Youth Advocacy

For anyone that knows Alisha Reynolds Welch, a longtime member of the William G. White YMCA in Winston-Salem, it’s no surprise that she was just one of 21 youth leaders selected to serve on Y-USA’s Youth Advisory Council (YAC) this year. 

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The NC Pandemic Recovery Office (NCPRO) recently visited the Adrian L. Shuford Jr.

“In a world that currently feels divisive and politically polarizing, the Y is preparing tomorrow’s civic leaders to respectfully collaborate in powerful solutions-focused conversations through the

“YAG has changed my public speaking and drive for advocacy!” Those are the words of one North Carolina Youth & Government participant, but that sentiment is common among participants, according to Amber McClure, State Director for Youth & Government and Director of Tee

Highschoolers Israel James and Ke’Sondra Pickett headed to Washington in June for the annual YMCA Youth Governors Conference. They represented the Harrison Family Y in Rocky Mount as one of the 46 Amazon Changemakers teams traveling to D.C. to present their Changemakers project, RISE (Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence), which focuses on adult male mentoring. 

In November 2019, 15 students from the Parkland High School Youth & Government delegation in Winston-Salem conducted a walk audit around their high school to assess how safe it is to walk or bike to their school and in the surrounding community, and to share their findings and recommendations with local policymakers.