Ages 4-12 · Book 1, Accountability · 4,299 places
YMCA and Youth Clubs
Programs that get the children whose parents are working, which is most of them. What happens in that room is not a supplement to anything.
Built on Ellis Abel and the Red Block — “Big feelings. Small choices. Real accountability.” A character series, not a curriculum with a worldview attached.
The five sessions
- Session 1
Open with the story, not the lesson — the lesson lands after
- Session 2
Small groups: where does this show up in our room, specifically
- Session 3
The adult goes first, with a real example that cost them something
- Session 4
Each child writes the one step they take before next week
- Session 5
Follow up by name the following week and ask what happened
Questions leaders ask
Is ymca and youth clubs in your area a religious program?
No. Ellis Abel is a character series. Each volume carries one named core value — this one is accountability — and the story does the teaching. There is no doctrine in it, nothing to opt out of, and it is used in public schools, libraries and secular programs as readily as anywhere else.
What ages does this work for?
Ages 4-12. The story is read aloud, so a child who cannot read yet is fully in it, and the discussion prompts are written in two bands so one adult can hold a mixed-age room.
What does a your area program need to run this?
A room, an adult, and thirty minutes. No kit, no screen, no prep beyond reading the page before the children arrive.
Can we run it as a drop-in rather than a series?
Yes. Each session stands alone, and the arc is stronger if they come back, but nothing breaks if a child only ever comes once.
The rules that make it work
This is a character story, not a behaviour plan
Ellis Abel is a core-values series. No child is assessed, scored, diagnosed or labelled anywhere in it. It gives a room shared language, and it stops there.
Big feelings are not misbehaviour
A four-year-old at full volume is not defying anyone. Treating the feeling as an offence teaches a child to hide it, which is the opposite of the skill.
Name first, always
Every attempt to fix a feeling before naming it fails, and it fails loudly. The order in the book is the order in the room.
Ownership is small and specific
"Be responsible" means nothing at four. One job, done alone, every day, means everything, and it generalises on its own.
Adults go first
The adult naming their own feeling out loud in front of the child does more work than any session. Children copy what they see under pressure.
Routines beat reminders
A routine a child can recite is theirs. A reminder an adult repeats is the adult's, and it has to be repeated forever.
YMCA and Clubs by metro area
Northeast
- YMCA and Clubs — New York, NY
- YMCA and Clubs — Philadelphia, PA
- YMCA and Clubs — Boston, MA
- YMCA and Clubs — Pittsburgh, PA
- YMCA and Clubs — Providence, RI
- YMCA and Clubs — Hartford, CT
- YMCA and Clubs — Buffalo, NY
- YMCA and Clubs — Rochester, NY
- YMCA and Clubs — Bridgeport, CT
- YMCA and Clubs — Albany, NY
- YMCA and Clubs — Worcester, MA
- YMCA and Clubs — Allentown, PA
