The YMCA of Owen Sound Grey Bruce has released its strategic plan that will see them through 2027.
CEO Sarah Cowley says that it was a 12-month-long process to bring the plan together, which required input from the board of directors and leadership, as well as service users and data from different community organizations.
She says that the strategic priorities are looking to have exceptional experiences for service users.
“Not only did we ask for feedback from the community as we built out the strategic priorities for those exceptional experiences for our members and service users, we’re collecting more detailed data now about what they’re looking for, and what their needs are.”
Cowley says that they also have priorities for collaboration with Indigenous communities.
“I’m very pleased to say that we will be supporting staff with additional training relative to cultural sensitivity and cultural support. And we will be looking to work with our Indigenous local partners to build out some more programming, hopefully within all of our programs, but at our health, fitness, and aquatic centre to start.”
She also says that there would also be changes to their childcare programming as well, to help support indigenous communities through a childcare lens.
From an organizational standpoint, the YMCA updated its core values, adding “belonging” to the existing values of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility.
“I am definitely the most looking forward to all of our service users and employees being able to feel on the ground; the impact their feedback has had for us so that they can see that we have taken their feedback and that we’re implementing it.”
