YMCA Becoming Just The ‘Y’
The national YMCA office announced several weeks ago that it is shedding several letters off its name and officially branding itself as the “Y.”
The first branch in El Paso to get the new sign is the one in Northeast. It was unveiled during a renaming ceremony Thursday into the Bowling Family Y of El Paso.
It isn’t just about dropping a few letters off a sign. Kevin Pearson, president and CEO of YMCA of El Paso, said this is a time to refocus on the mission of the organization. It is the first time in 43 years the YMCA has unveiled a new brand strategy to increase understanding of the impact the nonprofit makes in communities.
“Instead of just saying ‘youth programs’ we’re going to talk about youth development. Instead of fitness, we’re going to talk about healthy living,” Pearson said.
The national office of the Y is giving all its branches five years to make the transition. Pearson said all El Paso branches should have the new signage within a year.
The new brand strategy came about after more than two years of analysis and research.
As part of the Y?s assessment of community need, the organization surveyed a cross section of Americans to learn more about the most pressing issues and challenges facing their communities today. Among the key findings of The Y Community Snapshot ?56 percent of Americans are strongly satisfied with their own lives today, while 66 percent say the current quality of life in their community is worse than it was a year ago. When asked about what the future holds for quality of life in their community, Americans were divided ? 51 percent were optimistic about the future while 49 percent were not.
