Y Programs Archives - Page 3 of 7 - South Sound YMCA

Category: Y Programs

SEPTEMBER 9-18 IS WELCOMING WEEK AT THE Y!

What is Welcoming Week?

We believe our communities are stronger when everyone feels welcome, and we work together for the common good. Created by YMCA of the USA’s national partner Welcoming America, Welcoming Week, which takes place each year in September, celebrates the growing movement of communities that fully embrace new Americans and their contributions to the social fabric of our country. It’s a chance for neighbors—both immigrants and U.S.-born residents—to get to know one another and celebrate what unites us as a community! 

From September 9 – September 18, the South Sound YMCA will be joining Y’s all around the nation in demonstrating inclusivity and accessibility to our community through Welcoming Week.  

At our Y, it will consist of a variety of activities, events, and learnings to promote cross-cultural understanding and raise awareness of the benefits of welcoming everyone! Most activities will be woven into the day-to-day happenings at our facilities, ending with a big event on Friday, September 16. 

You can expect special additions to all of your regularly scheduled classes, special activities throughout the week for the kids, and presentations of all types from our community resource partners on September 16th! Don’t miss this valuable community celebration!

EVENTS BY LOCATION

Shelton Family YMCA

Friday 9/9

  • Bachata dance lessons – 5-6pm
  • Free Community Dance – 6-8pm

Saturday 9/10

  • Native American art gallery – 12-5pm

Monday 9/12

  • Volleyball night – 6:30-7:30pm
  • Maraca making activity – 4-7pm

Tuesday 9/13

  • Real Talk: 3-7pm
    • Share your story and experience on what it was like being a newcomer to the states. Stories can be told anonymously by submitting a written account of your experience or can be done live in-person in a safe and supportive environment
    • Anonymous submissions may be emailed to hernandezk@ssymca.net or turned in at the Shelton membership desk
  • Research History Project – Mexico’s independence
  • Facility Tours available in Mum and Spanish – 3-7pm

Wednesday 9/14

  • Spanish Family Movie Night in the gymnasium – Encanto – 5:30-7:30pm

Thursday 9/15

  • Chip and Chat: 3-7pm
    • Meet our personal trainers, swim instructors, and group exercise instructors while trying salsa from Olympia Salsa Company
  • View the history research projects put on by our talented teen leaders club – all day
  • Multicultural story time – 4-7pm

Friday 9/16

  • Resource Fair – 3-7pm

Saturday 9/17

  • Dance Fitness Extravaganza – 11am-1pm
  • Touch a Truck (at Mason County Recreation Area, 2100 E Johns Prairie Rd, Shelton, WA 98584) – 9am-12pm

Sunday 9/18

  • Sugar Skull (Calavera) Display – all day

By Lesli Baker

You may know that dancing can help elevate your mood—but a promising body of scientific research shows that dance has the power to lift our spirits thanks to hormones that are released in our brains when we rhythmically bop our limbs around. Dancing releases dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins, all neurotransmitters and hormones in your brain that are commonly linked with happiness and well-being.  Letting your body flow can also be a therapeutic experience. It can help you release pent up aggression, stress, and even body image issues.  

There are so many wonderful and beneficial reasons to dance! And here at the Y, we have so many Group Exercise classes that give us the benefits that dance has to offer!

  • RIZZMIC – Rizzmic® uses the most beloved music and dance styles from the last century of American culture to create a high intensity dance fitness experience unlike any other. Seamlessly blending fitness with truly stylized dance, Rizzmic® hits each big craze on the map, from Disco and Hip Hop to Country and Jazz! Instructors use the most popular dance styles in every genre from the 1920’s to now, pulling a massive variety of movement into a fun all-American theme. 
  • COMMIT – COMMIT Dance Fitness is a dance experience and so much more! Instructors are committed to creating a fun and healthy experience by combining different genres of music and styles of dance while incorporating essential fitness elements. COMMIT is a dynamic, fun-filled HIIT-style (high-intensity interval training) dance workout. Each routine focuses on essential fitness elements created to a variety of popular music, from all over the world, that will inspire everyone to get moving 
  • NIA – Nia is a sensory-based movement practice that draws from martial arts, dance arts, and healing arts. It empowers people of all shapes and sizes by connecting the body, mind, emotions, and spirit. Classes are taken barefoot to soul-stirring music in more than 45 countries. Nia draws from tai chi, Taekwondo, aikido, jazz dance, modern dance and more! 
  • ZUMBA – Zumba takes the “work” out of workout, by mixing low-intensity and high-intensity moves for an interval-style, calorie-burning dance fitness party. Once the Latin and World rhythms take over, you will see why Zumba® Fitness classes are often called exercise in disguise. A total workout, combining all elements of fitness – cardio, muscle conditioning, balance, and flexibility, boosted energy and a serious dose of awesome each time you leave class. 

Pick YOUR version of joy with a class today  – and join us to get dancing at the Y!