Activate America

Millions of Americans want to be healthy and active but struggle to do so. Americans often start exercising and eating nutritious meals, but quickly find themselves tempted and lacking motivation. YMCA Activate America is an innovative wellness initiative that is successfully making healthy living an attainable reality for people of all ages and fitness levels.

Silver Sneakers

The YMCA of Metropolitan Washington has partnered with SilverSneakers to help older adults take greater control of their health and live happy, independent lives. SilverSneakers offers an innovative blend of physical activity, health education and social programs. In addition to SilverSneakers classes, members of SilverSneakers also receive a free basic membership to the YMCA, giving participants access to the Y's wellness centers and aquatics programming

Military Outreach Initiative

The YMCA has partnered with the Department of Defense to address the needs of families of deployed military personnel who live far from a military installation and require access to child development, family strengthening and wellness programming. YMCAs across the United States, including here in the great D.C. region, are in a unique position to provide support and community-based programs for our military families.

Click here to learn more about our Military Outreach Initiative.

PHD (Physical, Health and Driven) - A Wellness Program for Kids

The YMCA's nationally renowned PHD (Physical, Healthy and Driven) program is teaching kids how to stay healthy for life. Using a unique combination of assessment tools, fun games and exercises, nutrition education and family involvement, PHD is helping local children from ages 6-14 get active and be well. PHD was created by the YMCA of Metropolitan Washington to address one of our nation's most pressing epidemics: childhood obesity. Since its launch in 2004, the program has grown to serve nearly 18,000 children every year.

Click here to learn more about PHD.

Youth and Government

The YMCA DC Youth & Government program empowers youth to become ethical leaders and responsible citizens through training in the theory and practice of making public policy. Over the course of a school year, more than 180 student participants from across the city learn invaluable skills that they can use to improve their communities for years to come.

Read more about our DC Youth & Government program.