Embedding Connectedness into the Mission

The community institutions most likely to generate genuine cross-class connections are those that bring people together around shared interests. These are the gathering places where people can get to know one another through a pick-up game of basketball, a fitness class, or swim lessons. The YMCA is creating this kind of space by making relationship-building a key part of their programmatic goals.

When the YMCA of the Triangle Area in North Carolina decided to open a new facility in Southeast Raleigh, they realized the community needed more than the usual Y programs. Raleigh overall is economically diverse. However, gentrification coupled with racial discrimination led to wealth being concentrated in some neighborhoods but not others. To address this disparity, the YMCA picked the disinvested area of the Rock Quarry Road Corridor to build a new fitness center and outdoor pool. They also constructed an elementary school, community gardens, and other commercial space nearby. Recognizing that affordable housing was also a major need in the community, the Y worked with a local partner to begin building housing units on the site. 

This development was designed to attract investors and people from all parts of Raleigh. Dexter Hebert, the Y’s executive director, has also created programs like cooking and gardening classes and swimming lessons in heated outdoor pools that are only offered at the Southeast Raleigh Y. According to Hebert, “Get people into proximity, then they get involved, and involvement leads to relationships. Relationships lead to empathy.”

At a time of increased divisions, YMCA leaders like Hebert have intentionally used their facilities as a bridgebuilder across racial and socioeconomic lines.  The YMCA in Southeast Raleigh illustrates how equity-minded community development combined with program and activity design can lead to economic connectedness. These cross-class relationships can open the doors to new opportunities and resources for those in neighborhoods struggling economically. 

Learn more about the Southeast Raleigh YMCA and the national Y’s bridgebuilding efforts.