By Elizabeth King
Social Responsibilty Manager of the YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit
The holiday season is upon us and for many that means Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Christmas shopping, all in the name of giving of course. What you may be less familiar with is #GivingTuesday. #GivingTuesday was founded in 2012 by the 92nd Street Y in New York in partnership with the United Nations Foundation. Over the past three years #GivingTuesday has grown into a social media movement dedicated to giving back and making a difference.
This year, the YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit is participating in #GivingTuesday in order to counter summer learning loss. Every year, thousands of children go back to school disadvantaged due to the lack of summer learning opportunities. By the time low-income children reach 5th grade, they will be 2-3 years behind their middle income peers in math and reading skills. As a result, low-income children are less likely to graduate from high school or enter college. The YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit is working to close the gap and reverse the trend of summer learning loss through the region by incorporating educational programing into all of our summer day camps. Field trips are used as springboards for writing assignments, group discussions and art projects that are fun yet educational. Children are taught in a hands on way that inspires their curiosity and love of learning.
Our #GivingTuesday challenge begins on November 24th and lasts until January 7st. Help us make a difference in your community by joining our fundraising team or sponsoring educational camp opportunities for a child. To participate in #GivingTuesday and to #GiveSummerLearning go to www.crowdrise.com/YimGivingTuesday. Share your impact using the hashtags #YimGivingTuesday and #SummerLearning. Check your Y’s lobby for the #YimGivingTuesday photo frame, and have fun helping us spread the word!