Digital education with HP LIFE courses in Bitola!
Latest News 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.
Youth Employability Fairs at Camps GLOW & YMLP 2019
Latest News Youth Employability Fairs at Camps GLOW & YMLP 2019 The Youth Employability Fair (YEF) at GLOW & YMLP showcases the very best of the program’s approach to practical non-formal youth education, In all of GLOW & YMLP’s structured programming, our facilitators introduce the elementary principles of a topic or skill and then pull back, enabling campers to spend a majority of their time discussing their opinions on the ideas presented or actively engaging with and practicing new skills. The latter plays a crucial role in our Youth Employability class, a space where campers explore their career interests and develop the basic employability skills: networking, resume and cover letter writing, and interviewing. With most of GLOW & YMLP’s programming, campers have to wait until after camp to test their newly developed capacities in the real world. This is not the case with our Youth Employability program. The YEF allows campers to meet and network with industry leaders, ranging from sponsors to guests. Not only do campers nave an opportunity to actively practice employability skils, but our corporate sponsors directly engage with campers, serving as mentors in their career exploration, and do campers have an exportunity to actively practice employability skills, but our corporate Sponsors, directiy ensege with tampers, serving, as mentors in their Career exploration and witness the campers passion forthe GLOW & YMLP prograrn. There was a palpable excitement in the air all week at GLOW camp as the future leaders of the country were, perhaps for the first time, able to blossom and explore innovative and progressive ideas with each other through experiential learning. The GLOW girls are, by nature. an ambitious and motivated bunch, and everywhere they turned at camp a new opportunity was waiting to inspire them. The 2019 Youth Employability Fair was no exception. The second annual fair began with an address from CEO loannis Geroulanos of OKTA, a longtime gold-level sponsor of the GLOW and YMLP camps. As the campers situated themselves on the floor of the cafeteria and turned their expectant eyes up toward the speaker, Mr. Geroulanos dropped to the ground himself in his typical, relatable style to address the campers eye-to-eye, It was evident by the number of eager campers who later signed up to attend further break-out sessions with Mr. Geroulanous that his speech about social responsibility, finding one’s passion, and having no fear resonated with and empowered the girls. After the Inspiring preamble from Mr. Geroulanos, campers were ready to take on the next portion of the Youth Employability Fair. In this part of the fair, sponsors and guests promote their organizations in a round-table fashion that allows campers to utilize the skills they practiced throughout the week in their Youth Employability classes. These courageous teenagers fearlessly approached all twelve booths in the cafeteria and engaged with industry leaders in discussions. Not only did this provide an opportunity for campers to become accustomed to promoting themselves in a professional setting. but it also allowed sponsors to observe first-hand how their philanthropy is paying off in an authentic way. After the round table portion also with other professionals like Mermeren Kombinat, Alkaloid, Pekabesko, Rotary clubs, and SEGA Coalition, campers attended workshops with camp staff to perfect their persona. CVs, elevator speeches, and interview skills, Following the workshops, campers attended two rounds of breakout sessions according to the organizations that most interested them Although every breakout session had enthuslastic participants, among the most popular was from the SASA representative Veneta Ristovska who, as a former GLOW alumni herself, energized and motivated the girls in a way that allowed them to envision their tuture selves as successtul professionals in the working world. At YMLP. we kicked things off with a series of professional tables featuring our sponsors and guests, firstly with Mermeren Kombinat. Later, campers were free to rotate around these tables, meet and network with other professionals like OKTA, SASA, TAV Airports, Kromberg&Schubert, AmCham, BrightBox, Cylindo, Rotary clubs, and begin to discover how their professional interests could translate into working for a larger corporation or the civil society sector. Once the conversation died down, we transitioned to our Personal Branding workshop. Utilizing our staff and guests. campers participated in three stations that included: resume writing mentorship, interview practice, and brainstorming questions for our corporate sponsors. During this time, corporate sponsors were given a personalized tour of the campsite and had time to set up for their breakout session. Following the Personal Branding workshop, these breakout sessions began. Each corporate sponsor gave a 20-minute presentation on a topic of their choosing. This presentation was repeated, meaning our sponsors were able to Interact with approximately 15 unique campers in intimate and meaningful conversations. For Leonid Sajkov. al camper from Bitola, OKTAs presentation resonated most with him due [the speakers) wilingness to share her own professiona experience, I really enjoyed the presentation, especially because shel shared her experiences in finding a job, acing Interviews, taking opportunities, and all the risks Involved,” said Leo, Of course, anyone that follows YMLP’s social media knows a tup to camp must include chants. As we said goodbye to sponsors and guests, our campers. showed oft they carg spltand team pride with a booming sendoff. Page The YEFs second year of implementation further indicated the importance of the event and the value it brings to our camp program. Simply put, opportunities to formally explore career opportunities and network with leading professionals are extremely limited in N. Macedonia. We will continue to instill our campers with the professional skills through our Youth Employability class, but developing skills means little if they cannot be practiced. Due to our sponsors and guests interest in helping to mentor and develop the next generation of leaders, this practice is possible. The YEF gets campers excited to demonstrate their employability skills and learn more about themselves and the professional world around them. We look forward to our continued collaboration with sponsors and guests in this scope and future iterations of the GLOW &
