Engage Beyond the Classroom

True to our motto of Learn - Lead - Serve we want to help you reach your full potential and DEVELOP AS A CAUSE-DRIVEN LEADER. Every day is a new opportunity. A new chance to learn, grow and thrive in exciting and different ways. The YMCA Office and YMCA Club take great pride in offering a wide array of YMCA Programs to help you grow personally and professionally.

Even if you are uncertain about your future, take full advantage of our Y program offerings, explore your options, and know the skills that you’ll build through Y Programs are transferable to all professional settings and life.

Check out the numerous ways to connect and engage with Y Programs.

Leadership Development

Unlocking Your Full Potential

At Springfield College, we believe leadership is a shared, evolving process that engages the community in service to effect change. Like the Y, we are dedicated to fostering new generations of changemakers. Our goal through Y programs is to offer a myriad of opportunities for you to develop and grow as a community leader through experiences and reflection.

For us, leadership is not about a title, but rather it is a transformational process. We believe in your potential. By supporting you in community engagement and program involvement, we believe you’ll learn a lot about yourself, effective group work, and leading others. This approach allows you to fully embrace your strengths, pursue curiosities, take risks, and learn from your experiences.

We also offer signature programs, including but not limited to:

Leadership Summit - a 3-day, student-led leadership development experience for emerging leaders on campus which operates under the Y Club.
YMCA Leaders Rally - a weekend-based program for Y Teens across the Northeast wherein Springfield College Y leaders design and deliver ‘values workshops’ at the program and serve as rally advisors for living groups. Our students participate in a Fall and Spring Rally.
Y Leadership Speaker Series - dynamic Y leaders share on-campus lectures to stimulate different perspectives, challenge your thinking, and offer the opportunity to reflect on your personal beliefs/values.

Career Exploration & Job Placement Services

More than job...the Y offers opportunities to learn, grow and thrive!

As shared on www.ymca.net/career-opportunities:

Working at the Y gives you the opportunity to strengthen communities and change lives, including your own. No matter what role you take on at the Y, you’ll show up each day with the satisfaction of knowing your contributions are helping to empower young people, improve health and well-being, and inspire action in your community. Working side by side with diverse leaders with different backgrounds, perspectives and strengths, you’ll discover new ways to connect with your community, find your purpose and fuel your passion every day!

Join Us for a YMCA Career Exploration Visit

Throughout the academic year, the Y Relations Office offers a series of one-day and multi-day programs to expose you to some of the finest Ys in the Northeast. During these visits, you have an opportunity to network with Y professionals, learn about career pathways, and explore how the Y addresses social needs in different communities. There is a saying within the Y community, “if you’ve seen one Y, you’ve seen one Y.” This program is a fun and educational way to broaden your view of the Y’s mission and purpose, as well as, explore how your passions and strengths can shine at the Y.

Bring Your Learning to Life - Explore Y Internships / Professional Experiences

The Office of YMCA Relations can assist you with Y-based internship placements. Whether part of your academic major or a complement to your program, Y internships and/or professional experiences can enrich your learning and offer you the opportunity to:

Explore and clarify your career goals in the field
Gain practical work-related skills through hands-on learning
Deepen your knowledge and increase your competencies as relates to your career aspirations
Prepare for a successful college to career transition.

Make It Count - Connect with Meaningful Y Part-Time / Seasonal Employment

The YMCA Relations team can support you with the part-time and seasonal job search process. Securing a position that is relevant to your career goals is impressive to future employers. Allow us to help you explore local opportunities and/or summer experiences at Ys across the country or around the globe.

Become a Cause-Driven Professional - Discover Full-Time Y Career Opportunities

The YMCA Relations team can provide one-on-one counseling to anyone who is considering a professional position in the Y, or simply wants to learn more. With the support of our Y partners, we also help you find full-time career positions in the Y. Upon graduation, Springfield College students are well-equipped to serve in the Y. The Y’s focus on youth development, healthy living and social responsibility is a great match for many of our college’s academic programs. With 2700 Y’s across the country, the full-time job opportunities and career pathways are vast. Check out: www.ymca.net/career-opportunities for the national vacancy listing of career positions available.

Want to learn more? Contact the Office of YMCA Relations.

