In 2024, the YMCA, in collaboration with the Peace Corps and American Corner Bitola, revitalized the GLOW Club (Girls Leading Our World) in Bitola. This club aims to encourage young girls to develop their skills and to prepare them to begin long, successful careers following the conclusion of their education. GLOW Club existed in Bitola and the rest of the country before the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, this event put a pause on this club, but we are happy to have brought it back in 2024! So far, we have hosted 6 sessions since resuming, and we will continue to run this program for the foreseeable future. We began the return of this program with a series of information sessions hosted at the American Corner Bitola. These sessions aimed to inform potential participants about the GLOW Club and gauge interest. These sessions were very successful and we were able to recruit a large group of interested girls. Let’s take a look at each of the sessions we hosted once we found our group of participants.
The first session was hosted at the American Corner by YMCA youth worker Natasha and Ivana from the American Corner. This session served as an icebreaker and team-building event for the girls, allowing them to get to know each other in a relaxed and welcoming environment. On this day, we aimed to introduce the participants to one another, helping them feel comfortable and fostering a sense of connection within the group. Through engaging activities and open discussions, we encouraged them to share their interests, experiences, and expectations for the program. Our main goal for this session was to create a safe and inclusive space where everyone felt valued and supported, setting a positive foundation for the journey ahead.
The second gathering was dedicated entirely to leadership. We started the day with a few more icebreakers and energizers to help everyone feel engaged and ready to participate. Natasha introduced a series of leadership and team-building activities to set the tone for the workshop. The girls had meaningful discussions about what leadership means to them and the qualities that define a strong leader. These conversations paved the way for a presentation from Natasha, where she provided insights to explore this topic further. By the end of the session, the girls had a much stronger idea of what it means to be a leader, and we hope to inspire them to bring this lesson further into their lives and become strong leaders themselves.
Our third session was hosted at the Youth Center by Peace Corps Volunteers, Jack and Altaf. along with Fullbrighter Shelby and Viktor from the YMCA. Together, the four of them hosted a presentation to teach about the value of community service. Jack and Altaf pitched the idea of community service as a fun and fulfilling experience that every young person should be involved with. They also spoke about their experiences as Peace Corps volunteers and their motivations for embarking on such a demanding, yet rewarding journey. In addition to this, they also portrayed the different benefits of volunteerism, including community development, network growth, altruism and personal growth. After, Viktor joined in to educate the girls about local volunteering opportunities around Bitola, as well as international options. Overall, this session served as a great introduction to the concept of volunteerism and community service.
The fourth session was a follow-up to the third session. After teaching about volunteer service, we applied the knowledge we learned and engaged in hands-on volunteer work. Together with the YMCA Staff and Peace Corps volunteers, the participants went to Pedagoshki Faculty and did a big clean-up. Together, we worked to clean up all the leaves plaguing the parking lot and pathways, along with branch and tree disposal. This event was a great addition to the previous session, allowing the girls a chance to see volunteering in action and actively participate in strengthening their community.
For the fifth session, Natasha led a workshop on Social Media Marketing. With the assistance of online HP courses, the girls were able to engage with interactive, digital workshops related to the topic. These modules taught the participants about how to utilize social media to grow a small business. They were very educational and taught the basics of social media usage, such as how to post organically and how to use Facebook to run ads for the business.
Our sixth and final session so far saw the inclusion of a representative from the US Embassy, Vanessa, to teach the girls about proper communication regarding difficult topics. Some of these topics included how to send proper emails, how to communicate with both superiors and peers, and when to use active or passive voice. Vanessa came with a wonderful presentation and showed great patience when teaching about such sensitive topics. The girls responded very well to this session and we believe they learned some valuable lessons in communication. Thus far, we believe our GLOW Club has had a positive impact on the girls who have attended our sessions. In our first six sessions, we have covered a wide variety of topics to educate and prepare participants for their next steps in life. We look forward to continuing this wonderful project in 2025 and hopefully expanding it as well!
