Door County YMCA Puts ‘Character Development Learning Institute’ into Practice

(Left to right) Aquatics Director Mike McHugh, swimmers Daylia and Reese Sund, member/volunteer/instructor/mom Heather Haese, and Dr. Tasha Nicole Johnson at the annual YMCA community breakfast Feb. 14. Photo by Amy Gamble.

“If not you now, when? And if not you, who?” These questions were posed by Dr. Tasha Nicole Johnson to a captive audience at the YMCA annual Community Breakfast, held Feb. 14 at Stone Harbor Resort. Dr. Johnson, Senior Director for the Character Development Learning Institute (CDLI) for the YMCA of the USA, raised these questions as a reminder that it is the responsibility of every adult in our community to cultivate and invest in the youth population. The Door County YMCA is one of 32 YMCAs across the nation to receive grant awards totaling $58,000 to support putting the CDLI into practice through youth sports and aquatics programs.

The CDLI program has been carefully guided by the YMCA staff members who comprise the implementation team, charged with training staff, addressing culture with youth, and infusing character development throughout the entire organization. For example, the Sturgeon Bay Carla and Ellsworth Peterson Aquatics Center has been transformed by murals that display more than 100 different attributes which our youth and adult participants believe contribute to character.

“This process has been comprehensive and turns a seemingly simple after school swim practice into an opportunity for adults and youth to work together on team building, goal setting, and personal development. Youth affiliated with our swim program have been working with instructors, parents, and teammates to develop a Goal Book that addresses different areas of focus including sleep habits, nutrition, responsibility, empathy, emotion management, and relationship building. This Goal Book ensures that swimmers continue to be ‘100 percent in’ when it comes to achieving their goals,” said Aquatics Director Mike McHugh.