Briefly in English

YMCA Turku

Activities for the young : scouts, activities for families, leadership training, camps, climbing and other outdoor activities, adventure education etc.

With us  youngsters have the opportunity to meet friends, develop their own skills and interests in a positive way in a safe environment on their freetime.

Physical activities include basketball, orienteering, snorkling and scuba diving and our own gym, Kuntokämppä.   Basketball is the biggest and best known YMCA sport is divided into competitive and non-competitive basketball.

Non-competitive sports offer anyone  a low-threshold, easily accessible chance to exercise and develop yourself , whereas competitive sports are more goal-oriented and organized.

In the music sector we have three choirs Aino-kuoro ( female choir), Mieskuoro Naskalit ( male choir) and Seniorikuoro ( a male choir for seniors) and we also offer both private and group tuition in singing, playing the piano, violin, flute  and guitar  as well as band instruments.

Social work.   In our work we also meet people who have fallen out of the reach of the ordinary service networks and who are in the need of help, support and /or guidance. For these people we have  MAHKU – guidance services for immigrants to help social integration, TOIVO – a low-threshold meeting place for young adults and BSM –our supported living programme.

We answer to  the special needs of the young  in the society by organizing street mediation, low-threshold physical activities such as Yökoris ( easily accessible street basket at night) and anti-bullying programmes (especially in schools).

In cooperation with the Evangelical Lutheran Parish Union we organize confirmation schools annually.

HARVA – our own island & outdoor center in Turku archipelago is a unique venue for camps, adventure education  and  different outdoor activities. It is also suitable for school camps, meetings, in-service training days and recreational activities.

NMKY – YMCA is an international non-political youth organization, the biggest in the world.

The symbol of the YMCA is a red equilateral triangle – it is a symbol of balance and harmony, and the three sides of the triangle stand for BODY, SOUL AND MIND. That is also the base of all our activities, all these three elements are equally important for the development and well-being of a balanced person, young or old.

YMCA Turku enables approximately 50 000 encounters between children, youngsters and adults each year.

Welcome onboard!

 

Our strategy

Young people  empowered by the YMCA – heroes of their own lives!

This is what we base our work on/ Our cornerstones – the foundation of our organization

• Our promise to meet you, see you, hear you
• Responsibility
• Providing a life-long community to belong to
• Professional, trained staff
• A healthy community
• Raising awareness about environmental issues and sustainability

This is what we consider important:

• Sense of community
• Mercifulness
• Quality
• Health and well-being of body soul and mind
• A great atmosphere
• taking care of people and the environment

This is how we do it

1. Showing youngsters they are seen and heard

We meet each person as an individual with their special qualities and needs. We promote the mental well-being of our youth.

2. Helping youngsters become active

We make opportunities visible for the young and help them find their own ways of being active and participating in different fields of life according to their own resources and capabilities.

We guide the young according to our shared values and show them how to create their own set of values to build their life on.

3. Being humane and involved

We are a safe community and a support network where everyone can feel they are part of something bigger. We bring together young people from different backgrounds and situations, all walks of life . We strengthen the cooperation between different groups and actors.

4. Reacting promptly to changing needs

We follow closely what is going on in our society and in the world and react to changes in our operating environment. We evaluate, develop and adjust our activities accordingly.