Our Commitment to Inclusion:

The Y is made up of people of all ages and from every walk of life working side by side to strengthen communities. Together we work to ensure that everyone, regardless of ability, age, cultural background, ethnicity, faith, gender, gender identity, ideology, income, national origin, race or sexual orientation, has the opportunity to reach their full potential with dignity. Our core values are caring, honesty, respect and responsibility—they guide everything we do.

For All

For all is a simple but powerful phrase. Without it, the Y mission is incomplete. Our commitment to inclusion creates better communities, a better country and a better world.

We know that the key to effectively empowering young people to reach their full potential, improving individual and community well-being, and inspiring action in our communities is a passionate, experienced and diverse array of staff, volunteers and members who value what everyone brings to the table. Working in 10,000 U.S. communities and more than 120 countries worldwide makes strong diversity and inclusion practices paramount for the Y.

This means:

  • Recognizing that a diverse and inclusive organization is foundational to developing and engaging everyone across the entire Y spectrum. Our volunteers, members, program participants, families, leaders, staff, vendors, suppliers, donors, collaborators and the community at large all contribute to our efforts to make positive, lasting personal and social change.
  • Believing we all benefit from the unique talents of our diverse staff. We encourage our 20,000+ Y staff to participate in our six national Employee Resource Groups, which offer opportunities to contribute, learn, network and share experiences as they progress in their careers.
  • Having a supplier diversity program that seeks out talented minority and women-owned contractors and service providers.
  • Offering Y staff and volunteers professional development and training programs that build key competencies to welcome, engage, serve and advocate for all segments of society.

We are passionate about strengthening communities and know that our ability to achieve it begins with reflecting and partnering with people from all walks of life.