Camp GLOW and YMLP 2018 Youth Job Fairs
Latest News Camp GLOW and YMLP 2018 Youth Job Fairs INNOVATION IN EDUCATION FOR EMPLOYMENT THROUGH CORPORATE PARTNERSHIPS Innovations in youth work In the field of youth work and non-formal education, innovation is key. Young people are looking for projects that give them the opportunity to get out of their comfort zones and challenge themselves. The Young Men’s Leadership Project (YMLP) and Girls Leading Our World (GLOW) in Macedonia are youth development programs that focus on youth development through experiential learning, facilitated workshops and outdoor team-building challenges: GLOW and YMLP provide concurrent and complementary program for our campers in a number of ways.. First through guided workshops, delivered by local and international volunteers on core curriculum topics – ecology, personal development, leadership, civic responsibility and youth employment. Lessons are held each day, building on previous days’ lessons, and providing campers with the broad knowledge and skills to continue exploring new concepts on their own. Second, team-building and self-reflection content is delivered through community-based challenges and outdoor engagement. Teams are mentored by experienced and trained staff who facilitate group challenges—physical and self-reflective—allowing campers to practice leadership, teamwork, communication and awareness. Campers work in teams with their mentor throughout the week and outside of class to develop interpersonal skills. Finally, multiple special events are provided throughout the week that act as capstone projects and cultural exchanges. For example, field days and elective courses allow campers the opportunity to experience the traditions of a typical American summer camp, while special events such as a camp-wide service project, project design simulation, and the new Youth Job Fair allow for campers to practice the skills developed during the week on their core curriculum. The business sector is a valuable resource All these different aspects of programming are provided thanks to two different sets of contributors. Socially responsible individuals work as volunteer staff, both American Peace Corps volunteers and Macedonian domestic volunteers, who contribute their time and experience in creating content for GLOW and YMLP camps and clubs. The effect of volunteers is enhanced by the contributions of corporate sponsors – socially responsible companies – who contribute resources, both financial and in kind, enabling the program to be organized. But why not engage sponsors multilaterally? YMCA Bitola sees corporate sponsors as more than just socially responsible entities that contribute to the financing of our program – they are also experts in their field who can provide valuable resources. Corporate partners are ideally placed with unique perspectives and expertise to advise YMCA users on what employability in Macedonia means and looks like. The goal is to activate those perspectives from the corporate partners in order for the youth to benefit, and on the other hand, to provide an opportunity for the partners to contribute more than just funds to the development of the youth. YMCA Bitola worked to revive this year’s core curriculum by providing an employment and work track for the first time. Throughout the camp, two dedicated youth employment facilitators guide campers through exploring professional communication, career planning, CV/résumé writing, as well as using volunteering, internships and other extracurricular opportunities as a pathway to employment. A keystone of the employability pathway is the Youth Employment Fair, where corporate partners are invited to join in and provide their expert perspectives to young people. This is an invaluable opportunity for partners to connect with young people and directly provide influence and insight into the corporate landscape of Macedonia. Youth employment fair for increased opportunities In its inaugural year, the Youth Job Fair includes three concurrent programs: career tables, short presentations and resume reviews. Campers rotate between talking with representatives at career desks one-on-one, receiving resume feedback from camp staff and attending presentations from both camp staff and community partners, learning about specific companies, industries and skills. The aim of the Fair is to present a wide range of information and for young people to leave the camp with new inspiration and insight that they can take with them. Campers are prepared and encouraged to circulate among the tables and ask questions about the company and industry-specific careers and benefit from having such valuable resources on site. The opportunity to speak with an influential decision-maker in some of Macedonia’s most prosperous industries is an experience that GLOW and YMLP campers took full advantage of. The participation of the Youth Employment Fair exceeded all estimates. During the planning process, expectations that anyone would want to travel to a remote camp in Krushevo for a two-hour event were very low – but the turnout was surprising. Five of seven high-level sponsors from the private sector participated in the Fairs sharing their mission, youth employment vision and expertise with the campers. Many of our partners have arrived with teams of senior management and executives – all ready to use their time to talk to our young people. Veneta Ristovska, representing our silver sponsor Sasa Mine and also a former GIOW Camper in 2012, spoke about her experience at camp and how young people can use the camp experience as a stepping stone to a successful career. It was especially special for the campers to be able to see concretely how to take ownership of the things they learned in the GLOW and YMLP programs and transform them into meaningful actions outside of camp. Veneta’s insight was complimented by Nick Shirley of Central Asia Metals (owners of the Sasa mine) who spoke of the potential of Macedonian business on an international level. For the third year in a row, Gold-level sponsor Okta was represented at both camps by CEO Loan Gerulanos, speaking about how campers as future members of the workforce can stand out to employers, pursue a career path that balances their personal strengths with the realities of the job market and why it’s important in life to fail, but never fail twice. George Topsis, Chief Commercial Officer at Okta spoke to the campers about pursuing career goals through the lens of philosophy. It was clear that both topics were
