established in Canada over 160 years ago as a charity dedicated to advancing the health and well-being of individuals and communities. Within Canada our strategic plan “Plan Y” commits us to improving the well-being of children and youth at home and abroad. At home, 1.5 million of the over two million Canadians in YMCA programs and services are young people.
As part of a global YMCA network we have also gained a significant amount of experience with children and youth in our work with international partners. We have been particularly active with our partner YMCAs in Africa and the Americas, in Bogotá with street children and in Sierra Leone with former child soldiers, to name just two.
Globally speaking, the YMCA is present in 119 countries with over 11,000 locations, 96,000 employees, and 725,000 volunteers worldwide reaching 58 million people through YMCA programs.
The YMCA's hallmark is creating the safe spaces for children and youth required for young people to achieve their full potential, ensuring that young people have a voice on issues of concern to their growth and development in their families and communities, and equipping youth with transformational tools that empower them to lead productive adult lives. Our approach to youth empowerment is a collaborative community-building model with local leadership that is inclusive of young people, focusing internationally with youth on issues of health, employment and vocational training, environmental sustainability, and civic engagement.
I'm going to turn this over to Mary Anne to speak more specifically about some of the key approaches that drive our work with young people and their application internationally.