Programs
Our mission is to empower young people and work to develop their inherent potential!
Since establishing the YMCA in Macedonia, we have been promoting youthwork as our central activity. We are glad that after many years, our country has taken steps to include and recognize the youthwork as a profession. Several steps are being taken to incorporate it in the state laws, but also to provide forms of education for the upcoming generations. This is done alongside our government initiative to open several Youth Centers across the country, where youth workers can further develop their skills and know-how.
Bitola is one of the cities where such Youth Center should be open. We are cooperating with the local municipality and other youth NGOs to meet this goal. The network Union for Youthwork where we are members, is the umbrella organization that oversees these processes in the country.
Through different kinds of international opportunities such as personal and professional development trainings, youth exchanges and short and long term voluntary service, we enable our young people to gain and upgrade with necessary knowledge and skills to develop character so they can better answer to the nowadays challenges they face!
Through YMCA Europe we are involved in the Volunteers for Europe program.
We are also actively involved in various projects through the Erasmus+ program of the European Union. All information and possibilities can be seen in the European Youth Portal. For Macedonians who would like to volunteer in the EU and the EU program countries, there is also the European Solidarity Corps.
Personal Growth
Pillar #1: Community Wellbeing
Core Belief: The YMCA believes that every person should have the means to grow and thrive in body, mind and spirit while taking care of their individual and collective wellbeing.
Objective: Create programs that support the harmonious development of young people and communities when it comes to their physical, spiritual and mental health.
Program Info: Since our establishment, we have been offering opportunities for personal growth and development and improving the emotional well-being of young people. We do that through workshops, trainings, youth exchanges, volunteering, etc. in the country and abroad in cooperation with our partner organizations, whereby we enable our young people to acquire and upgrade the necessary knowledge and skills for character development so that they can better respond to today’s challenges.
Projects
- Peer school for the mental health of children and youth
- Antidiscrimination of the people with disabilities in the educational institutions
- NLP training course via Erasmus+
- Youth Center in Bitola with multiple programs
- YMLP [Young Men’s Leadership Project] national outdoor camp for boys
- GLOW [Girls Leading Our World] national outdoor camp for girls
- Balkan YMCA Leadership Camps
- Continues personal development training courses via Erasmus+
Career Development
Pillar #2: Meaningful Work
Core Belief: The YMCA Movement believes that all young people deserve the right to learn, engage in flexible, dignified and meaningful work, and build sustainable livelihoods.
Objective: Help young people and communities be better prepared for the future of work. Develop programs that offer education, upskilling, employment and entrepreneurship opportunities that increase readiness for the future of work.
Program Info: For over a decade we have been committed to empowering young people by providing them with the tools and opportunities needed for meaningful and sustainable employment. Through our digital education initiatives in partnership with YMCA Europe and Hewlett-Packard (HP) we equip youth with essential digital skills. Our career counseling services, camps career fairs and Erasmus+ entrepreneurship training courses guide young people toward their professional aspirations. We actively participate in global research on meaningful work, ensuring our programs are aligned with the latest trends and needs in the job market. By collaborating with local and international partners, we ensure our participants gain the skills and confidence necessary to thrive in their chosen career paths and contribute positively to their communities.
Projects:
- Internship opportunities
- Digital education in partnership with YMCA Europe and HP [Hewlett-Packard]
- Career Counseling
- Participation in global research on meaningful work
- Career fairs at YMLP and GLOW camps
- Entrepreneurship training courses via Erasmus+
Community Impact
Pillar #3: Sustainable Planet
Core Belief: The YMCA believes that we should all commit and take action for the protection and regeneration of our Planet, preparing for a Just Transition to a world where humans live in full harmony with Nature.
Objective: The YMCA commits to become a Greener Movement, an active youth voice on climate justice and champion of youth-led sustainability solutions. Integrate climate education components in all YMCA programs and encourage our beneficiaries to practice and champion environmental responsibility.
