From Ideas to Actions: Digital Hubs, Gaming & Community Impact

The event “From Ideas to Actions: Digital Hubs, Gaming & Community Impact”, hosted by YMCA Slovakia, was a great opportunity for us, as part of the representatives of 22 national movements, to connect with partners from the technology sector of our European movement, such as HP, Accenture and Microsoft.

Since 2023, we have joined forces with HP Inc. to equip young people with the tools and digital skills they need to be ready for the future of work – as well as to be part of HP Inc.’s mission to accelerate digital capital for 150 million people by 2030.

This joint mission is designed to explore the possibilities of implementing digital education and skills solutions in our communities, bringing technology closer to users, promoting digital inclusion and facilitating the use of the digital sphere as a tool for youth work, communication and community engagement.

We were so happy with the presence of high-level key speakers at the event such as: The Managing Director for Central and Eastern Europe at HP Inc, the Leader for Partnerships and Social Impact Programs at HP Inc, the Director of Sustainable Impact for Global Communications at HP Inc, the Digital Corporate Manager at HP Accenture Slovakia, the Director of Social Impact Skills for Western Europe at Microsoft, as well as a representative from the Ministry of Education – Slovakia. In different panel discussions, they were present to deliver inspiring sessions on digital equality, artificial intelligence, games as a skill development opportunity, and digital hubs as pillars of the community, providing our national movement representatives with invaluable expertise and innovative steps to implement across Europe.

This event was a significant step towards bridging the gap between technology and community development. By bringing together YMCA representatives and industry experts, the event fostered collaboration, knowledge sharing, and strategic planning for digital inclusion.

Now, in addition to leveraging HP technology with the HP LIFE platform, the YMCA will implement the HP Gaming Garage solution, a leading gaming and maker education program designed to foster programming, design, and prototyping skills.

With access to professional esports management and game development certificate courses, youth will have access to transferable skills for future jobs in the business, media, and ICT sectors. Designed by leading university professors for HP Inc. and hosted on edX, the HP Gaming Garage offers free access to 82 modules, available in English with translations in 11 additional languages.

During this 2-day workshop in Bratislava, all participants were invited to a challenge to design a project idea on how to start a Gaming Garage in our centers, and the best three ideas would be presented and financially supported for implementation.

We are very happy that our idea “Pay it Forward” is among the three winners and will soon start being implemented by our YMCA and YMCA Albania.

Thank you to all partners and YMCA Europe for all the support you offer to our centers and the opportunities offered to young people and communities.