My life as young person completely changed when I started to work with the YMCA.
In my life I always thought it was to work and enjoy what I do and here at the YMCA I found that right dimension. But the most important thing is that I can transfer my knowledge, my passion and share all my experience with many young people around the world who can have the same opportunities I had. The only thing I’m worried about for my future is my job and personal life. This sometime stops all my plans, ideas and projects as a YMCA Change Agent.
Now all of this is not ‘flowers and roses’, as we say in Italy, which means that it is not all wonderful and beautiful. In my experience I found many difficulties to be a staff leader in the YMCA, as I wish to be in the future, just because many older generation leaders in my country do not understand how important it is to give opportunities to young people to express themselves and to work together with them to make a stronger YMCA. This is, in my personal opinion, a big injustice and, in the future, I will work much more on this to help other young people in my country and my place to understand how important it is to have a voice.
The YMCA Change Agent program and the work I’m doing with the World YMCA is giving me more empowerment to help YMCA people hear my voice and make them believe much more in me and in my potential, so that’s why it’s important for me to “have a voice”. So this not only gives a voice, but is also empowering young people to faith and believe in how important it is to be heard and to take out the potential that is present in each one of us.
My life will change and YMCA will be part of it!!!
Mario Trichilo