Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
YMCA SAFE Program
For more information about the SAFE Program contact Trang Truong.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Youth Institute Thanksgiving Dinner 2011
This monday the Youth Institute took part in the 2nd Annual Thanksgiving Potluck Dinner at St. Luke's Church in Long Beach. We had an amazing turn out with plenty of food to spare, nobody left with an empty stomach. Bob Cabeza, Vice President, gave a memorable toast sharing his experiences from his recent trip to Cambodia and how fortunate we are to have the blessings we do in America. We were all thankful to be able to enjoy the food provided, which was delicious, especially the home-cooked turkey brought by Bob's niece, Jessica. Enjoy the photos from the event below.
Photos taken by Leo Salcido, Senior Art Director Change Agent Productions.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Food Drive at Longfellow Elementary
Ali Carias, a 1st grade program leader at Longfellow Elementary, had an idea this holiday season. She wanted to help those in need in the Longfellow Community. Ali and her students decided to collect canned goods and other food items for families who wouldn't be able to afford a Thanksgiving Meal this year. It was a service learning project that started with one program leader and her twenty students, but when the other program leaders heard about it, they and their students bought into the idea as well. When all was said and done, what started as an idea to help out one Longfellow Family has turned into a program wide initiative that will help over ten families. Each family will receive a box similar to the one pictured above, as well as turkeys from money that was also donated. We would like to thank all of the families who donated to make an impact to our community. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Sunday, November 13, 2011
A Letter From Cambodia
Dear Friends,
We are in our 5th day in Cambodia and it has been quite an impacting and learning experience both for our Cambodian American staff, Board Members, other staff and the Cambodian YMCA Youth and Children that we are impacting daily.
First, we spent a day teaching and working with the Street Kids School where we set up a carnival and water rides for over 70 street children from the slums of Phnom Penh. We heard their stories of sorrow such as them not going to school because they have to work selling things in the street to get food for their families or that they are orphaned taking care of their brothers and sisters and struggling daily digging in trash to survive. Both stories would be tragic if not for this little YMCA and the food that the Y gives as well as teaching the children basic academic skills like reading, writing, English and math. Our staff's hearts went out to the children there. It was incredibly happy and heartfelt but very sad when we left.
Now we are doing a five day leadership and digital media training for 34 young adult YMCA members and volunteers who want to make positive change in their communities and help shape the new Cambodia from a Youth perspective. The Long Beach YMCA Cambodian American staff have been profoundly touched by their exposure to the culture, their people and their problems and progress. We are helping them start a small digital media program with the emphasis on developing a micro business in Phnom Penh.
This is profoundly important global work and all of our Community Development YMCA staff are proud of our Participation and experiences. We will have a profoundly important story to tell in a documentary when we return to the US. I do not think that It is possible for me to capture the profound emotional and cultural impact of our experiences in this e-mail.
Until then, wish us safe travels and PEACE,
Bob Cabeza
Vice President of Community Development
YMCA of Greater Long Beach
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Cambodian Cultural Exchange Slideshow
View detailed descriptions of photos on Community Development's Facebook Page.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
College Readiness Retreat in Yosemite
Monday, October 10, 2011
2011 YAM LA Event
The YMCA Youth Institute for the past 3 years has been an active member of the Youth Arts & Media Los Angeles (YAM LA) group. As one of its founding members, we have been fortunate enough to work with some of these agencies 11 years ago in providing technical support – digital media arts training and purchasing of technology to start their own Digital Media Arts Programs. This year was our Second annual event to showcase the creative talents of all the youth in LA County in the areas of digital photography, digital storytelling, 8mm filmmaking, dance, music, DJ and skate boarding. For more information about YAM LA Click HERE. To see more pictures of the event Click HERE.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
A New Decade in the Youth Institute Has Begun
Congratulations to the graduating class of the 2011 Youth Institute (YI). This new class was a very unique group of young people who brought a resurgence of creativity and leadership that will take the Youth Institute into a new decade. Over 45 films were showcased on August 6, 2011 at the Scottish Rite Cathedral. Over 400 people were in attendance. It was also a special day for 16 youth from Central Los Angeles who have joined the legacy of the Youth Institute by becoming the first graduating class of the Community Build Youth Institute. It was but one of five Youth Institute programs operating this summer. The replication of the Youth Institute has expanded this past summer — year one of Community Build YI, year one of Children’s Institute YI, year two for the East Palo Alto YI, year six for Stephens Middle School YI, and year eleven for the Long Beach Youth Institute. For pictures of the event visit our Youth Institute Website.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Community Development's VP in Cambodia
Bob Cabeza, our VP of Community Development is presently in Cambodia with Boon Chin Tan YMCA USA International Director to assist with the development of a Cambodian exchange between the Community Development YMCA and the brand new Cambodian YMCA located in Pnomh Penh. If successful, our YMCA hopes to help the Cambodian YMCA with a series of exchanges between our Cambodian professional staff and our Cambodian youth who would travel to Cambodia to provide projects and assistance where needed around helping Cambodian youth build skills in technology and digital arts. Culminating in the possibility of those youth creating micro-businesses in Phnom Penh. In exchange, our Americanized youth could get in touch with their culture and homeland.