Scott Woodaman, Director of YMCA Relations

Email: swoodaman@springfield.edu Phone: (413) 748-3914

Volunteer Service

As the leading nonprofit for youth development, healthy living and social responsibility, the Y is reliant on the volunteer support from the community to succeed. With leadership and service at the core of the college’s mission, we aim to provide rich service experiences to bring our mission to life. Springfield College Y leaders are tapped to engage in a range of projects and programs, within and beyond the Y.

We also offer several signature programs, including but not limited to:

Silver Bay YMCA Family Volunteer Weekend - this is an annual opportunity for students to elevate the capacity of the Y by serving as key program leaders in service to families.
College Access Programs - our students play an essential role in helping plan and facilitate college access programs as we host several Y youth and teen groups each year.
Healthy Kids Day - supporting the Y of Greater Springfield’s participation in this nationwide initiative is important to our students. Each Spring, students organize efforts to support the local Y branches.

YMCA Club

The Y Club is one of over forty student organizations offered on the main campus. The Y Club meets every Monday during the ‘common hour’ (12:00-1:15 pm) and offers a wide array of programs relating to personal and professional development, youth leadership, health and wellness, social justice, diversity and inclusion, global engagement, and volunteer service.

Beyond the weekly program meetings, the Y Club organizes a variety of programs throughout the year. Y Club is open to all students. The club serves as a powerful platform to develop a diverse community of friends, build self confidence, expand your comfort zone and have fun. The club attracts students who are inspired to create positive change in their community - on campus and beyond - through youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility.

Follow the Y Club on instagram

Global Engagement

With YMCAs presence in 119 countries, we cultivate relationships around the globe. By engaging in global programs, you can build your cultural competency, expand your comfort zone, gain advocacy skills, explore different perspectives, learn history from a new lens, examine current events, and deepen your understanding of social issues. The Office of YMCA Relations offers multiple short-term Y-based international programs that are focused on education, leadership and/or service each year. In other cases, our global initiatives are based on campus...challenging you to ‘think globally and act locally.’ Our team can also help you identify Y-based service opportunities abroad.

Some of our current global Y partners and programs include:

YMCA Haiti
YMCA Peru
YMCA Colombia
YMCA England
YMCA France
YMCA International Studies Program
YMCA International Service Program: Homebuilding Project with Y Alumni (retirees)
YMCA World Service
YMCA World Events (i.e. Y175 Global Youth Event, International Conferences)

Professional Development

Springfield College Y leaders are going places. The benefit of participating in these professional development experiences goes far beyond the neat program locations which will quite literally take you around the country, and for some, around the world. These programs offer you the chance to learn side-by-side with Y staff and volunteers, expand your professional network, and enrich your education beyond the classroom through cutting edge workshops and presentations. The Y Relations Office and Y Club promote opportunities to attend Y conferences and trainings - regionally, nationally and internationally. Generous financial assistance/support is provided to make these experiences affordable.

Some signature conference events we support include:

Regional:

YMCA Professional Network (YPN) Northeast Leadership Conference
Regional Emerging Multicultural Leadership Experience (R-EMLE)
Northeast Regional Camp Conference
YMCA Fall Leadership Conference

National:

Emerging Multicultural Leadership Experience (EMLE)
Y Women’s Leadership Conference
Diversity, Inclusion and Global (DIG) Innovation Network Conference
Membership and Program EXPO
General Assembly of YMCAs

International:

Y Global Camp Conference
Y International Conference
Y175 Global Youth Event

If all of this sounds exciting to you,

join our YMCA Professional Studies Program.

Springfield College’s YMCA Professional Program is designed for emerging leaders who are considering a Y career and actively engage in YMCA Programs offered at the college. The program embodies our distinct brand of education which blends academic learning through our Y Studies Minor, leadership and service experiences. We believe that your dedication to an enriched model for learning best prepares you for life after college. Y Professional Studies student leaders gain a well-rounded skill set and unique life experiences that distinguish themselves from others. Our ultimate goal is to help place program participants in professional Y positions upon graduation. Through the Y, you can make a difference for living.

It pays to connect with us.

Y Professional Studies Program students who are committed to the YMCA Professional Studies Program are eligible for financial scholarships based on need. Please connect with the Office of YMCA Relations to learn more about how to join this program.

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Instagram: @sprinfieldcollegey