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Darien, CT

Letter: Darien YMCA fully supports the goal of the Thriving Youth Task Force to promote and empower positive youth development

Cover Image for Letter: Darien YMCA fully supports the goal of the Thriving Youth Task Force to promote and empower positive youth development

TYTF Letter to the Editor:

The Y’s National Commitment to America is developing new generations of changemakers who will create communities we all want to live in—young people who grow into thriving adults who can transform communities, bridge social divides and give back.

The Darien YMCA is embodying this commitment to engage more youth and deepen their impact with them, by partnering with Darien’s Thriving Youth Taskforce. Through this collaborative the Darien Y is learning more and more about the needs and opportunities in the Darien community. We’re learning that social isolation is leading to more stress, more anxiety and more depression among our youth.

The Darien YMCA fully supports the goal of the Thriving Youth Task Force to promote and empower positive youth development. Our missions of empowering youth are in alignment. At the YMCA, we work to strengthen the community through three areas of impact: youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. We help to encourage young people in our programs to reach their full potential.

“Participation in sport and recreation activities can reduce stress, anxiety and depression. Participation in group recreation provides a sense of belonging and attachment” (Street G., and Ray J. 2007).

  •          At the Y, we offer both competitive and recreational sports as activities for youth focusing on friendly competition as a way to unite young people around a shared goal and help them thrive as a part of a team. We aim to help our youth develop as individuals and as part of a team.
  •          Our fitness programs give teens options to live an active, healthy lifestyle while reducing stress and anxiety. We aim to teach our youth to live healthy lives.
  •          Our youth programs are conducted in a supportive environment to help them succeed in school, at home and throughout their lives. We aim to make our youth socially responsibly.

The “Our Darien” campaign of the Thriving Youth Task Force has a focus on the issues and pressures affecting youth in our community and the Darien YMCA is proud to partner with the task force to address these concerns.

We know that while our youth spend significant time in school and events, parents remain the most influential adults in the lives of their children. At the Y, we are focusing on programs geared not only for youth but for the entire family. The Darien YMCA will continue to endorse and support the work of the Thriving Youth Task Force as we are all focused on strengthening our community.

Jennifer Gardner

CEO

Darien YMCA