Also involved is the YMCA Asian Alliance.
See pictures from his trip here!
Friday, June 10, 2011
Celebrating 10 Years of the Youth Institute
On May 26th 150 very important guests attended the Youth Institute 10 Year Celebration Dinner at the Grand in Long Beach. The dinner was hosted by the Youth Institute Alumni, with Phyras Men as the Committee Leader and Leo Salcido as the Master of Ceremonies. The night began with great entertainment from three very talented Youth Institute Alums, Johnny Romero on guitar, Nicole Gutierrez on violin and Ben Falealili performing his Spoken Word piece. Then we gave out awards to our supporters who stuck with us over the years such as Alan Hostrup. Ralph Hurtado and Sally Lew. We also gave awards to our long time financial supporters such as the California Emerging Technology Foundation, ZeroDivide, the California Consumer Protection Foundation, the Beneventures Foundation, Brian Kariger, Marilyn Bohl and Southern California Edison. We want to especially thank the Jeanne Giovannoni Trust for her generous donation for this event. But most of all we wanted to honor our Youth and Alumni who grew up out of the Youth Institute but always find ways to give back. A huge thanks to the YI Alumni Committee for putting on a flawless and professional celebration that the next group will have a hard time matching at the fifteen year event!! Click here to view the photos .Thursday, June 2, 2011
CALSAC 2011
During this Years California School-Age Consortium (or CalSAC) we had 5 youth go to the Capitol Building in Sacramento to advocate for Afterschool programs. Our youth met with other students and advocates from all across the state of California. They shared conversation and ideas on how they can spread the word of keeping Afterschool programs funded in our communities. The youth then had the chance to meet with Legislators and spread their word right to the source. It was a great success and the youth are all looking forward to next year. Click here to view the pics!
Battle of the Bands 3
The Youth Institute hosted its 3rd Annual Battle of the Bands, high school bands were selected to duke it out in a very intense competition held at the Scottish Rite Cathedral Theater. Georgia Terminal, Twin Pines, The Anachronisms, and 3rd Perspective all put on their game faces to play a fifteen-minute set each that evening. Along with the competing bands, we had three very special guest performers, Fox Hollow, JL, which includes our very own alumni Leslie and John, and The Marital, which includes alumni, Kevin, Matt, and Nick. With the support of our alumni, the bands, and our community, we raised over $3000 for our YMCA and Youth Institute. Special thanks to Zumiez for supporting the event and State Farm Insurance for co-sponsoring our event! Their generosity led to a fun-filled raffle. The grand raffle prize, a new Macbook, was the ultimate showstopper! Three hours of inspiring music, fun giveaways, endless amounts of laughing and screaming, our third Battle of the Bands was no less than successful. Our packed house with over 400 guests attending the event gave us a reason to prepare for our next Battle of the Bands! Click here to view all of the photos. Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Youth Institute/CAP at NAYDO 2011
Wed., April 27th – Sat., April 30th
Growing up we are usually taught to give three words that describes a significant event. I believe that I took away more than three simple words. I took back experience itself as well as life-long motivation. NAYDO is designed to, well, in a lack of better words, to get “the know” or find what’s “in” I was able to see so many people around the world who’s motives were to better their community by either establishing a program for the youth and elderly or taking what they learn back to their programs and continue building from there. Although I was one of the youngest attendees present I felt even more compelled to be a part of this event for years to come.
On Tuesday night we arrived at the Marriot hotel in Anaheim, California expecting to jump into the comfortable beds provided by the hotel. Instead we were told to sort and write inventory of the equipment. The technology that was packed into our room became important to the conference as I soon realized. Roughly an hour later everything was set and batteries where charging. The only thing we had to do was get some rest, because at 7:30 AM we had to be dressed and ready for the conference.
