Foreign Affairs committee  Absolutely, entrepreneurialism is one of the potential solutions. I think all of our programs are also helping provide young people with those particular skills. The larger challenge is to find some of that decent work. The fact that there's a specific target in the SDGs related

Foreign Affairs committee  The Sierra Leone YMCA has done phenomenal work, and there is a truth and reconciliation process within that country. Through YMCA's involvement, they were able, after the conflict ended in 2002 or so, to engage child soldiers into their programming, which was challenging, to such

Foreign Affairs committee  As Patricia was saying, the fact that the YMCAs are led and owned locally is a critical factor for us. When we're dealing with these kinds of issues, for people or cultures to change requires a level of trust. The leadership, and the people leading change, need to be members of t

Foreign Affairs committee  If I might add to that, this whole question for the YMCA is all about making sure there are alternatives—legitimate, good alternatives—for young people and that they have a sense of choice when they're confronted with this challenge of perhaps joining a group, and they can choose

Foreign Affairs committee  Let me just add that absolutely this work can't take place in the community by the YMCA without it being done with school boards, police forces, and other agencies in civil society trying to move this forward. Our Governor General and his wife did a visit to Colombia recently. T

Foreign Affairs committee  Just to comment on the YMCA/YWCA, we are two separate organizations within Canada, but obviously collaborate closely on many initiatives, and certainly in Montreal that would be true. To supplement what Patricia said, a quick example from Nicaragua where the YMCA.... For the YM

Foreign Affairs committee  Thank you. Let me approach this question by describing the subject to citizen program of the Africa Alliance of the YMCA. I would describe it as both a philosophy regarding youth empowerment and a specific program with designated initiatives. The term "subject to citizen" reflec

Foreign Affairs committee  I'll start and Patricia can join in. I think when you talk about the “we” you're referencing the YMCAs in other countries. I think the enabling environment for civil society, which has been one of the objectives of the new civil society partnership policy, is certainly critical

Foreign Affairs committee  At YMCA Canada we are not. There would be YMCAs involved around the world in various aspects of that particular work. When we're in public forums at the United Nations, or other multilateral forums, we are advocating for education. We're looking more at informal education. Our ex

Foreign Affairs committee  Most of our YMCAs, for example the Haiti YMCA, would be running programming for children after school. In those programs they would be learning about children's rights. They would have opportunities for recreation, food, some nutrition, fellowship, and leadership development, as

Foreign Affairs committee  Yes, thank you for the question. The short answer is going to be no. I think there's opportunity with the goals that have been, in my understanding, fairly well agreed to—the 17 or so goals—to create a greater emphasis on youth within the targets. Youth are specifically mentione

Foreign Affairs committee  Good morning, Mr. Chair, and members of the standing committee. I would like to speak to you very briefly about three strategies for youth empowerment that we have tested in a wide variety of settings and which have proved transformational in our work both at home and abroad.