Between the 11 and the 13th of March 2016, this last weekend, I had the great opportunity to participate to my first YMCA Europe event. Since I have started my work in the new office in Brussels I have had the great pleasure to meet in person only some representative of the great YMCA family, and the conference was a great chance to get to know even more.
My hopes were fulfilled thanks to the attendance of more than 70 participants from 17 countries from Europe and all around the globe. The conference’s theme was one very dear to my heart: the refugee crisis Europe is experiencing today is very serious, and the sense of helplessness that many Europeans are experiencing towards it real.
What I found out at the conference was that many YMCAs did not ask themselves many questions: they saw suffering, and they felt the duty to reach out to fellow humans. This conference gave me the opportunity to see the amazing work they are doing, and the greatness of their hearts. I have had the opportunity to talk to many of them, and I found amazing people, with open hearts and practical minds. I also felt incredibly welcomed, and I listened to all they had to say, learning a lot. At the conference there were many young members who brought their experiences and explained us their work, and older ones who gave us an amazing insight into the history of our movement. It was eye-opening to listen to the great work done by YMCA of the past, and of the fearlessness of the men and women who travelled the world to bring their good will and their work to the less fortunate.
I also learned that YMCA people know how to have fun: after the conference duties, it was a joy to share a chat and a laugh with several amazing and warm people, who made me feel at ease immediately. Most of all, it was seriously useful and interesting for me to learn about the diversity existing within YMCA Europe, a diversity that is a great strength and beauty. I hope to meet even more of this beauty and diversity very soon at the General Assembly, meeting even more members.