Even before the conference we were meeting people from other YMCAs during breakfast. I personally met a program coordinator from Stockton, California. Within twenty minutes we were introduced to the CEO and Vice President of the YMCA of Mexico City. I didn’t realize what we had gotten ourselves into. Besides Bob, we were all under the age of 25, but very willing to meet and greet with important people. Although we were told that we would be meeting important figures, in a way I felt that they were coming to meet us.
As an exhibitor I and the other interns of Change Agents managed the exhibit that show cased what we had done and the services we could provide for other YMCAs who were interested in our work. Many recognized our unique logo and cheerful, youthful, looks from the brochures that greeted there office weeks prior to the conference. We were greeted by people saying, “Yeah, I saw the flyer!” or “I just had to come by and learn more.” After blushing a little, it was time to get down to business; get them interested, but not holding their time to long ,and getting straight to the point. Surprisingly my peers and I quickly adapted to this environment easily with hardly a dull moment. I found that working with someone is a lot easier than jumping into a river by myself. We were able to feed off of each other making the conversation easier. We learned the difficulties of marketing a product and the importance of having or building abilities to network with people in hopes for them to come seeking for more. Many were impressed by the work that we were doing in Long Beach, but they were more impressed by our ages. Someone said that they simply were drawn to your booth because it felt like we were the freshest in the room. That made me laugh a little, but it showed that liveliness and presentation was as important. Besides shaking hands we were also in charge of gathering photos of the conference that would be shown the following evening. Many of us recorded footage and even got a few to shout “NAYDO rocks!!” which was one of the highlights of the conference. The work was rigorous, but for the staff that stayed up late at night to finish projects, it was all worth it. The products were beautiful and the crowd was pleased.
We were also allowed to dine with the conference and enjoy each key-note speaker each night. My most memorable experiences I had during those evening was watching Father Boyle deliver a breathtaking and eye watering speech that had everyone in the room simply moved. Beside his poetic dissertation and his heart felt stories of the kids he works with every day, he was still able to embody the importance of kinship and compassion. Every key-note speaker brought something new and unique to the podium and truly gave the audience a sense of urge to give and give to their communities the information they had taken form NAYDO.
I do hope that in the near future I could re-live my experiences I shared with my colleges here at NAYDO.
To see pictures of this event click here
Written by:
Dasire’e P. (Youth Institute Student)
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Youth Institute San Fransisco Trip 2011
Change Agents & The Youth Institute Just got back from San Francisco and it was awesome! Visited Apple Inc. where we actually got and Executive Briefing from the Apple Dream Team Engineers. Visited the East Palo Alto YMCA Youth Institute where we did a screening of our movies, played B-Ball and climbed their wall! And last, we toured the city from the Haunted Fort Mason youth Hostel. That place ROCKS! Check out the pics!
Monday, May 2, 2011
Youth Institute 10th Year Anniversary Celebration
You are invited to our 10th Year Youth Institute Anniversary Celebration. Join us for dinner and presentations to celebrate a program like no other. Hear the stories, engage with the youth and meet our funders. RSVP to Bob Cabeza: bob.cabeza@lbymca.orgWednesday, April 6, 2011
Long Beach Police Chief McDonald Visits Youth Institute
Long Beach Police Chief McDonald Visits Youth Institute - Our new Police Chief McDonald visited our Youth Institute on March 30th and had an open dialogue with our Teens about their perceptions of police in general and the police side of the story. Chief McDonald was both factual, caring, and inspirational to our Teens letting them know how police can better interact with them and how they can help the police. It was inspiring to hear that Office McDonald is a first generation American from Ireland who grew up in a poor family. "He can relate" was a comment from one of our teens.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Staff Spotlight: Maria Gandarilla Awarded at CSULB
Maria Gandarilla, Youth Institute Alumni, Y Staff
Named Outstanding Graduate of the Year by the School of Health and Human Services at California State University Long Beach
Maria Gandarilla, Youth Institute Class of 2004, was named the Outstanding Graduate of the Year by California State University faculty this March, 2011. This honor was bestowed on Maria at a special ceremony held at CSULB. Maria has grown up at our Community Development YMCA. She and her family participated in our JCPP program back in the late 90’s. She was a part of our CORAL after school programs ten years ago and was a part of our Youth Institute from 2004 to present day. Maria went to CSULB to study Social Work. She gets her undergraduate degree BSW this May and will go into the MSW program at CSULB this fall.
