The
YMCA of the Cayman Islands will be hosting their 5th
Annual Leaders for Youth Conference from January 17 – 18, bringing
together up to 150 YMCA staff members, volunteers, teen leaders and
community partners. The conference is the YMCA’s largest training
and development event each year, with workshops this year including:
Social Emotional Learning for Teens, Skills for Child Protection,
Enhancing Mathematics, and Being Aware of Children’s Needs.
Workshops will be facilitated by a combination of local and
international presenters, including: the Multi-Agency Safeguarding
Hub (M.A.S.H), National Drug Council, Special Needs Foundation,
Toastmasters, YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg (Florida) and the
Westfield Area Y (New Jersey). The Family Resource Centre, LIFE,
National Trust are also participating in the conference resource
fair.

As part of the Latin
America and Caribbean Alliance of YMCAs (LACA) After-School
Enhancement Programme – sponsored regionally by CIBC First
Caribbean International Bank – YMCA
leaders from across the Caribbean will travel to Cayman to
participate. With financial support from the Y’s Men International,
delegates from the YMCA's
of Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados,
Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago. Each
of these associations are building on the after-school programmes in
their country and the conference provides a unique and significant
opportunity for the region’s YMCA leaders to collaborate in-person.

The theme for this year’s conference is
“All Aboard!” - especially
fitting given the diverse Caribbean contingent. YMCA youth leaders
are called to be fully equipped and prepared to navigate the unsteady
waters that negatively alter the course of our youth. Critical to
their success is to deeply ingrain the core values the YMCA teaches
everyday – honesty, caring, respect, responsibility and faith. The
ship only reaches a safe destination if leaders remain steady at the
helm, and the 5th
Annual Leaders for Youth Conference will provide attendees with the
tools to remain the steady force our youth rely on.

The YMCA would like to
thank the following supporters of this year’s conference: Ministry
of Education, Youth, Sports, Agriculture & Lands, CIBC
First Caribbean International Bank,
Y’s Men
International,
YMCA of Greater St.
Petersburg and Westfield Area Y.

For
more information about the YMCA Cayman Islands, log on to
www.ymcacayman.ky, email
info@ymcacayman.ky or call
926.9622.