During the month of November 2013, I had the great pleasure to attend the 31st Advanced Studies program organized by Asia Pacific Alliance of YMCAs(APAY) in Hong Kong. APAY organizes since 1981 every year this Program for YMCA secretaries from the Asia Pacific region. Last year they invited a representative from YMCA Europe and one from African Alliance of YMCAs to attend this Program, adding in this way a global perspective.
We were 16 participants attending the Program, 14 from YMCAs from Asia Pacific region – India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, Philippines, Fiji – 1 from African region – Gambia and myself – Romania, Europe. Thanks to this opportunity I was the third European YMCA participant ever attending this Program since 1981.
The Program, scheduled for the whole month of November, had a very high level, as stated in the title. It is specially designed for executive secretaries, general secretaries, national general secretaries, with every day classes and different exposures. The resource persons were from Hong Kong universities, very experienced YMCA staff (especially general secretaries who worked for the YMCA for more than 20 years- from Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong , Hong Kong YMCA) , from Canada, from Cambodia, APAY staff.
The focus of this year`s YMCA Advanced Studies Program was on "Mission in context, Movement Strengthening and Youth Empowerment". The Advanced Studies emphasizes the formation of YMCA professional leaders for the strengthening and growth of the YMCA.
The sessions were focused on: overview of APAY strategic plan, creative worship, YMCA mission, social realities and analysis, contextual theology & social responses, alternative tourism, global citizenship education, gender mainstreaming, gender justice, youth empowerment for transformation, social economy, fair trade, resource mobilization, lay &professional leadership development, good governance in the YMCA, interfaith & peace building, Interfaith cooperation forum, movement strengthening, strategic planning. The exposures were focused on waste management project (on Cheung Chau Island), visiting the Uni-Y at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, the facilities and programs of Hong Kong YMCA and Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong. The program ended with a re-entry plan made by each participant related with the knowledge from sessions, new understandings and perspectives given during the Studies. The re-entry plan was presented individually by all of us in front of APAY staff and fellow colleagues, who were giving feedback , questioning and making comments.
I truly feel that I was blessed by attending this Program. It was a great empowering event, with a lot of knowledge but most important with understandings about global realities , how we, as YMCA professionals, have to be aware of those, to understand the context we are living in for creating programs that address to those realities, fulfill needs and most important, to create and offer transformational programs to our communities. During the sessions and also in our free time, the sharing of ideas, practices, information about realities within our countries, the multi and intercultural environment created among us the 16 participants were the highlight and the special results of the program. These Studies empowered me, as YMCA professional leader, to be more rooted, grounded and have a clear Mission in order to act relevantly within the social realities or our context. In order to achieve this, we need to be supported by a viable and self sufficient institution base and to be more involved in Movement strengthening.
I believe that we should take into consideration to have a program like this also in Europe, and I would strongly encourage and support YMCA Europe to have this in the action plan for the next years.
I want to express again my deep gratitude to Mr. Juan Simoes Iglesias, General Secretary, to Mr. Ed Eggink, president, to the staff of YMCA Europe, for all their trust , support and empowerment given to me during these years, especially for appointing me to attend this Program.
My great appreciation goes to Mr. Kohei Yamada – General Secretary of Asia Pacific Alliance of YMCAs, to Mr. Duncan Chowdhury , executive secretary of APAY, to all APAY staff, for offering this excellent learning opportunity, for all the valuable knowledge , support , care and encouragement given to me.
I am particularly grateful for my classmates, my dear friends, for all the sharing, inclusiveness, care, friendship and cooperation built during this 31st Advanced Studies Program.