- YMCA and Clubs — Poughkeepsie metro area, NY
- YMCA and Clubs — Syracuse, NY
- YMCA and Clubs — Harrisburg, PA
- YMCA and Clubs — New Haven, CT
- YMCA and Clubs — Portland, ME
- YMCA and Clubs — Scranton, PA
- YMCA and Clubs — Lancaster, PA
- YMCA and Clubs — York, PA
- YMCA and Clubs — Springfield, MA
- YMCA and Clubs — Waterbury, CT
- YMCA and Clubs — Reading, PA
- YMCA and Clubs — Manchester, NH
- YMCA and Clubs — Trenton, NJ
- YMCA and Clubs — Atlantic City, NJ
- YMCA and Clubs — Utica, NY
- YMCA and Clubs — Norwich, CT
- YMCA and Clubs — Erie, PA
- YMCA and Clubs — Binghamton, NY
- YMCA and Clubs — Barnstable, MA
- YMCA and Clubs — Burlington, VT
- YMCA and Clubs — Kingston, NY
- YMCA and Clubs — Amherst, MA
- YMCA and Clubs — Chambersburg, PA
- YMCA and Clubs — Bangor, ME
- YMCA and Clubs — State College, PA
- YMCA and Clubs — Vineland, NJ
- YMCA and Clubs — Lebanon, PA
- YMCA and Clubs — Johnstown, PA
- YMCA and Clubs — Pittsfield, MA
- YMCA and Clubs — Glens Falls, NY
- YMCA and Clubs — Altoona, PA
- YMCA and Clubs — Lewiston, ME
- YMCA and Clubs — Williamsport, PA
- YMCA and Clubs — Watertown, NY
- YMCA and Clubs — Gettysburg, PA
- YMCA and Clubs — Ithaca, NY
- YMCA and Clubs — Elmira, NY
Midwest
- YMCA and Clubs — Chicago, IL
- YMCA and Clubs — Detroit, MI
- YMCA and Clubs — Minneapolis, MN
- YMCA and Clubs — St. Louis, MO
- YMCA and Clubs — Cincinnati, OH
- YMCA and Clubs — Kansas City, MO
- YMCA and Clubs — Columbus, OH
- YMCA and Clubs — Indianapolis, IN
- YMCA and Clubs — Cleveland, OH
- YMCA and Clubs — Milwaukee, WI
- YMCA and Clubs — Grand Rapids, MI
- YMCA and Clubs — Omaha, NE
- YMCA and Clubs — Dayton, OH
- YMCA and Clubs — Des Moines, IA
- YMCA and Clubs — Madison, WI
- YMCA and Clubs — Akron, OH
- YMCA and Clubs — Wichita, KS
- YMCA and Clubs — Toledo, OH
- YMCA and Clubs — Springfield, MO
- YMCA and Clubs — Lansing, MI
- YMCA and Clubs — Fort Wayne, IN
- YMCA and Clubs — Youngstown, OH
- YMCA and Clubs — Flint, MI
- YMCA and Clubs — Canton, OH
- YMCA and Clubs — Davenport, IA
- YMCA and Clubs — Ann Arbor, MI
- YMCA and Clubs — Peoria, IL
- YMCA and Clubs — Lincoln, NE
- YMCA and Clubs — Rockford, IL
- YMCA and Clubs — Green Bay, WI
- YMCA and Clubs — South Bend, IN
- YMCA and Clubs — Sioux Falls, SD
- YMCA and Clubs — Duluth, MN
- YMCA and Clubs — Cedar Rapids, IA
- YMCA and Clubs — Evansville, IN
- YMCA and Clubs — Fargo, ND
- YMCA and Clubs — Kalamazoo, MI
- YMCA and Clubs — Appleton, WI
- YMCA and Clubs — Champaign, IL
- YMCA and Clubs — Topeka, KS
- YMCA and Clubs — Rochester, MN
- YMCA and Clubs — Lafayette, IN
- YMCA and Clubs — Columbia, MO
- YMCA and Clubs — Joplin, MO
- YMCA and Clubs — Elkhart, IN
- YMCA and Clubs — Springfield, IL
- YMCA and Clubs — St. Cloud, MN
- YMCA and Clubs — Racine, WI
- YMCA and Clubs — Saginaw, MI
- YMCA and Clubs — Iowa City, IA
- YMCA and Clubs — Muskegon, MI
- YMCA and Clubs — Eau Claire, WI
- YMCA and Clubs — Oshkosh, WI
- YMCA and Clubs — Bloomington, IL
- YMCA and Clubs — La Crosse, WI
- YMCA and Clubs — Terre Haute, IN
- YMCA and Clubs — Waterloo, IA
- YMCA and Clubs — Kenosha, WI