We are so proud of Maria’s accomplishments and wish to extend our congratulations to another one of the YMCA Youth Institute success stories during the past ten years. You are a part of our YMCA family and will always have a place here at our YMCA!
By Bob Cabeza (VP, Community Development)
Change Agent Productions Builds The Children's Institute's Technology Lab
Change Agent Production's recently finished building a new technology lab for The Children’s Institute in Los Angeles. The Children’s Institute wanted to build a technology lab for their under-served community where youth can come and create digital media pieces. Everything from music, graphics, short films, photography and much more! Change Agent Productions helped in designing the lab, purchasing the equipment and setting up all the computers. There was a lot of hard work and planning on both ends of this project and the pay off will affect many of Los Angeles' youth. For more pictures of the project visit our Change Agent Productions website: www.changeagentsproductions.org/node/541
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
AAUW STEM Career Conference Field Trip
My name is Samantha, I am an 8th Grader at Burcham K-8 School. On Friday, February 26, 2010. I went on a field trip with my YMCA/WRAP After School Program to Long Beach City College (Liberal Arts Campus) for the annual AAUW (American Association of University Women) STEM Career Conference. I had a great experience. Before we went on the field trip, we had to fill out a paper and choose which career workshops we were interested in. There were so many choices to make. The choices were architect, banker, chemical engineer, computer programmer, coroner, horticulturist, marine biologist, and public health nurse. I had to pick my top three I wanted. I picked coroner, chemical engineer and marine biologist. The conference was in the new building at LBCC. When we arrived to LBCC, there were many different girls attending from different schools. There were a lot of middle school girls and also high school girls.
In the beginning, we all went into the main building we listened to a keynote speaker. She was talking to us about what she did and that she had a very challenging life growing up and that she was not ashamed to tell us girls her story. She told us that she had a boyfriend that was a gang member and he got her pregnant and it messed up her life. She shared that she really wanted to finish her education. She said she was no longer with her gang member boyfriend and she finally did graduate from Cal State Dominguez. Her story meant something to me because she went through a lot of challenges but she pushed forward to finish her school and go on to finish college. I want to finish high school, go to college and accomplish my goals. She told us not to give up, to finish college and not to hang out with street boys or have boyfriends in high school. We should focus on school and achieve all goals.
The two workshops I attended were the chemical engineer and the coroner ones. Chemical engineering was a fun experience because I always thought that the factory would be harmful to us. The speaker was one of the employees of the factory and she told us why she works there. One reason she told us when she was a kid she wanted to create make –up and the perfect acne product. After she told us how the factory works, she then had us do an experiment that was so fun but slimy. We made some type of goo that is easy to make at home. The Coroner has a job that you have to have guts for to do. I would try to handle the job but the lady that was our teacher had courage. The fist step to take care of the dead body is that she has to check how did that person die. Second step if their friend or someone in the car survives they have to put their name on the toe tag. There are different types of death like suicide, murder, and overdose. I enjoyed the coroner a lot because I didn’t know that there was a coroner I thought that the police or ambulance paramedics took care of dead people. It really opened my eyes that people there are people in charge of just finding out how people die. The coroner was very funny and I learned a lot from her.
Both of the subjects that I attended were fun and I can’t pick a favorite. I learned so much from and I loved it. This experience gave me ideas on what kind of career I can have. It was an experience I will not forget.
For more information on AAUW, visit their website: www.aauw.org
Written By Samantha T.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Change Agent Productions Keynotes at 21st Century Learning Centers Conference in Alaska
Change Agents was asked to Keynote this year at the 21st Century Learning Centers Conference in Juneau, Alaska! It was a great opportunity for the Change Agent staff to go up north and tell their story to all of the conference attendees. Here is the link to the photos from the trip. www.changeagentsproductions.org/node/440
Monday, March 7, 2011
2011 Campaign Victory Dinner
March 3, 2011 YMCA of Greater Long Beach met once again at the Sycamore Centre in Lakewood, CA to share successes of this years campaign. The night was opened up by our very own Angel Ramirez. Angel has been a part of the Community Development YMCA since 1st grade. He is a Youth Institute graduate/alumni and was recently accepted to Cal State University Long Beach. The night continued with inspirational stories from all the branch leaders highlighting where all the donations end up. Bob Cabeza, VP of Community Development, shared about Maria Gandarilla, also a youth institute alumni, who recently received the award for most outstanding student of the year for the College of Health and Human Services at CSULB. All the stories were inspiring and left a feeling of success whether or not goals were met. The night ended with a video produced by Change Agent Productions which put a spotlight on all the hard work the association put forth.
