Participants’ Impressions from the YMCA+HP Digital Education Program
Martha I am Marta from Krushevo, I am currently studying in Bitola. I found out about the courses through Natasha from the YMCA because we know each other from before. Today I attended the fifth course and in the future, I plan to attend several more courses. The courses are interesting to follow, and the atmosphere in the Youth Center is harmonious and pleasant. I plan to use the courses that I have followed so far and the experience I have gained from them for my career and development. Antim I am Antim Atanasoski, 18 years old from Bitola. I feel honored to participate in four courses made by HP and implemented in cooperation with the YMCA. One of the courses that I liked the most was Social Entrepreneurship, which was very practical and informative, unlike other courses of this type that I have visited online. What you learn from the course can be used practically every day of your life. Of course, I plan to visit other courses in the future, because there is a lot to learn from each course. Ljupco First I want to say that digital education is not just about new skills, it is most important to think about growth and embrace quality improvement. I am Ljupco from Bitola, I found out about the courses through the YMCA where I am a volunteer and have participated in many events and workshops organized by them. I just saw the application on social networks and immediately signed up without thinking if it would be interesting or if it would be useful to me, and to be honest I did not make a mistake! I attended five different courses in the categories of communications and marketing, as the most suitable subjects for me. I believe that every young person should study these courses, which will be very useful in life, in everyday life and the job search. I am currently working abroad, but after my return to Bitola, I will apply again for the courses, especially for the topics of innovation. YMCA and HP thank you for this opportunity you have given me, see you again soon! Elena Being employed and being a parent at the same time is much more difficult than it seems, I am Elena Ivanov, 28 years old, from Bitola. I have been in the YMCA for several years with short breaks. My job position is office manager. In the past years, we worked on non-formal education and organized summer camps, but after the great pandemic that happened, I can say that the HP courses are the best thing that happened at the YMCA. In addition to my daily duties, I still had the opportunity to take several courses on the subject of communications, which is what attracts me the most and I would like to share with you that the Business e-mail and Business Communication courses are courses you must attend. The courses are not long, the maximum time you will need is 1 hour. I would be very happy if you decide to attend these courses of the HP life program and of course, I want to thank HP and the YMCA for this great opportunity of free courses in our city. Philip Hello, my name is Filip Bozinovski and I am 17 years old. I want to say that I have completed all the courses of the HP Life project and I can say that I am quite satisfied. I learned about the HP Life courses from my high school “Josip Broz-Tito” from Bitola. Through these courses, I have acquired quite useful and good skills that I find myself in in the future. I desire to further study at a university whose task is to acquaint us with skills that use technology and help humanity. The courses are easy, short, entirely online, and above all, free. I would personally recommend these courses to all my friends and acquaintances as a starting point for acquiring useful computer skills that can help everyone, especially young people who are interested in starting their own business or upgrading their computer skills. Now, I have finished my last course, and as my favorites, I can single out the communication courses, as well as the Success Mindset course. I thank the YMCA as well as the HP because they provide conditions for a quick way of learning useful skills. Jana From my experience so far, I only know that digital education opens up a world of possibilities for me. My name is Jana, I live and study in France. I have a very busy schedule and I am very happy that I am in the right place at the moment where I have access to high-quality courses that help me to keep up with the latest trends in my 3D printing industry, all thanks to YMCA and HP courses. I had the opportunity to choose whether I wanted to listen to the course in English or French. I chose French, which is really of great importance to me. The courses are easy to understand, they are not long and the most important thing is that I also received a certificate for completing the course, and all for free! Guys, I hope that you will manage to find at least one hour a week and dedicate it only for you and you will improve yourself above all as individuals. YMCA and HP, thank you for the opportunity you gave me, see you again that is for sure! Read here to learn more about this project
Overview of HP & YMCA digital education program and opportunities 2023
The goal of the collaboration between HP and YMCA is to use technology in a good way, to achieve digital inclusion by providing access to technology and digital education to everyone in an easy and interesting way. The courses are made by experts in their fields from the HP company and conducted by YMCA youth workers. We find these courses useful for adding value to the informatics curriculum in schools as well as for practical use in our everyday lives. The courses are short in duration from 20 to 50 minutes, in five topics with several courses in each of them. They are easy, interactive, and filled with short videos, dialogues, pictures and quizzes. The courses offered are in the following topics: communications, finance, operations, marketing and startups/innovations. Each course contains 5 steps: a short course description, business concept, technology skills, survey and additional resources on the topic. The pace of studying a course is according to the desire of the participant. Once you have completed all 5 steps (100%) the course is successfully completed. For each completed course you receive an electronic certificate in your e-mail with specified information about the specific course, what was learned in it, the date of study and the signature of the Deputy Director of the HP Foundation. Each course is taught individually at the YMCA in the Youth Center with full technical equipment from our side. Alternatively, there is the possibility of conducting the courses in the premises of the educational institutions in Bitola. The participant has no obligation to bring equipment or to have special prior knowledge of a certain topic or conditions for studying a certain number of courses. The courses have open dates where EVERYONE can SIGN UP, and reserved dates are offered for groups/institutions that work with young people. Groups are limited up to 10 participants per course. The courses are: completely free for anyone with a functional email, intermediate knowledge of the English language and a desire to learn and upgrade their knowledge. The courses are held in the premises of the Youth Center – Bitola, on Krushevo Street 5 in the local community of Veljko Vlahovic. Read here to learn more about this project
