Cert. no 9701
ISO 9001
Community Projects
YMCAfit is part of Central YMCA, the leading Activity for Health charity whose mission is to change health attitudes and behaviour through advocacy, education and direct delivery. YMCAfit’s contribution to this is to educate individuals of the benefits of physical activity to mental, physical and social health; to empower them to improve the health of their wider communities and to promote their health through increasing their chances of employment.
We design specific projects to address inequalities and increase participation in the fitness industry. In the past we have successfully targeted programmes at Black and Minority Ethnic women, unemployed individuals, disabled people, those living with HIV, those living in areas of deprivation and individuals with mental illness.
Getting Black and Minority Ethnic Women Employed within the Health and Fitness Sector
Award winning projects include the ‘Getting Black and Minority Ethnic Women Employed within the Health and Fitness Sector', funded by the London Development Agency and European Social Fund. This project tackled the massive under-representation of Black and Minority Ethnic women in the fitness industry in London. As well as offering a career path to unemployed women in London with a passion for fitness, the training scheme was specifically designed to be sensitive to, and supportive of, participants’ cultural, personal and heritage needs.
More than 150 women completed the programme, leading to a nationally recognised qualification either as Gym or Studio Instructor. They each also received help in finding a job in fitness, leisure, health and community activities.
