POLICY AND GOVERNANCE

For eight years I had the opportunity and honor to serve as one of the 23 executive committee volunteers to the world's largest youth empowerment international NGO. As one of the EXCO members we were accountable to develop, evolve and vote on governance and policy issues that are the backbone to this large and incredibly complex confederation. For more context, the World YMCA was founded in 1844 and now operates in 119 countries, reaching 58 million people. It was a powerful experience - especially as so many of the issues affect young people everywhere. During my two terms, we worked to bring the youth empowerment mission to life and have worked closely with various partners and UN agencies to coordinate efforts strategically in the eco-system. Our ExCo meetings were held in Geneva, Nairobi, Palestine, Hong Kong, Prague, Estes Park and Durban- with regional ones taking place in Mexico City and San Francisco. Part of this experience was especially powerful for me as I was also able to spend 8 of my first months working with YMCAs across Uruguay, Brazil and Chile. The highlight video captures the global scope and vibe of the mission - this was shot at the final 'World Council' where I also served as a planning committee member.