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YMCA
Character Development
Caring: to love others, to be sensitive to the
well-being of others, and to help others.
Honesty: to tell the truth, to
act in such a way that you are worthy of trust, and to have
integrity; making sure your choices match your values.
Respect: to treat others as you would have them
treat you; to value the worth of every person, including
yourself.
Responsibility: to do what is right, what you ought
to do; to be accountable for your behavior and
obligations.
Cornerstones of Character:
The Y's commitment to
character development makes it extraordinarily valuable to the
communities and people it serves. Building on this commitment and
making it part of everyday operations and programming can be
challenging.
What are the three challenges that Ys must
accept to enjoy all possible benefits in recommitment to character
development?
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To embed
character development and the Y's four core values—caring,
honesty, respect and responsibility—into the Y's culture (who
the staff and volunteers are and how they operate) so it will
last.
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To become
involved in a long-term process in which character development
gives focus to everything done in the Y, including programming,
hiring, planning and budgeting.
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To ensure
that everyone—staff and volunteers at all levels of the
organization—is involved and committed to this process. Everyone
must accept the role of a teacher of values as an integral part
of his or her job. All staff and volunteers must accept the
challenge to teach the Y's core values first and foremost by
leading by example in their own attitude and behavior.
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