Become a Civic Health Champion
Any middle or high school educator (or YMCA Staff/Volunteer) can become a certified YMCA Civic Health Champion who works to assess and strengthen the civic health of their schools by offering the Youth and Government program to their students.
Once certified, champions are eligible to request Civic Health Funding once per school year, which can be used to support their Youth and Government delegation.
The two-step certification process involves submitting the form below and scheduling a short consultation with our Civic Health Advisor, who will reach out with more information:
To renew your certification and remain eligible for civic health funding each year, champions must complete the following three activities annually:
- Civic Health Goals
- Youth Civic Health Survey
- Civic Health Report
Questions about the certification process? Reach out to our Civic Health Advisor at jamie@ymcayag.org.
Civic Health Goals
Each year, Civic Health Champions are asked to share their annual Civic Health Goals on two critical objectives:
1. Delegation Representation
How can you work to ensure that your Youth and Government delegation represent the different dimensions of diversity within your student community? What strategies would you like to explore to increase accessibility, inclusion, and overall participation?
2. Delegation Impact
How can you best utilize your Youth and Government delegation to improve the overall civic health of your school? What strategies would you like to explore to strengthen the civic health of your non-participating students as well as your fellow faculty and school administration?
Our Civic Health Advisor is available throughout the year to support champions as they make progress on their goals.
Youth Civic Health Survey
In addition to their annual goals and report, champions also facilitate their school’s participation in the YMCA Youth Civic Health Survey.
Once a champion has completed the certification process, their school(s) will be added to the list of schools for their state on the survey form, and they can begin administering the survey.
Each champion will administer the survey using our online portal to:
- Participants in their Youth and Government Delegation, following the conclusion of their state conference(s).
- A sample size of their school’s overall student body (~100 students), prior to submitting their end-of-year report.
If any administrators or parents/guardians have additional questions about their school’s participation in the survey, please share the survey resources below:
- Letter to School Administrators (PDF)
- Letter to Parents/Families (PDF)
- Youth Civic Health Survey Indicators (PDF)
Civic Health Report
Finally, after administering the survey to their delegation and student body, champions submit their end-of-year Civic Health Report detailing their progress on their annual goals and any lessons learned to take into consideration for the future. The report serves as the final step for champions to retain the certification each year.
Civic Health Funding
All certified champions are eligible to request Civic Health Funding once per school year. This funding can be used to support their Youth and Government delegations, with flexibility to meet the specific needs of their school or community.
Requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by both our Youth and Government state programs as well as YMCA of the USA, with priorities placed on first-year delegations/champions, underrepresented or high-need communities, and unique or innovative strategies.
Champion Recognitions
After completing their first year of certification, all champions will receive an official YMCA Civic Health Champion certificate from the YMCA of the USA. Every year that champions renew their certification and complete their annual activities, they will receive additional incentives as a recognition of their continued service.