Character Development

When you walk into our YMCA branches, you'll notice our four core value banners and/or posters of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility represented in various areas of the facilities. We challenge our members and participants to believe in and behave according to the YMCA's core values in three ways:

• By showing the values in action through our example.
• Through spoken and visual communications.
• Through activities.

We do not wait for teachable moments to happen in our programs. We purposefully create and implement activities in our program areas that present a lesson about the four values.

Caring means to love others and to be sensitive to their well-being. Caring is represented by the color red, which is associated with a caring heart.

Honesty involves telling the truth and acting in such a way that you are worthy of trust. To be honest is to have integrity, to make sure your choices match your values. Honesty is represented by the color blue, which is associated with the expression true blue.

Respect involves treating others as you would have them treat you. Respecting others means valuing the worth of every person, including yourself. It is represented by the color yellow, which is associated with the Golden Rule.

Responsibility involves doing what is right, doing what you ought to do. Being responsible means being accountable for your behavior and obligations. Responsibility is represented by the color green, which is associated with environmentalism.

Let us know if you feel our character values are being reflected in our staff and the programs we offer. We're always interested in how we can further incorporate character development into our member's lives and all areas of our organization.