Natasha’s story from the Training Course “Youth work in Green entrepreneurs”
By Natasha Darkov In the period May 1-7 in Struga, Macedonia, the SEGA Coalition of Youth Organizations within the Erasmus + program conducted the international training course “Youth work in Green entrepreneurs” which included youth workers from Macedonia, Slovakia and Turkey. I am happy that I participated as a representative of the YMCA and gained new knowledge and competencies in the field of green entrepreneurship. Considering the small number of participants, we had a chance for a larger discussion and the opportunity to receive better mentoring support from the organizers. The topic was elaborated in detail with basic information about entrepreneurship and of course green business ideas and their development. Each participant had to develop a detailed business plan for their idea with a special emphasis on green entrepreneurship. The training course was based on an innovative approach to green entrepreneurship as a sustainable business model by preserving the environment and raising youth employability. Starting from the basics of entrepreneurship (definitions, skills and competencies) through the basic factors for a successful business (clear goals, business idea, organization, marketing, SWOT analysis) we quickly reached the stage of planning our green business while taking into account our environment (family, friends, acquaintances, institutions, banks) who and how could help us. Green business ideas were analyzed and evaluated if they are profitable, innovative, realistic, etc. Next came the stage of developing a marketing plan for our ideas after which we finalized them by creating a financial plan for the business ideas. On the last day with concepts developed in this way, we presented green ideas and solutions in an interesting and interactive way which was followed by the selection of the best business idea.
Digital education with HP LIFE courses in Bitola!
Opportunities for digital education in Bitola As part of a long-term collaboration between YMCA and HP, this April we started holding digital literacy courses for the youth of our city. The courses are made by experts in their fields from the HP company and conducted by YMCA youth workers. We find these courses useful for adding value to the informatics curriculum in schools as well as for practical use in our everyday lives. The courses are short in duration from 20 to 50 minutes, in five topics with several courses in each of them. The courses offered are in the following topics: communications, finance, logistics, marketing and startups/innovations. The courses have open appointments for which ANYONE CAN APPLY, as well as reserved appointments offered for groups/institutions that work with young people. The groups are limited to 10 participants each. The courses are: completely free for anyone with a functional email, intermediate knowledge of the English language and a desire to learn and upgrade their knowledge. The courses are held in the premises of the Youth Center – Bitola. Digital Hubs in the Western Balkans Building on that success from 2022, this year YMCA World and HP are expanding the initiative to reach as many people as possible and further close the digital divide. In that direction, in 2023 the program expanded with the digital hubs of the Western Balkans at the initiative of the YMCA and enabled by HP helping the YMCAs in Kosovo, Albania, Serbia and Macedonia to expand existing or create new hubs for digital education in order to enable young people, including those from marginalized communities, teachers and youth workers to gain greater educational and employment opportunities. The initiative in the Western Balkans aims to reach 25,000 people per year by bridging the digital divide and providing equal access to digital tools and resources. For this purpose, YMCA will work and collaborate with young people, schools, employment centres, businesses, youth workers and teachers to create digital equality in the Western Balkans region. YMCA in Kosovo aims to improve its reputation as a digital provider and engage young people in recognized courses that enhance their CVs. In Serbia, the focus is to make a digital hub available every day and to achieve digital equality. In Macedonia, the goal is to initiate a long-term program for digital education. In Albania, the plan is to provide easy access to the digital hub for primary and secondary schools and other categories of people. Beginning of the successful collaboration of the World YMCA with HP In 2022 the World YMCA and the HP Foundation launched a partnership to accelerate the digital equality of young people and marginalized communities around the world. Seven YMCA associations have integrated HP LIFE courses into their programs to improve digital literacy and encourage young people in their communities to actively participate in an increasingly digitized world. HP LIFE is a program of the HP company that works to achieve the goals of reaching 150 million people by 2030 and expanding the program to 50 countries (the YMCA has a presence in 120 countries). HP LIFE digital skills training courses in 2022 involved more than 1,300 students mainly aged 15 to 26. YMCA World’s Vision 2030 strategy also includes digital equality as it fosters education, employment and entrepreneurship in communities around the world. HP’s continued global collaboration with the YMCA can reach young people in the communities where they live today by giving them access to practical business and IT skills that can help them thrive.
