YMCA, McKinsey urge investment in community wellbeing

A World YMCA and McKinsey Health Institute report launched at UNGA 81 argues that community wellbeing and individual wellbeing rise and fall together. The report lays out three practical ways to improve both, as young people face stress, insecurity and weak trust in institutions.

Why it matters: - The report argues that healthier communities can improve personal wellbeing, while stronger personal wellbeing can help communities function better. - The findings land as young people face rising costs, workforce insecurity, climate disruption, geopolitical instability, and strain on health and social support systems. - The report says community conditions shape whether people can meet basic needs, feel safe and belong, and have a real voice in decisions.

What happened: - World YMCA and the McKinsey Health Institute launched Built to Thrive: The case for investing in Community Wellbeing during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. - YMCA and MHI leaders presented the report at events organized by the United Nations Youth Office and the Child Mind Institute. - World YMCA Secretary General Carlos Sanvee said redesigning systems with communities is needed to make wellbeing sustainable. - McKinsey Health Institute Global Executive Director Erica Hutchins Coe said community strength shapes a person’s ability to thrive.

The details: - The report cites three pressures: 4 in 10 adults report “a lot of worry or stress,” 6 in 10 young adults report little or no sense of meaning or purpose, and 8 in 10 young people feel people in power do not care what they have to say. - The report defines three community conditions as essential: basic needs and access, safety and belonging, and genuine participation and agency. - The report says a gap in any one of those conditions affects the others. - The report identifies three ways to strengthen those conditions. - For basic needs and access, the report calls for early help in places people already trust, including gyms, youth centers, hostels and classrooms. - For safety and belonging, the report calls for spaces where people are known, not just counted. - For participation and agency, the report calls for giving young people authority over decisions that affect their communities. - The report includes views from young people across the YMCA Movement. - The report also includes global case studies from YMCA spaces and from other national, regional and international organizations working on collective wellbeing. - UN Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Felipe Paullier said there is no sustainable development without community wellbeing. - Paullier also praised the YMCA for building trust locally and keeping young people at the center of change. - World YMCA says the movement reaches more than 65 million people a year across 120 countries. - World YMCA says it has nearly 90,000 staff, about 920,000 volunteers and 12,000 branches.

Between the lines: - The report frames community wellbeing as a systems problem, not a standalone services problem. - The emphasis on redesigning trusted local spaces suggests the authors want support to reach people before they hit formal crisis systems. - The focus on youth participation signals that trust and agency are treated as core inputs, not side benefits.

What's next: - The report is likely to be used by community groups, governments, policymakers and businesses looking for practical ways to improve wellbeing. - The YMCA and McKinsey Health Institute are positioning the report as a call for broader investment in community-based support, research and design. - The case studies may give other organizations a template for applying the same approach in local settings.

The bottom line: - The report argues that investing in community conditions is one of the most direct ways to strengthen both individual wellbeing and social resilience.