It is our belief that no child, individual, family or school should be turned away due to an inability to pay. We will work individually with each school to ensure the Sherman Lake YMCA Camp experience is accessible to all.

Diversity and inclusion training is an integral part of both full-time and seasonal staff training. During our interview process, all applicants are asked about inclusion and how they feel they can make Sherman Lake Y more inclusive. Our camp training evolves every season to address the most pressing topics, to build upon past training for returning staff, and to incorporate learnings from the previous season. During staff training, topics such as privilege, sensory inclusion, implicit bias, and conflict resolution are explored broadly and then applied to real-life camp scenarios.

Safety is always our number one priority. We don’t just strive for children to be safe while at Sherman Lake YMCA, but outside in the real world. That is why all of our staff are not only nationally background checked, but all staff that work with children are mandatory reporters and are trained on appropriate boundaries with children. Every policy and rule we have is made to create and teach about healthy and safe relationships. It’s up to all of us adults to prevent abuse and create a safe environment.

As a caregiver and a safe adult for your children and/or campers, here are some helpful tools for you to use year-round to help teach children how to stay safe.

Teach your child about their body, with proper body part names. This will allow them to correct words when they need to tell someone anything about an injury or rash or other problems.

Teach about appropriate physical touch. Children understand when rules are about safety, such as no hitting or wearing your seatbelt. Add rules about physical contact to include “never let other people touch your private parts.”

Teach your child consent. Their body is their own and they have the right to say no to any contact, even something simple like a high five or a hug.

Teach your child what to do if someone breaks the rules about touching them. They should know what to say to that person, to move away, and to tell a safe adult.

Teach your child to tell you or another safe adult if someone breaks a rule about touching them. Tell them to keep telling someone until someone responds and does something about it.

If you sense something is wrong - you see a sudden change in behavior or hear unusual comments - here are ways you can talk to any child in your life. Find a relaxed time to talk one on one. If they tell you about something inappropriate, ask for an example or for more details without leading questions. If the actions were inappropriate, but not actual abuse, make sure to talk to the teacher or adult in charge to ensure corrections are made.

If a child discloses abuse, how you respond plays a big role. Follow these steps to help.

Listen. Stay calm and let them talk. Ask minimal questions that will allow you to understand what happened without leading.

Reassure. They may be confused, angry, and scared. Use a few simple comments like “I know this is hard to talk about, you are very brave for bringing this up.” “You are doing the right thing by letting someone know.” “This isn’t your fault.” “I’m very sorry this happened to you.”

Protect. Make sure they’re safe and do not let the accused person have any further contact with them.

Report. Write down everything they shared, in as much detail as possible using their actual words, not your own interpretation. Report concerns or abuse to your local police department.

As mentioned before, the safety of the children at Sherman Lake YMCA is our number one priority. In the event that a staff member believes a form of abuse has happened, they will communicate it directly to their supervisor. The situation will be reported as required by mandatory reporters and the CEO will be the lead staff member in charge.

Inclusive Environment

Sherman Lake YMCA strives to create an environment of belonging where everyone is able to participate as their authentic self. We work collaboratively each school to ensure that all students are welcomed and respected for who they are.

We believe every individual possesses special values intrinsic to their humanity and is worthy of respect simply because they are a human being. We strive to understand, nurture, and celebrate this value in each other and create a culture of belonging in all of our programs.

Kulture City

Sherman Lake YMCA has partnered with KultureCity, a non-profit organization recognized throughout the nation for utilizing its resources to revolutionize and effect change in the community for individuals with sensory needs or those with invisible disabilities. We’re very proud to be the first YMCA to partner with them.

Our certification with KultureCity includes staff training on recognizing sensory needs and how to handle sensory overload situations. We are also equipped with sensory bags that have various tools to help campers deal with sensory overload and engage with others. Prior to Camp, families are encouraged look at our social story to help prepare, either through the Kulture City app or website, at https://venue.kulturecity.org/venues/sherman-lake-ymca.