[October 11, 2013]

YMCA of Greater New York Launches "Path to College" Storytelling Campaign to Inspire NYC Kids to Pursue Higher Education

The YMCA of Greater New York has launched the Path to College, a unique online storytelling campaign to motivate and inspire NYC teens with stories about how Y friends and members found their way to higher education. As part of this initiative, the first 1,000 people to contribute their stories to the website will receive a limited-edition, vintage-looking YMCA t-shirt. In addition, for each submitted Path to College story, the Y's Board of Directors will donate $10-up to $10,000-to support the organization's mission-critical youth development and college readiness programs including: Y Scholars, Leaders Club, Teens Take the City, Youth & Government, Counselors in Training, and Y Global Teens.

According to the 2013 YMCA Youth Outlook Survey, NYC teens who are involvedwith the Y feel more optimistic about their future and have greater educational aspirations than their peers. (Photo: Business Wire)

"The YMCA believes in the power of storytelling as an inspirational and educational tool," said Jack Lund, President and CEO of the YMCA of Greater New York. "For many of today's young people, the prospect of college isn't on the radar screen and isn't something that's discussed at home. That's where the Y comes in. We can help motivate our City's teens by sharing personal stories of how we found our way to college and beyond. We're pleased to invite New Yorkers everywhere to tell us their stories of higher education, and we're especially grateful to our Board for incorporating a fundraising component into this campaign."

YMCA members and non-members alike are invited to visit the website and share their stories of higher education using this simple digital form: http://www.ymcanyc.org/association/path-to-college.

Nielsen Study Finds Y Kids Dream Bigger & Do Better!

According to the 2013 YMCA Youth Outlook Survey - conducted by Nielsen and administered across the five boroughs to 500 youth currently enrolled in Y programs and 500 non-Y respondents - NYC teens who are involved with the Y have greater academic aspirations than their peers. According to the survey, teens who participate in Y programs are more likely to research colleges, take the SAT, apply to college, and get accepted to college than non-YMCA participants. Among the survey's key findings:

• 52 percent of Y respondents reported being optimistic about the future compared to 47 percent of non-Y respondents, with 57 percent of Y respondents feeling they see many opportunities for the future compared with 49 percent of non-Y respondents.
• 71 percent of Y respondents have talked to their parents about college compared with 61 percent of their non-Y counterparts, and 65 percent of Y respondents have researched colleges vs. 55 percent of non-Y respondents.

The 2013 YMCA Youth Outlook Survey can be downloaded in its entirety at: http://b.3cdn.net/ymcanewyork/a6fe516a4a006f7446_12m6b1657.pdf.

About the YMCA of Greater New York

The YMCA of Greater New York is, and always will be, dedicated to building healthy, confident, connected and secure children, adults, families and communities. With a focus on youth development, healthy living and social responsibility, the Y nurtures the potential of every youth and teen, improves New York City's health and well-being and provides opportunities to give back and support neighbors. In scores of neighborhoods across the five boroughs and its camp upstate, the Y makes accessible the support and opportunities that empower more than 400,000 New Yorkers to learn, grow and thrive. Visit www.ymcanyc.org.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20131011005599/en/

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