Monday, February 28, 2011
CDYMCALB Highlighted in the March 2011 Y-USA International Group Newsletter
Story Text:
Global Program Ideas
World Service Fundraising and Education month long event led by Long Beach YMCA
During the month of November, the Community Development YMCA Branch in Downtown Long Beach organized a series of events that raised awareness of and financial support for World Service. It also provided time for families to get together and interact with each other while learning about the challenges and work of YMCA's in other countries . All of the events began with a PowerPoint that included pictures of YMCA's in other countries. Families were surprised and inspired to know that there were YMCA programs in their countries of origin. Following the PowerPoint presentation, the YMCA organized a series of events. Some of the events included a Bingo Night, a potluck with parents bringing their favorite dish from their country of origin and family nights with students creating mini presentations for the audience about the work of a specific country's YMCA. All of these events turned out to be extremely successful. The youth raised more than $800 and developed new connections of understanding and friendship within their community. They look forward to another successful World Service Campaign in 2011. Participate in our upcoming webinar to learn about the Long Beach approach to World Service and share your ideas in March. Project headed by Al Rodriguez, Associate Program Director (Al.Rodriguez@lbymca.org)
For more info on YMCA World Service visit: www.ymca.net/world-service
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
After School Professional Development
On Monday, February 21, 2011, after school programs in Long Beach were closed in observance of Washington’s birthday. The Community Development branch took this opportunity to provide sixteen of our newest staff with training in the areas of Youth Development, Child Development, and Behavior Management. The staff were introduced to the Community Network for Youth Development model and participated in exercises designed to highlight the importance of the messages we send to our youth on a daily basis. The group then broke out into teams and assessed the current culture of Youth Development at their sites, discussing how to take the site from good to great!
After a short break, the staff came back together and explored the developmental theories of Erik Erikson and Jean Piaget, identifying how the work from these two theorists is relevant to our school-age programming. Following that, the staff worked in grade-level teams identifying both developmental markers for the age groups they work with and age-appropriate enrichment activities connected to state content standards. The workshop ended with a solution-driven conversation focused on responding to challenging behaviors. By the end of the three-hour session, everyone had the opportunity to learn something new, share a strategy that has been successful for them, and network with fellow after school colleagues!
By: Mark Marano, After School Program Coordinator/CASDP Director
Monday, February 21, 2011
Community Development YMCA Staff Commits to 5 Triathlons for Campaign
My name is Bobby Klein. I am an Associate Program Director with the Community Development YMCA in Long Beach and I have never done a Triathlon in my life. Some might think that I am crazy to commit to 5 Triathlons in 2011, but I say "Why Not?" I have come to learn that I will not do something unless I say that I am going to do it first. If I speak it into existence it is much more likely to happen. So what happens when you think it, speak it, tell others about it, write about it....you start doing it. The Original Idea
The original idea was to do something special for this 2011 campaign year at the Y. This idea, along with a desire to get back in shape after a costly holiday eating season, turned into committing to 5 triathlons to raise money and awareness for a great cause. Yes, a GREAT cause, since I have worked here I have never been more inspired to have a positive affect on those around me. I have heard too many stories of families being helped through our family involvement program or student's lives changing because of one of our after-school programs. It is easy to give when you know what you are giving to (for more info about our programs click the Our Programs tab above).
Training
It seems like just yesterday, I was making that announcement that I was going to start training for the upcoming races and the next thing I know I am 2 weeks into a training regimen that has me swimming, running or cycling 5 days a week. I was a cross country runner in high school and I have been cycling for about 7 years now, but the swimming is what scares me the most. Fortunately, the YMCA of Greater Long Beach is a great network with work out facilities in every corner of Long Beach and some of these facilities have POOLS! My facility of choice...Los Altos YMCA 1720 Bellflower Blvd. Long Beach, CA 90815 mainly because it is close to where I live in Seal Beach. I have been swimming here for a couple weeks now and I couldn't be more happy with the friendliness and helpfulness of the staff. I even signed up for private swim lessons with Dani, a high school swim coach and Y employee. I have trained in the past, I was a collegiate athlete (Baseball) and played 3 sports in high school. But in all my training, I have never trained with as much purpose as I have now. It is one thing to work out because, I will gain strength or I will compete better or I will get in shape...it is a whole other thing to train because in doing so I am raising money and awareness for a cause. It no longer is about what I gain, but about what others will gain and this is a great place to be. Albert Einstein was right when he said, "Only life lived for others is worth living." So when I am peddling my bike down PCH or making bubbles out of my nose under the heated water at the Los Altos YMCA pool, I am thinking about lives being changed because of each stroke.
