On 25 June, the Strategic Alignment and Movement Strengthening (SAMS) Global Team came together online – five months on from its in-person meeting in Stockholm – to review the year so far and map the road ahead. The picture was one of real momentum: shared tools now live across the Movement, new ways of working taking shape, and a clear, common sense of where we go next.
Movement Strengthening is the work of helping YMCAs everywhere become healthier, stronger and more resilient organisations, so they can deepen their impact in their communities. The SAMS Global Team coordinates this work across the global YMCA, bringing together the Area Alliances, the National Movements engaged in this work internationally, and the World YMCA. It was set up at the end of 2023, after a review found a fragmented and highly varied approach and was asked to build a more coordinated and efficient system.
In 2024, following a Movement-wide consultation, the team adopted a shared global strategy with a clear vision: a coordinated Movement Strengthening system that enables YMCAs worldwide to better empower young people and communities to achieve our Collective Mission.
What we have built this year
In Stockholm in January, the team agreed an updated Action Plan for 2025–2026. Five months on, more than 65% of it is already delivered or on track — and the headline results speak for themselves.
The YMCA Health Assessment and Organisational Development Plan are live worldwide. Our Joint Health Assessment and Organisational Development Plan (ODP) are now a practical, freely available set of tools that help any YMCA understand its strengths, name its challenges honestly, and plan with confidence. They have been sent to every National Movement, and the response has been strong: around 40% have already completed the Health Assessment, and we expect more than 60% of active National Movements to engage over the course of this year.
A coordination mechanism that is working. The World YMCA and the Area Alliances now meet every one to two weeks to align on the many practical questions that move this work forward — a simple change that has quietly accelerated progress on countless fronts.
A Partner Support Group framework, ready to pilot. Finalised and ready to go, it gives YMCAs that support one another a flexible, principled way to work together while respecting the ownership of every YMCA involved. Piloting begins after World Council, the YMCA’s global gathering, taking place in Toronto from 19 to 24 July.
A dashboard taking shape. Our work to bring Movement Strengthening data to life is advancing well, with support from YMCA England & Wales — including careful experimentation with AI tools to help consolidate and make sense of what we are gathering.
Momentum across the regions
Behind the global headlines, the work is already alive in every region. In Africa, 14 National Movements have now been supported through the Health Assessment and co-created Organisational Development Plans. In Europe, 20 YMCAs are expected to finalise their health assessments, with 25 more across Asia-Pacific and Latin America progressing towards this as well. In a new cross-regional partnership, YWCA-YMCA Sweden is supporting YMCA Europe to carry out the process with the YMCAs of Moldova and Ukraine, after supporting the Africa Alliance starting last year. And across Europe, Asia and the Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean, more National Movements are completing their assessments.
Where we will accelerate
With these foundations in place, the months after World Council are about building on them. The team will focus on:
Better coordination of support — a clearer, more transparent way for SAMS members to align the development support to YMCAs around the world.
The funding engine — building the case for support and a fundraising strategy. In a significant boost, the World YMCA has confirmed Movement Strengthening as its number-one fundraising priority through to mid-2027.
A SAMS communications plan — to share this journey more widely across the Movement.
Our priorities to the end of 2026
By the time the team next meets in-person, the shared goals are to:
- Finalise this year’s Health Assessment and ODP rollout — and publish the first report on the results and learnings.
- Complete the Movement Strengthening dashboard for Health Assessment and ODP data.
- Pilot the Partner Support Group with at least 2 YMCAs.
- Create and pilot the support coordination mechanism between SAMS members.
- Finalise the SAMS fundraising strategy.
None of this would be possible without the extraordinary commitment, energy and generosity of the people across our Movement who give their time and heart to this work. To every YMCA and every staff and volunteer involved in Movement Strengthening across the globe: thank you!
Want to learn more about YMCA Movement Strengthening? Visit www.ymca.int/movement-strengthening.