Outreach
Restore Ministries of the YMCA
Restore is a life-changing ministry of the YMCA. Since January 2000, over 5,000 adults from all walks of life have turned to Restore for help. Many people who come to us simply feel their life is out of balance – that something is missing. Others have serious issues they want to tackle. The miracle of Restore groups is that the programs work regardless of the issue. Restore Ministries is committed to being available to all, regardless of income. Sliding scale fees based on household income are available. Please visit www.restoreymca.org for more information or call 565-6278.
Y-CAP
Healing Hearts, Changing Lives
The YMCA Community Action Project, or Y-CAP, is a YMCA center dedicated to serving at-risk youth in East Nashville one heart, one mind and one spirit at a time.
Y-CAP programs are guided by the YMCA's core character values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility. At-risk children who come to Y-CAP are held accountable for their actions. In return, they receive a long-term commitment from caring staff members and volunteers dedicated to helping them learn from their past mistakes and supporting them as they learn to grow in spirit, mind and body.
Y-CAP was formed as its own center in 1992 on the belief that the real solutions to the problems facing at-risk youth can only come through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Lives are changed, hearts are healed and families are restored only when kids and families come to discover God's love and plan for their lives.
The end result is a group of programs that change lives from the inside out, and builds a community of strong kids and strong families of which we can all be proud.
The Youth Development Center provides holistic programs, targeting youth between the ages of 10-18, including youth residing in several of Nashville's public housing communities. Over 2,000 youth participate in the various programs that offer academic assistance, leadership development, recreation, character building and friendship. We strive to help our youth reach new heights through positive opportunities for growth. The Youth Development programs include:
· Time to Rise, an academically based year-round program that is designed to help at-risk youth increase their life chances through academic excellence, the development of sound character and cultural exposure. Time to Rise targets students from grades 5-8 who demonstrate academic potential, maintain good school attendance and live in at-risk communities.
· Buffalo Soldiers and Lil' Sisters. Rites of passage and teen pregnancy prevention are the focus of these programs. Topics include self-esteem, AIDS/HIV prevention and other social activities. Both offer gender specific programming and mentoring in group settings.
· The Bridge program selects rising 7th -9th graders from inner-city Nashville schools who are academically advanced and/or have good leadership potential. Youth commit to a three-year summer syllabus of intensive academic and self-enhancement exposure. For five weeks each summer, selected area high school students from across the US, will serve as teachers.
· Black Achievers is designed to encourage and motivate youth to make positive social, educational, career and personal goals through mentoring, hands-on activities, educational and career tours. Participants choose from business, engineering, education and social service, law/government, communications, computer technology and health care.
· Hispanic Achievers
· SEAL TEAM (Students Educating Active Leaders) targets 9th - 12th graders. The SEAL Team utilizes the students as peer educators for younger youth, college students and even adults. The program teaches HIV/AIDS/STD prevention and healthy decision making skills. The youth receive coaching on presentation and facilitation skills to share information with peers and the community.
Tennessee YMCA Youth in Government -- www.tennesseeyig.org
Offers teenagers an exciting glimpse into the world of politics. All of these programs help to build a student's self-confidence and leadership skills.
• Model United Nations conferences bring together thousands of teens from across the state to debate international issues.
• Youth Legislature gives hundreds of high school and middle school students a look into Tennessee State Government.
• High School Christian Values Conference, held in Black Mountain, North Carolina, gathers teens from all across the US to develop a stronger sense of self-worth, a deeper insight into their value system and a stronger sense of Christian commitment.
Student Y works with area colleges and universities to involve students with the community and with other organizations, including the YMCA. Students gain a "real world" education to augment their work in the classroom, while at the same time serving the community as tutors, coaches, mentors and participants in the world outside their campus.
Y-BUILD is a 12-month career development program designed to provide construction skills training for young adults between the ages of 18-24.(ybuildnashville.tripod.com)
The Preston Taylor Boys & Girls Club/YMCA Youth Development Center is a unique partnership that helps children to grow stronger in spirit, mind and body during the crucial after-school and summertime hours. The center is located at McKissack Middle School, just down the hill from Tennessee State University's main campus in Nashville. More details about this life-changing ministry of the YMCA.