Why 5?
I am not necessarily sure why I chose to do 5 triathlons as opposed to 4 or 6. Maybe because it is easy to times a donation by 5 :) or maybe I just figured 5 seemed like a logical goal, this puts me in a race almost every month of the season and there are plenty to choose from. I created an entire new calendar on my iCal with just triathlons, recording the length of the swim, bike and run. In researching different triathlons I could do, I realized that there are several different types, thankfully. From what I understand there are 3 different categories; Super Sprint, Sprint and Olympic. Super Sprint and Sprint being more for beginners and is what I will start out doing. The Olympic is the real deal and what my ending goal will be.
My 1st Triathlon:
My first triathlon will be in Pasadena at the Rose Bowl. It is a Reverse Super Sprint Triathlon, which means you run first (5k), bike second(15k) and swim last(150m). Come out and cheer me on, hopefully my custom triathlon jersey will be ready by then!
March 19, 2011 8am
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The Others
I have several different options for the final 4 Triathlons, here they all are:
Spring Sprint Triathlon
Encinitas Spring Triathlon
OC International Triathlon
San Diego International Triathlon
Carlsbad Triathlon
Solana Beach Triathlon
Camp Pendleton Sprint Triathlon
Surf Town Triathlon
TriRock Triathlon San Diego
Pacific Coast Triathlon
San Diego Triathlon Classic
Mission Bay Triathlon
Long Beach Triathlon
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How You Can Give
I am asking to calculate your donation per a triathlon. If you would like to give $5, $10, $20, $40, $50, $100 or more, you will be giving this amount for each triathlon I compete in. The donation process is simple and outlined below.
1. Calculate your donation:
$_____ X 5 Triathlons = Total Donation
ie. $20 X 5 Triathlons = $100 Total Donation
2. Log on to www.lbymca.org/strongkids
3. Enter your donation (You can spread it out over time if you would like)
4. Select payment type (EFT or Credit Card) and enter information
5. On next drop down menu select: 2011 Strong Kids Campaign - Community Development
6. A list of campaigners will be generated, select Robert Klein as your campaigner.
A HUGE THANK YOU TO ALL THAT WILL GIVE!
MY GOAL IS TO RAISE $2000.00!
EVERY LITTLE BIT HELPS!
By: Bobby Klein - Associate Program Director/PR & Marketing Coordinator
Thursday, February 10, 2011
My "Y" Story
The following are real stories from students we serve at the Community Development YMCA...
The YMCA is a fun place to learn because we get to play games, pick our own clubs, and have water day with a huge waterslide. When we make good choices we get y-dollar store. I love the YMCA so much that I want to tell you about my story. The YMCA is a place where we have math, literacy, and stations to have fun. - Jamie S.
I like the YMCA because we had a water slide at school one day. We got to play, swim, and blow bubbles. We ate watermelon and brought a change of clothes. Water day was so much fun and I can’t wait till next year. - Jocelyn C.
I think the YMCA is a fun place for kids. You get to have fun while they help you with homework. Last summer I went to camp and I really loved riding the horses. My horse’s name was Bullet and he was really fast. The teachers are cool, active and really care about me. - Unknown
The YMCA is a special place for me because we learn how to do new stuff and explore all the subjects. One day I got a Student of the Week award and my mom and dad were so proud of me. - Unknown
To me, the YMCA is a place for learning about math, reading and writing. It’s also because I used to not get good math grades. When I came to the YMCA I started passing my tests. In reading I was in the middle of 3rd grade and now I’m in the middle of 4th. I used to write so sloppy that I couldn’t read my own writing. This is why I love the YMCA! Homework has been a lot easier now too. - Tais G.
I started the YMCA when I was in second grade. At first I didn’t know anyone but as I got to know the other kids we became friends. I don’t have a lot of friends on my street at home so it was really nice to have them to talk to and do my homework with. We have a lot of fun activities to do if we are good like movie nights, playing the Wii if we get Student of the Week, raffle prizes and clubs. - Jocelyn E.
