THE YMCA

Introduction

The YMCA is one of the largest non-profit organizations in the United States. There are currently over twenty-five hundred YMCA located within the country. The YMCA serves different people of all age groups, races, ethnicities. It provides several different sources of recreation to children and adults. YMCA is the nation's largest provider of health and well-being programs. In addition, the YMCA provides the leading amount of child care throughout the country. Each YMCA is usually equipped with indoor basketball/volleyball courts and some outdoor recreational space.

Background

YMCA stands for Young Men's Christina Association and was founded in 1844 in London. The idea of organizing the YMCA came about through George Williams. Initially it was a place where bible studies were held and prayer groups were located. This was a unique place because it was very welcoming of different religions, and at this time, there was a clear separation between different religions. The initial idea of the YMCA was brought about because of all the negative social relationships that were developing within several cities at the end of the Industrial Revolution.

Employment Opportunities

The YMCA offers several job opportunities. One is able to choose from a variety of full-time and part-time jobs. Within these jobs are several different categories of job options. For example, they offer business positions, child care positions, teaching and coaching positions, and several more. Also, YMCA believes that its people deserve the best. Therefore, they offer competitive wages and different benefit packages.

Current Trends

Over the past few decades the YMCA has focused on the trends present in society. They have responded accordingly in an effort to coincide with societal trends. In the 1980's and '90's there was a lot of emphasis placed on building character. This was done by building the morality of the population they serve. The YMCA began to focus on the core values: caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility.

Definition of Leisure

The YMCA committed to touching the lives of all the millions of lives they touch throughout the year. There definitions of leisure differ between the different age groups to which they cater to. For children and the youth, the YMCA focuses on developing optimistic and positive values and stress to children the importance of motivation for learning. For families, they focus on developing strong family bonds and positive relationships within families. When considering the individual, the YMCA's meaning of leisure is creating a better spiritual, mental, and physical well-being.

Synopsis

The YMCA is one of the United State's largest non-profit organizations. It offers services to people of all different age groups and provides several different forms of leisure activities. Also, the YMCA offers several job opportunities for full-time to part-time to summer camp help. There are several benefits to working with such an organization. The YMCA has developed a great reputation throughout the nation and working for them would be a positive contribution to society. After researching the YMCA through this project, I came across several positive features of employment at YMCA. Therefore, I do not know of any cons of working for this organization. The YMCA promotes great moral values and Christian values among the population it serves. It is a great place to grow in family values and community relationships as its members can become actively involved with the whole YMCA community. The YMCA is truly a great place for leisure and recreation opportunities.