On October 29, 2018, the YMCA for the fifth time received the corporate partners of the premium leadership camps GLOW and IMLP. This was an event where we reminisced about the fond memories of this year’s camps and thanked our corporate partners without whom the entire YMCA youth development program would not be possible.

The event was opened by the Executive Director of the YMCA, Viktor Iliev, who welcomed everyone, thanked them for their interest and then invited the American Ambassador to the Republic of Macedonia, Jess Bailey, who spoke about his visits to the GLOW and ILMP camps, the progress he saw in the development of the program and determination of the young people who could testify. After that, Sonja Boyarovska, Tinex’s Corporate Social Responsibility Manager spoke about the importance of investing in the youth of this country. Ambassador Bailey shared some thoughts on the importance of investing in the youth in Macedonia and also introduced the attendees to the idea and need for holding these camps. Afterwards, some of our campers gave short speeches and shared their personal experiences of their participation with the guests present. YMCA Executive Director Viktor Iliev spoke about the importance of outdoor education and camps as a form of informal learning, after which he presented the awards to this year’s corporate partners: Gold Sponsor: OKTA, Silver Sponsors: Tinex and SASA Mine, Bronze Sponsors: Alkaloid . Peccabesco and Zhikol. Then there was a period of informal socializing with some of our campers. This was an opportunity for the representatives of the companies to become better acquainted with the results of the program through the personal stories of the campers, but also an opportunity for further cooperation with the YMCA and the Peace Corps. This was an excellent opportunity for companies to demonstrate their corporate responsibility and build a good image for themselves and the products/services they offer. Becoming partners in the implementation of the GLOW and IMLP youth development program of the YMCA means creating a tradition in the development of top leaders in Macedonia supported by one of the best companies in the country and the region.