Johnstown YMCA developing strategic plan
Jan. 21—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — The Greater Johnstown Community YMCA has spent this week soliciting input from different groups of people as part of a process to develop a new strategic plan for the organization.
Older adults, families, business leaders, government officials, faith leaders, families, nonprofit representatives and school district officials have participated in hour-long virtual meetings. YMCA leaders will use suggestions from the conversations when setting future goals.
"Our hope here is that, in the next couple of months, we will be able to finish a strategic plan to guide us through the next two years," said Shawn Sebring, CEO of the Greater Johnstown Community YMCA. "We don't feel that planning beyond two years at this point makes a lot of sense, so we know that we'll have to get right back into the planning process before too long.
"It's taking a lot longer to get away from COVID than anybody, I think, really anticipated, so I think it's silly to anticipate planning beyond two years."
All participants in the different meetings were presented the same five questions dealing with the perception of the YMCA, its role in the self-described "Johnstown Renaissance" movement, youth development, community needs and how the YMCA could serve differently.
Melanie Roth, a consultant with the Pennsylvania State Alliance of YMCAs, facilitated the conversations. Sebring did not participate because, as he explained, the local YMCA was "asking for true transparency."
"We want to know what's good, what's bad, what's questionable," he said.
