Kindly hosted by YMCA Germany, the members of the YMCA Movement-wide Strategic Alignment and Movement Strengthening (SAMS) Global Team met in Kassel on 13-15 January 2025.
Having drafted a 7-year SAMS strategy which was the subject of a Movement-wide consultation in 2024, in Kassel they agreed on a SAMS action plan for 2025-2026, the first 2 years of the strategy.
The SAMS Global Team is composed of the World YMCA, all 4 Area Alliances and 7 National YMCAs (Germany, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Canada, USA) that are providing capacity-building support to other YMCAs around the world. The main goal of the team is to bring together all existing Movement Strengthening approaches in order to create an efficient and well coordinated global system that enables YMCAs around the world to better serve their community.
A first draft of the proposed global YMCA Movement Strengthening Process was produced. It was agreed that this process should be flexible, allowing “in-ramps” and “out-ramps” for National YMCAs based on their context and reality. The process will be piloted throughout 2025-2026, and continuously improved based on the feedback of National YMCAs.
A Joint Health Assessment – a key element of the Plan – was concluded in Kassel and it will be piloted throughout 2025. It is an optional organisational development tool, to be made available to all YMCA National Movements, to improve the foundations and systems of their governance and increase their capacity to serve communities. Based on an overall mindset of mutual and continuous learning and support, rather than compliance, it will be delivered in an easy to use format, and supported by a guidance kit. It will be piloted in the second quarter of 2025 through all YMCA Area Alliances, with full and official deployment in early 2026 after feedback and revisions.
“The commitment of the 11 YMCAs that are working to better align and coordinate the way we strengthen the work of YMCAs around the world is truly inspiring. Over the past year the whole team worked intensely to put together a joint strategy, and now it’s time for action. We want to express our deep gratitude to everyone involved for the amazing co-creation process and we can only hope that in the long run this work will make our Movement stronger, forward-looking and more resilient”, said Răzvan Sassu, the World YMCA Head of Strategy & Policy who is facilitating the work of the SAMS Global Team.
Those at the meeting were:
· Olga Lukina – YMCA Europe
· Oriana Ortiz – YMCA Latin America &Caribbean
· Osborne Wanyama – YMCA Africa
· Maria Cristina Miranda – YMCA Asia & Pacific
· Gerhard Wiebe – YMCA Germany
· Niclas Sannerheim – YMCA-YWCA Sweden
· Kristin Bjora – Y Global (YMCA-YWCA Norway)
· Kathi Lomas McGee – YMCA Canada
· Renata Ferrari – YMCA of the USA
· Răzvan Sassu – World YMCA
With guests:
· Hansjorg Kopp – YMCA Germany
· Claudia Kuhn – YMCA Germany
· Helene Rohde Juhl – YMCA-YWCA Denmark