- YMCA and Clubs — Janesville, WI
- YMCA and Clubs — Bloomington, IN
- YMCA and Clubs — Jackson, MI
- YMCA and Clubs — Traverse City, MI
- YMCA and Clubs — Rapid City, SD
- YMCA and Clubs — Monroe, MI
- YMCA and Clubs — Jefferson City, MO
- YMCA and Clubs — Niles, MI
- YMCA and Clubs — Sioux City, IA
- YMCA and Clubs — Bismarck, ND
- YMCA and Clubs — Wausau, WI
- YMCA and Clubs — Manhattan, KS
- YMCA and Clubs — Springfield, OH
- YMCA and Clubs — Battle Creek, MI
- YMCA and Clubs — Ames, IA
- YMCA and Clubs — Mansfield, OH
- YMCA and Clubs — Lawrence, KS
- YMCA and Clubs — St. Joseph, MO
- YMCA and Clubs — Sheboygan, WI
- YMCA and Clubs — Muncie, IN
- YMCA and Clubs — Sandusky, OH
- YMCA and Clubs — Michigan City, IN
- YMCA and Clubs — Kankakee, IL
- YMCA and Clubs — Grand Forks, ND
- YMCA and Clubs — Mankato, MN
- YMCA and Clubs — Fond du Lac, WI
- YMCA and Clubs — Bay City, MI
- YMCA and Clubs — Lima, OH
- YMCA and Clubs — Dubuque, IA
- YMCA and Clubs — Decatur, IL
- YMCA and Clubs — Cape Girardeau, MO
- YMCA and Clubs — Columbus, IN
- YMCA and Clubs — Kokomo, IN
- YMCA and Clubs — Midland, MI
- YMCA and Clubs — Grand Island, NE
- YMCA and Clubs — Minot, ND
South
- YMCA and Clubs — Dallas, TX
- YMCA and Clubs — Houston, TX
- YMCA and Clubs — Atlanta, GA
- YMCA and Clubs — Washington, DC
- YMCA and Clubs — Miami, FL
- YMCA and Clubs — Tampa, FL
- YMCA and Clubs — Orlando, FL
- YMCA and Clubs — Charlotte, NC
- YMCA and Clubs — Baltimore, MD
- YMCA and Clubs — San Antonio, TX
- YMCA and Clubs — Austin, TX
- YMCA and Clubs — Nashville, TN
- YMCA and Clubs — Virginia Beach, VA
- YMCA and Clubs — Jacksonville, FL
- YMCA and Clubs — Raleigh, NC
- YMCA and Clubs — Oklahoma City, OK
- YMCA and Clubs — Louisville, KY
- YMCA and Clubs — Richmond, VA
- YMCA and Clubs — Memphis, TN
- YMCA and Clubs — Birmingham, AL
- YMCA and Clubs — Tulsa, OK
- YMCA and Clubs — Greenville, SC
- YMCA and Clubs — New Orleans, LA
- YMCA and Clubs — Knoxville, TN
- YMCA and Clubs — Sarasota metro area, FL
- YMCA and Clubs — McAllen, TX
- YMCA and Clubs — Charleston, SC
- YMCA and Clubs — Baton Rouge, LA
- YMCA and Clubs — El Paso, TX
- YMCA and Clubs — Columbia, SC
- YMCA and Clubs — Cape Coral, FL
- YMCA and Clubs — Lakeland, FL
- YMCA and Clubs — Greensboro, NC
- YMCA and Clubs — Little Rock, AR
- YMCA and Clubs — Deltona, FL
- YMCA and Clubs — Winston-Salem, NC
- YMCA and Clubs — Palm Bay, FL
- YMCA and Clubs — Augusta, GA
- YMCA and Clubs — Durham, NC
- YMCA and Clubs — Fayetteville, AR
- YMCA and Clubs — Jackson, MS
- YMCA and Clubs — Chattanooga, TN
- YMCA and Clubs — Port St. Lucie, FL
- YMCA and Clubs — Huntsville, AL
- YMCA and Clubs — Pensacola, FL
- YMCA and Clubs — Lexington, KY
- YMCA and Clubs — Killeen, TX
- YMCA and Clubs — Wilmington, NC
- YMCA and Clubs — Corpus Christi, TX
- YMCA and Clubs — Ocala, FL
- YMCA and Clubs — Savannah, GA
- YMCA and Clubs — Brownsville, TX
- YMCA and Clubs — Gulfport, MS
- YMCA and Clubs — Myrtle Beach, SC
- YMCA and Clubs — Lafayette, LA
- YMCA and Clubs — Asheville, NC
- YMCA and Clubs — Naples, FL
- YMCA and Clubs — Mobile, AL
