CEO Update - Spring 2024
As I approach my two-year milestone as CEO of YWCA Metro Vancouver, I am reflecting on how quickly these months have passed. I’m also a bit astonished at what we have accomplished, and by WE I am referring to the YWCA community – employees, board directors, volunteers, donors, partners, health and fitness members, hotel guests and program participants. The people at the heart of our work are courageously driven to make real impact in our communities.
One thing I am particularly proud of is our new Strategic Plan, released this past January. Creating this was truly a collective effort. We spent the better part of last year listening, understanding and revising what would eventually become Forward with Purpose, a five-year plan that asserts three goals for transformational outcomes.
We began with the suggestion, and with permission from the Musqueam Indian Band, to use the guiding principle of nə́c̓aʔmat ct – that we are all one. This teaching expresses both our holistic approach and vision for a just and equitable world. From here, our shared Commitments became clear. They are, broadly: Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility; and more specifically Gender Inclusion; Anti-Racism; Truth and Reconciliation, Decolonization; and a Participant-Centred approach. Collectively, these Commitments guide our decisions for programming, advocacy, resourcing and growth.
As we wrote the Plan, we had input and revisions from employees, our amazing board of directors and an internal working group to ensure their voices were reflected in the final version. Now, we are using Forward with Purpose as the foundation for the exciting and challenging work that is ahead.
As you’ll read in these pages, we are already demonstrating our Commitments through our expanding programs and new initiatives. We are building more deeply affordable housing, providing employment pathways for newcomer healthcare workers, advocating for equitable cities, and exploring our past to move forward in truth and transparency.
Our work feels urgent and necessary. This is why I am so grateful to work alongside everyone who is part of the YWCA community. It is only together that we can progress toward a world that is safe and just for everyone.
Thank you for reading and for your continued partnership.
Erin Seeley
CEO, YWCA Metro Vancouver