The YMCA is a fun place to make true friends. That’s why we need people to donate money to the YMCA. So if you’re a millionaire and you’re reading this please give us money. - Diana C.
This is the best program that I have ever come to. It is a place to fill your brain with things to make you smart and care for other people. The YMCA makes reading fun for me and it takes me less time to do my homework. - Oscar M.
In the YMCA I learned how to build a car out of Legos. First we learned about the inside of a car and how it works. Then we made our cars and they came to life. I really like cars so this really made me happy. - Luis O.
When I think of the YMCA I am happy and grateful. In the YMCA we get to play Recreation where I can learn new games. One of my favorites is a soccer relay. Its fun to meet new friends and find out that we like the same things. The program leaders help us with our homework and projects that we have. We also have healthy lessons on Fridays - Brian C.
My mom put me in the YMCA so I could meet more people, have more friends, and be more active so I’m not sitting at home watching TV all the time. She also put me in the YMCA so they could help me with homework and make sure that I am safe. - Jo-Jo H.
I come to the YMCA everyday because it is fun. It is full of lessons and activities that we can learn from. The YMCA is cool because you learn science, computers, art, math, and music. The YMCA is super fun for sportsmanship games like basketball and kickball. This is why the YMCA is important to me. - Samantha G.
This is my story… the YMCA is fun for me. I come everyday after school. The YMCA is very safe for us kids. So far the YMCA is my best friend. It is a big opportunity for my classmates and me. It is good for growing too. You also get to learn great things that help you in life. I think I am going to be famous some day. It is very cool to me. - Olivia B.
When I come to the YMCA it is fun and interactive. The team leaders are so fun and you can tell that they care about us. When I went to Camp Oakes I was so scared when I got there. The counselors were so nice and welcoming that I forgot about all my fears. I made so many friends there and I can’t wait to go again next year. - Eilyn M.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Staff Spotlight: Roselynn (Rosie) Rios
Roselynn (Rosie) Rios, has been working with the YMCA/WRAP After school program since January of 2007. As a 1st grade Program Leader at Roosevelt Elementary, she has been able to help many students achieve their academic goals as well as instilling in them the YMCA Values. Rosie has also participated as a Camp Oakes Counselor and SKC Campaigner. A graduate from California State University, Dominguez Hills, she hopes to someday become an elementary school teacher. Her work ethic and dedication shows the true meaning of what it means to be a YMCA YOUTH DEVELOPER. By: Eddie Gardiner - Associate Program Director
Friday, February 4, 2011
Campaign is Kicked Off
The dedication of our branch to campaign was evident as our branch filled up all of our assigned seating and had to fill some of the empty seats around our designated area. Community Development's branch goal was announced at the dinner by Julie Mendell, our campaign chair. This year our goal is to raise $80,000 and we are more confident than ever that with the team we have this year this goal is well within reach.
This year Change Agent Productions offered their services to create the association's campaign video. The night ended with a dark room filled with hundreds of spectators glued to the presentation screen as they viewed some stories that have developed out of The YMCA of Greater Long Beach. This video will soon be available in the video section.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Making the Pieces Fit
“When I say TEAM, you say BUILDING!”
“TEAM!” - “BUILDING!"
“TEAM!” - “BUILDING!”
“TEAM!” - “BUILDING!”
After School University's Eddie Gardiner, Trang Truong and Sunny Im trained approximately 90 after school professionals throughout 3 one-half hour blocks on a sleepy Saturday January 29, 2011. By the time this training was over sleep was the last thing on their minds. The AU team showed them the importance of teambuilding with staff, students and a program as a whole.
During the OTJ (On The Job) sessions, the participants were able to see the importance of being able to facilitate solution driven discussions during staff meetings. They also had to come up with their own creative group names such as Monkeys, The Incredibles and Brainiacs. Another part of the training included “repeat after me” songs/chants as well as learning a variety of ways to get staff members to participate in a program wide assembly.
The teambuilding activity at the beginning of each session drove home the importance of working together towards a common goal. Activities like putting together jigsaw pieces, first in groups of about five individuals. They then discovered that the entire room had to work together as a team to solve the puzzle. The participants illustrated that working together and communicating are imperative in building a team.
“Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.” ~Henry Ford
By: Sunny Im - Associate Program Director
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