YMCA of the USA Awards High School Teams up to $5,000 to Lead Change in Their Local Communities

CHICAGO, June 23, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- YMCA of the USA (Y-USA), the national resource office for the 2,600+ YMCAs across the country, is excited to announce the winners of the 2026 YMCA Changemakers Summit. Now in its fifth year, the summit offers rising 10^th–12^th graders the opportunity to propose a project that addresses a critical issue or need in their communities. Four winning teams received $5,000 and four finalist teams received $1,500 to implement their project in their community.

The summit took place June 16-18 in Charlotte, NC. Out of the 80 teams who participated, four teams were chosen by their peers as winners and four teams as finalists. The awarded students and their projects are:

Winners: Vote16NJ - Anna H. and Noah E. ($5,000 – River Crossing YMCA, NJ)

YMCA of the USA Director of Teen Strategy, E Mitchell, congratulates 2026 Changemakers Summit winners Anna H. and Noah E. (River Crossing YMCA, NJ) wh

Winners: Readers Club - Dawn C. and Azekiel M., ($5,000 – YMCA of the Virginia Peninsulas, VA)

YMCA of the USA Director of Teen Strategy, E Mitchell, congratulates 2026 Changemakers Summit winners Dawn C. and Azekiel M. (YMCA of the Virginia Pen

Winners: Building Leaders Using Experience (B.L.U.E.) - Teagan M. and Catherine C. ($5,000 – State YMCA of Philadelphia, PA)

YMCA of the USA Director of Teen Strategy, E Mitchell, congratulates 2026 Changemakers Summit winners Teagan M. and Catherine C. (State YMCA of Philad

Winners: BAYOU: Building a Youth-Led Organic Upgrade - Swapneil B. and Peter H. ($5,000 – YMCA of Greater Houston, TX)

YMCA of the USA Director of Teen Strategy, E Mitchell, congratulates 2026 Changemakers Summit winners Swapneil B. and Peter H. (YMCA of Greater Housto

Finalists: Recycle My Battery: Youth-Led Battery Recycling for Communities – Sri Nihal T. and Saadhana D. (YMCA of the Jersey Shore, NJ)
Finalists: SoFlo Academy of the Arts – Nina G. and Austen S. (Florida State Alliance of YMCAs, FL)
Finalists: Verity – Charan N. and Prisha T. (YMCA of Greenville, SC)
Finalists: Plain Policy – Leah M. and Rahel Y. (YMCA of San Francisco, CA)

Finalists Group Picture

YMCA Changemakers projects are completely youth-led. Each year, participating students select an issue based on the needs of their local community and craft a proposal to address it. Past proposals have focused on topics such as loneliness, youth mental health, period poverty, tech/AI, addressing hunger, environmental protection efforts, and more.

The Changemakers Summit is informed by the YMCA’s Changemaker Strategy, which aims to prepare young people to be active contributors and stakeholders in decision-making within their communities. The Changemaker Strategy is guided by 3 principles: beliefs and values, meaningful experiences, and intentional settings.

“Young people bring unique and powerful perspectives to the challenges facing our communities, and YMCA Changemakers helps them turn their bold ideas into real impact,” said Suzanne McCormick, President and CEO of Y-USA. “I’m incredibly inspired by this year’s winners and every student who participated in the summit. Their creativity, leadership, and deep commitment to community make clear that the future is in very capable hands.”

About the Y
Driven by its founding mission, the Y has served as a leading nonprofit committed to strengthening community for more than 175 years. The Y empowers everyone, no matter who they are or where they’re from, by ensuring access to resources, relationships, and opportunities for all to learn, grow and thrive. By bringing together people from different backgrounds, perspectives and generations, the Y’s goal is to improve overall health and well-being, ignite youth empowerment and demonstrate the importance of connections in and across 10,000 communities nationwide. Learn more at ymca.org.

Contact:
YMCA of the USA
312-416-0870
media@ymca.net

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Vote16NJ Winners

YMCA of the USA Director of Teen Strategy, E Mitchell, congratulates 2026 Changemakers Summit winners Anna H. and Noah E. (River Crossing YMCA, NJ) who received $5,000 to implement their project, Vote16NJ.

Readers Club Winners

YMCA of the USA Director of Teen Strategy, E Mitchell, congratulates 2026 Changemakers Summit winners Dawn C. and Azekiel M. (YMCA of the Virginia Peninsulas, VA) who received $5,000 to implement their project, Readers Club.

BLUE Winners

YMCA of the USA Director of Teen Strategy, E Mitchell, congratulates 2026 Changemakers Summit winners Teagan M. and Catherine C. (State YMCA of Philadelphia, PA) who received $5,000 to implement their project, Building Leaders Using Experience (B.L.U.E.)

BAYOU Winners

YMCA of the USA Director of Teen Strategy, E Mitchell, congratulates 2026 Changemakers Summit winners Swapneil B. and Peter H. (YMCA of Greater Houston, TX) who received $5,000 to implement their project, BAYOU: Building a Youth-Led Organic Upgrade.

Finalist Group Photo

2026 Changemaker Summit finalist teams won $1,500 each to implement their projects in their communities.

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