The South Shore YMCA Celebrates Welcoming Week and Reminds the South Shore Community That Belonging Begins With Us
This Welcoming Week, September 9-18, 2022, the South Shore YMCA will join Welcoming America, other YMCAs, and organizations nationwide to celebrate immigrants’ contributions to communities and bring together all residents in a spirit of unity. Celebrated each year in September, Welcoming Week elevates the growing movement of communities that fully embrace new Americans and their contributions to the social fabric of the country. The event is an opportunity for neighbors—both immigrants and U.S.-born residents—to get to know one another and celebrate what unites people as a community.
“At the South Shore YMCA, we believe our community is stronger when everyone feels welcome and we can all work together for the common good,” said South Shore YMCA Chief Operations Officer, Trevor Williams. “We are proud to be a part of Welcoming Week, which is demonstrating that in places large and small, rural and urban, people of all backgrounds are coming together to create stronger communities. It is a time to celebrate the shared values that unite us as neighbors, parents and colleagues, and to make our towns more welcoming to newcomers and to everyone who calls our community home.”
During Welcoming Week, the South Shore YMCA will celebrate the diversity of our communities and membership with activities that bring together newcomers and long-standing residents alike.
The Y’s History of Serving Immigrants
The Y has a long history of helping immigrants integrate into their new neighborhoods and preparing all communities to be inclusive.
- In 1856, the Y was the first organization in the U.S. to offer English-as-a-Second-Language classes to immigrants.
- In the late 1800s, YMCA immigration secretaries greeted hundreds of thousands of new arrivals at Ellis Island (New York) and Angel Island (San Francisco), helping them locate family members, housing, and employment.
- In the early 1900s, the YMCA of Greater New York introduced adult night classes to new immigrants. As the U.S. population moved westward, Ys provided affordable housing to immigrating and migrating communities.