- YMCA and Clubs — Spartanburg, SC
- YMCA and Clubs — Beaumont, TX
- YMCA and Clubs — Tallahassee, FL
- YMCA and Clubs — Fayetteville, NC
- YMCA and Clubs — Montgomery, AL
- YMCA and Clubs — Shreveport, LA
- YMCA and Clubs — Hickory, NC
- YMCA and Clubs — Lubbock, TX
- YMCA and Clubs — Huntington, WV
- YMCA and Clubs — Gainesville, FL
- YMCA and Clubs — Clarksville, TN
- YMCA and Clubs — Columbus, GA
- YMCA and Clubs — Roanoke, VA
- YMCA and Clubs — Hagerstown, MD
- YMCA and Clubs — Fort Walton Beach metro area, FL
- YMCA and Clubs — Kingsport, TN
- YMCA and Clubs — Waco, TX
- YMCA and Clubs — Longview, TX
- YMCA and Clubs — College Station, TX
- YMCA and Clubs — Tuscaloosa, AL
- YMCA and Clubs — Laredo, TX
- YMCA and Clubs — Slidell, LA
- YMCA and Clubs — Amarillo, TX
- YMCA and Clubs — Lynchburg, VA
- YMCA and Clubs — Daphne, AL
- YMCA and Clubs — Tyler, TX
- YMCA and Clubs — Lake Charles, LA
- YMCA and Clubs — Hilton Head Island, SC
- YMCA and Clubs — Macon, GA
- YMCA and Clubs — Fort Smith, AR
- YMCA and Clubs — Panama City, FL
- YMCA and Clubs — Charlottesville, VA
- YMCA and Clubs — Gainesville, GA
- YMCA and Clubs — Athens, GA
- YMCA and Clubs — Monroe, LA
- YMCA and Clubs — Punta Gorda, FL
- YMCA and Clubs — Jacksonville, NC
- YMCA and Clubs — Johnson City, TN
- YMCA and Clubs — Lexington Park, MD
- YMCA and Clubs — Warner Robins, GA
- YMCA and Clubs — Auburn, AL
- YMCA and Clubs — Florence, SC
- YMCA and Clubs — Charleston, WV
- YMCA and Clubs — Houma, LA
- YMCA and Clubs — Bowling Green, KY
- YMCA and Clubs — Dover, DE
- YMCA and Clubs — Midland, TX
- YMCA and Clubs — Burlington, NC
- YMCA and Clubs — Abilene, TX
- YMCA and Clubs — Jackson, TN
- YMCA and Clubs — Greenville, NC
- YMCA and Clubs — Blacksburg, VA
- YMCA and Clubs — Odessa, TX
- YMCA and Clubs — Vero Beach metro area, FL
- YMCA and Clubs — Homosassa Springs, FL
- YMCA and Clubs — Decatur, AL
- YMCA and Clubs — Hattiesburg, MS
- YMCA and Clubs — The Villages metro area, FL
- YMCA and Clubs — Florence, AL
- YMCA and Clubs — Dothan, AL
- YMCA and Clubs — Sherman, TX
- YMCA and Clubs — Valdosta, GA
- YMCA and Clubs — Winchester, VA
- YMCA and Clubs — Wichita Falls, TX
- YMCA and Clubs — Rocky Mount, NC
- YMCA and Clubs — Alexandria, LA
- YMCA and Clubs — Dalton, GA
- YMCA and Clubs — Texarkana, TX
- YMCA and Clubs — Albany, GA
- YMCA and Clubs — Morgantown, WV
- YMCA and Clubs — Hammond, LA
- YMCA and Clubs — Harrisonburg, VA
- YMCA and Clubs — Jonesboro, AR
- YMCA and Clubs — Wheeling, WV
- YMCA and Clubs — Cleveland, TN
- YMCA and Clubs — Salisbury, MD
- YMCA and Clubs — Staunton, VA
- YMCA and Clubs — Morristown, TN
- YMCA and Clubs — Elizabethtown, KY
- YMCA and Clubs — Lawton, OK
- YMCA and Clubs — Goldsboro, NC
- YMCA and Clubs — San Angelo, TX
- YMCA and Clubs — Brunswick, GA
- YMCA and Clubs — Anniston, AL
- YMCA and Clubs — Owensboro, KY
- YMCA and Clubs — Steubenville, WV
- YMCA and Clubs — Sebring, FL
- YMCA and Clubs — Pinehurst, NC
- YMCA and Clubs — Beckley, WV
- YMCA and Clubs — Sumter, SC
- YMCA and Clubs — Gadsden, AL
- YMCA and Clubs — Paducah, KY
