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Shaping the Future of Civil Society: Reflections from the YMCA Accelerator Summit

Source By Myriam Ciza Gambini and Eva Gondor
1 day ago

In October, Myriam Ciza Gambini and Eva Gondor, had the opportunity to contribute to, and participate in the YMCA Accelerator Summit, taking place in Mombasa, Kenya. The Summit brought together over 450 people from 60 countries and aimed to accelerate YMCA’s Vision 2030, which serves as a roadmap for YMCA’s strategic objectives, aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Like many of its peers, YMCA is grappling with existential questions about its future and relevance in the civil society landscape. This event marked the first of its kind for YMCA, designed to create spaces for exchange, discussion, and collaboration within the movement. The Summit gathered YMCA delegates, international and local civil society partners, and private sector stakeholders to address key issues such as sustainability, youth employment, partnerships for impact as well as racial and youth justice.

Exploring Strategic Foresight: Anticipating Possible Futures

At the Summit, we facilitated a foresight workshop based on our recently published “Toolkit for tomorrow: Anticipating civil society futures,” exploring how to prepare for and shape possible futures. The session aimed to help participants understand the value of futures thinking and foresight, craft possible future scenarios, and identify practical actions to address them. Futures thinking invites us to imagine a range of possible futures, enabling us to anticipate upcoming changes and better prepare for them today. Strategic foresight takes this a step further by using these future possibilities to guide decision-making and planning. During the workshop, participants explored trends affecting the civil society landscape, identifying growing inequality and climate injustice as key issues likely to have a significant impact by 2030. They then developed future scenarios that reflected the interplay of these two trends. By the end of the session, participants outlined actions to address these scenarios, such as strengthening advocacy efforts, working more closely with local communities, and prioritising long-term goals over short-term gains. After the workshop, several attendees expressed an interest in experimenting further with futures thinking.

Powershift in the Agenda for a Just World

In addition, Myriam Ciza Gambini took part in the plenary panel “Powershift in the Agenda for a Just World,” alongside Sunita Suna, Executive Secretary for Programs, Asia and Pacific Alliance of YMCAs and Mathias Shipeta, Rapid Response Officer at Haki Africa. The discussion focused on power dynamics in the sector, viewed through a Global North-South lens as well as a gender-inclusive, human rights perspective. Panellists explored how to foster an enabling environment for power shift, the role of citizen activism in changing the power hierarchy, and the opportunities it presents for social impact leaders. The panel was followed by a deep-dive session with the audience, discussing how organisations like YMCA can address internal power dynamics and contribute to a paradigm shift in the sector.

Final Thoughts: Strengthening Ecosystems

Throughout the week, discussions also centred on how to connect grassroots initiatives and local partners with global movements in a meaningful and non-extractive way, fostering ecosystem strengthening. Several sessions explored how governance still represents a key challenge in ensuring the adequate representation of the communities that organisations like YMCA serve. It was inspiring to learn about their efforts to diversify boards and decision-making bodies. The Summit gave us a unique opportunity to witness the scope and influence of the global YMCA movement. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with YMCA in their mission to empower communities and young people worldwide, building a just, sustainable, and inclusive future.