Special Convening between Y-USA and APAY

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Last Updated (Friday, 23 October 2026 15:19)

Special Convening between Y-USA and APAY during the World Council

Leaders from APAY and Y-USA had a special convening on July 23 during the World Council in Toronto, Canada. We reaffirmed the commitment to strengthening collaboration. Discussion highlighted opportunities for leadership development, youth engagement, cultural exchanges, service learning, and mutual learning among YMCA movements. Key themes from the discussion, prepared by Trang Truong-Hill from Y-USA, are:

Leadership Development and Youth Engagement

Participants shared a strong commitment to developing the next generation of YMCA leaders. Programs such as the APILN International Leadership Institute, leadership exchanges, and coalition partnerships continue to demonstrate the power of international experiences to inspire leadership, strengthen belonging, and build lifelong connections across our movement.

Strengthening Global Partnerships

There was broad enthusiasm for deepening relationships between YMCAs throughout the Asia-Pacific region and the United States through more intentional collaboration, knowledge sharing, and partnership-building. The Philippines Coalition was highlighted as a strong example of what is possible when we invest in long-term relationships and mutual learning.

Camping, Service Learning, and Cultural Exchange

Many participants expressed interest in expanding camp leadership exchanges, youth experiences, service-learning opportunities, and other forms of cross-cultural engagement that help young people build global perspectives while strengthening YMCA connections around the world.

Movement Strengthening and Shared Learning

We also discussed emerging tools and frameworks designed to help YMCAs strengthen partnerships, coordinate efforts, share best practices, and support organizational development across regions. Participants emphasized the importance of learning from one another and being more intentional in how we connect local, national, and regional YMCA efforts.

Looking Ahead

As we look toward the future, several opportunities surfaced that we want to continue to explore:

  • Expanding leadership development and learning exchanges.

  • Growing youth, staff, and camp exchange opportunities.

  • Sharing best practices around workforce development, succession planning, and volunteer engagement.

  • Identifying collaborative philanthropic and grant opportunities.

  • Increasing opportunities for youth leadership, advocacy, and global citizenship.

  • Mapping and strengthening existing YMCA-to-YMCA partnerships across our regions.

  • Y-USA is excited to continue these conversations with APAY leadership and national movements in the months ahead. We believe there is tremendous potential to deepen collaboration around leadership development, youth engagement, movement strengthening, and cross-regional learning opportunities.

  • Most importantly, we look forward to continuing to build meaningful relationships that strengthen our shared mission and extend the impact of the YMCA globally.