- YMCA and Clubs — Rome, GA
- YMCA and Clubs — Victoria, TX
- YMCA and Clubs — Hot Springs, AR
- YMCA and Clubs — Hinesville, GA
- YMCA and Clubs — Parkersburg, WV
- YMCA and Clubs — Enid, OK
- YMCA and Clubs — Eagle Pass, TX
West
- YMCA and Clubs — Los Angeles, CA
- YMCA and Clubs — Phoenix, AZ
- YMCA and Clubs — Riverside, CA
- YMCA and Clubs — San Francisco, CA
- YMCA and Clubs — Seattle, WA
- YMCA and Clubs — San Diego, CA
- YMCA and Clubs — Denver, CO
- YMCA and Clubs — Portland, OR
- YMCA and Clubs — Sacramento, CA
- YMCA and Clubs — Las Vegas, NV
- YMCA and Clubs — San Jose, CA
- YMCA and Clubs — Salt Lake City, UT
- YMCA and Clubs — Fresno, CA
- YMCA and Clubs — Tucson, AZ
- YMCA and Clubs — Honolulu, HI
- YMCA and Clubs — Bakersfield, CA
- YMCA and Clubs — Albuquerque, NM
- YMCA and Clubs — Boise, ID
- YMCA and Clubs — Oxnard, CA
- YMCA and Clubs — Stockton, CA
- YMCA and Clubs — Colorado Springs, CO
- YMCA and Clubs — Provo, UT
- YMCA and Clubs — Ogden, UT
- YMCA and Clubs — Spokane, WA
- YMCA and Clubs — Reno, NV
- YMCA and Clubs — Modesto, CA
- YMCA and Clubs — Santa Rosa, CA
- YMCA and Clubs — Visalia, CA
- YMCA and Clubs — Vallejo, CA
- YMCA and Clubs — Salem, OR
- YMCA and Clubs — Santa Maria, CA
- YMCA and Clubs — Salinas, CA
- YMCA and Clubs — Anchorage, AK
- YMCA and Clubs — Eugene, OR
- YMCA and Clubs — Greeley, CO
- YMCA and Clubs — Fort Collins, CO
- YMCA and Clubs — Boulder, CO
- YMCA and Clubs — Kennewick, WA
- YMCA and Clubs — Olympia, WA
- YMCA and Clubs — Merced, CA
- YMCA and Clubs — Bremerton, WA
- YMCA and Clubs — San Luis Obispo, CA
- YMCA and Clubs — Bend, OR
- YMCA and Clubs — Yakima, WA
- YMCA and Clubs — Santa Cruz, CA
- YMCA and Clubs — Prescott metro area, AZ
- YMCA and Clubs — Bellingham, WA
- YMCA and Clubs — Las Cruces, NM
- YMCA and Clubs — Lake Havasu City, AZ
- YMCA and Clubs — Yuma, AZ
- YMCA and Clubs — Medford, OR
- YMCA and Clubs — St. George, UT
- YMCA and Clubs — Chico, CA
- YMCA and Clubs — Billings, MT
- YMCA and Clubs — Coeur d'Alene, ID
- YMCA and Clubs — Yuba City, CA
- YMCA and Clubs — Redding, CA
- YMCA and Clubs — El Centro, CA
- YMCA and Clubs — Idaho Falls, ID
- YMCA and Clubs — Pueblo, CO
- YMCA and Clubs — Grand Junction, CO
- YMCA and Clubs — Logan, UT
- YMCA and Clubs — Maui, HI
- YMCA and Clubs — Santa Fe, NM
- YMCA and Clubs — Hanford, CA
- YMCA and Clubs — Flagstaff, AZ
- YMCA and Clubs — Mount Vernon, WA
- YMCA and Clubs — Napa, CA
- YMCA and Clubs — Albany, OR
- YMCA and Clubs — Bozeman, MT
- YMCA and Clubs — Missoula, MT
- YMCA and Clubs — Wenatchee, WA
- YMCA and Clubs — Sierra Vista, AZ
- YMCA and Clubs — Twin Falls, ID
- YMCA and Clubs — Farmington, NM
- YMCA and Clubs — Longview, WA
- YMCA and Clubs — Cheyenne, WY
- YMCA and Clubs — Corvallis, OR
- YMCA and Clubs — Helena, MT
- YMCA and Clubs — Fairbanks, AK
- YMCA and Clubs — Pocatello, ID
- YMCA and Clubs — Grants Pass, OR
- YMCA and Clubs — Great Falls, MT
- YMCA and Clubs — Casper, WY
- YMCA and Clubs — Lewiston, ID
- YMCA and Clubs — Walla Walla, WA
- YMCA and Clubs — Carson City, NV
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