The Westfield Area YMCA offers leadership programs that challenge the spirit, mind, and body through challenging, projects, and team building exercises to develop leadership skills.
Achievers (grades 9-12)
YMCA Achievers is a college readiness, career development, life skills, leadership and mentoring program offered at no cost, inclusive of a teen membership and test prep classes for diverse high school students in Union County. Achievers are encouraged to develop to their fullest potential through community partnerships and leadership development programs. The program is a collaboration of the Westfield Area YMCA and the Fanwood-Scotch Plains YMCA and is available at little or no cost.
The signature fundraising event is the Annual Banquet, to be held on Friday, June 7th at the Westwood.
This year’s theme is Celebrating Youth Development
Keynote Speaker: Actor Tobias Truvillion (In Contempt and Empire)
Guest Artist: John Stanisci, Marvel/DC Comic Illustrator (auctioning his best works)
Positive Peer Pressure Youth Author: Dean Scott
Cocktail Hour Awards Tricky Tray Hor D’Oeuvres Performances DJ Dinner Vendors Market Dancing
Your support, whether attending the banquet, placing a journal ad, sponsoring a vendors table, donating a Tricky Tray product or service, or serving as a mentor will have a meaningful and lasting impact on one or your neighbors…right in our community. Your generosity offers opportunity. Thank you for your support.
Leaders Club (Grades 6-12)
Leaders Club offers an environment that promotes self-expression for everyone. Any idea can be accepted and integrated into the club and almost anything can happen!
In addition to meetings, Leaders volunteer at the Westfield Area Y and the community while enjoying each others’ company. Leaders Club is founded upon the following tenets: Personal Challenge, Social Development, Leadership Skill Acquisition, and Service to the Community.
Meetings and activities are planned by E-board, elected representatives chosen by the club to plan meetings, events and community service.
Model UN (Grades 9-12)
The Y’s Model UN program introduces students to the operations and structure of the United Nations, while providing an opportunity to increase awareness of other cultures. Students assume the role of UN delegates and debate current issues which affect the global community.
An annual 3-day General Assembly is held in January in Hershey, PA. There is a Wesfield club (run with Westfield High School) and a Cranford club (run with Cranford High School). Interested students should contact their high school advisers in early September.
Youth and Government
Youth and Government™ is a national program of the Y that involves thousands of teens nationwide in state-organized, model-government programs. Youth and Government™ gives students a voice to debate and express their concerns. Delegates are expected to research various government policies and current state issues and prepare to initiate legislation for their annual 3-day conference at The State House in Trenton in April. Registration is held at the high schools.
Students are given the opportunity to immerse themselves in experiential civic engagement and to, quite literally, practice democracy. Teens from across every state meet in their local Youth and Government™ groups throughout the year to discuss and debate issues that affect citizens of their state and to propose legislation.
The program culminates with teens serving as delegates at a state conference, debating bills on the floor of the legislature.
There is a Westfield club (run with Westfield High School) and a Cranford club (run with Cranford High School).
