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Padare: Global Virtual Roundtables
I would like to invite you personally to register for World YMCA’s upcoming Virtual Roundtables “Padare” series.
The unfolding COVID-19 has caused not just profound and immediate crisis and disruption, but also response and innovation within the YMCA, and across the communities we serve globally. In the past few months, we have collectively witnessed the onset of the Next Normal: a period of new and immense uncertainties.
This next normal is requiring us to make adjustments to our lives in ways that are uncomfortable and hasn’t been experienced on a similar scale by most of us. In these unprecedented circumstances, our best response is to summon the greatest reserve we have – our collective selves and our collective wisdom.
As you know, our intent is to journey this path together, however, we also acknowledge the fears of many of our leaders, the pain, the hurt and the anxiety generated by COVID-19. We also acknowledge that while our YMCAs are different and at different stages of resilience, that nevertheless, the pain and uncertainties caused by COVID-19 are felt by us all.
These sessions are designed to assist YMCAs across the globe navigate through the crisis, and is part of our Resilience Recovery Reimagining roadmap.
Padare: Global Virtual Roundtables
In ancient Zimbabwe, wisdom and counsel were shared in special meeting forums christened “Padare” (pronounced Pa.da.ray). Typically, Padares consisted of leaders gathered round a tree, openly sharing from their own wisdom and experience and patiently receiving from the wisdom of other participants. Padares promoted equity, of both ideas and participants; and this was indicative of how the participants sat – in a circle gathered around the safety and humbling providence of the tall tree. The shared equity of the Padare participants was the very essence of Ubuntu, the African philosophy that emphasizes the belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity. Our mission is to create ‘virtual’ circles of YMCA leaders and partners congregating around thematic areas of work that drive our collective passion.
Through these Padares, we will share with each other the wisdom of our experience, learnings and knowledge to co-create a new and sustainable normal for our YMCAs. Each Padare will contain 15-20 people, require a commitment of 3-4 hours (in total), and be held during the month of July (commencing from 7 July). The three key themes will be:
1. Young People. How can the YMCA become a relevant and trusted partner for young people, helping build their own and their communities' resilience in the face of global crisis (current COVID-19 and future crises?)
2. Financial Recovery. How can we build a financially sustainable economic recovery for the YMCA from the COVID-19 crisis?
3. Adaptive YMCA. What does an adaptive YMCA look like?
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