Program Info: For almost a decade, we have been dedicated to fostering environmental stewardship among young people and communities. Through our various programs we integrate climate education to raise awareness and drive action on pressing environmental issues. We collaborate with local and international partners to provide hands-on experiences in sustainability, such as community clean-up projects, tree-planting campaigns, and workshops on renewable energy and waste reduction. Our green initiatives, including eco-camps and sustainability-focused youth exchanges, empower participants to lead eco-friendly lifestyles and champion environmental responsibility. Through these efforts, we strive to build a greener, more sustainable future where young people are at the forefront of environmental change.
Projects:
- Monitoring decision-makers and advocating for sustainable transport solutions
- Activities within the European Mobility Week
- Bike-Up Erasmus+ youth exchange
- Volunteering activities within the local civic initiative Bitola on Bike
- Contribution to the local Platform Take a Breath for improving the air in Bitola
- National service projects in multiple cities with the GLOW and YMLP clubs
- Support green initiatives such as the national Tree Day or Green Bair
- Service projects on beautification, clean up, etc.
Community Impact
Pillar #4: Just World
Core Belief: The YMCA believes in the power of young people and communities to promote and advance justice, peace, equity and human rights for all.
Objective: The YMCA will become a global voice in the fight against systemic discrimination, inequity, injustice and racism in all its forms, amplifying the voices of young people and communities where it is active to ensure that everyone’s voice is heard. Empower young people to become peace-builders and transformative activists. Train young people to become advocates for diversity, equity, inclusion and social change worldwide.
Program Info: Since our establishment, we have been promoting youth work as our central activity. We advocate for the recognition of youth work as a profession, and the opening of youth centers where youth workers can work with young people. An involved civil society and active contribution of all stakeholders in public policies and processes is key to the development of the local communities in which we live and society in general. In this direction, the YMCA is involved and contributes in the areas of development of relevant youth policies and strategies, implementation of youth programs in schools by strengthening youth participation in decision-making, promotion of philanthropy by promoting volunteerism and encouraging corporate and social responsibility among companies and citizens.
Projects:
- We are part of the Coalition of Youth Organizations SEGA with whom we work on youth participation, children’s rights and children’s ombudsmen projects.
- We work within the Union for Youth Work to contribute to the recognition of youth work.
- We contribute to the Network for Financial Sustainability to foster a culture of philanthropy and social responsibility.
- We work with primary and secondary schools on project implementation.
- We are involved in key Municipal groups such as the volunteering council and youth council and actively advocate for the youth agenda.
- We collaborate with institutions, the civic sector and the corporate sector to secure better opportunities for our young people.
Programs
Our mission is to empower young people and work to develop their inherent potential!
Since establishing the YMCA in Macedonia, we have been promoting youthwork as our central activity. We are glad that after many years, our country has taken steps to include and recognize the youthwork as a profession. Several steps are being taken to incorporate it in the state laws, but also to provide forms of education for the upcoming generations. This is done alongside our government initiative to open several Youth Centers across the country, where youth workers can further develop their skills and know-how.
Bitola is one of the cities where such Youth Center should be open. We are cooperating with the local municipality and other youth NGOs to meet this goal. The network Union for Youthwork where we are members, is the umbrella organization that oversees these processes in the country.
Through different kinds of international opportunities such as personal and professional development trainings, youth exchanges and short and long term voluntary service, we enable our young people to gain and upgrade with necessary knowledge and skills to develop character so they can better answer to the nowadays challenges they face!
Through YMCA Europe we are involved in the Volunteers for Europe program.
We are also actively involved in various projects through the Erasmus+ program of the European Union. All information and possibilities can be seen in the European Youth Portal. For Macedonians who would like to volunteer in the EU and the EU program countries, there is also the European Solidarity Corps.
Youth Work Camps
Girls Leading Our World (GLOW) and Young Men’s Leadership Project (YMLP) were an eight-day, multicultural leadership American style of summer camps for young women and man that promoted leadership, civic engagement, and friendship.
The camps provided learning experience that included personal development, environment, youth employability and youth empowerment. In addition, the camps provided opportunities for outdoor camping, teamwork, learning different sports and recreation, artistic expression and other useful and practical skills.
GLOW & YMLP were implemented by the YMCA Bitola in partnership with Peace Corps. The full staff was consisted by YMCA, Peace Corps Volunteers, and GLOW & YMLP alumni. GLOW was an annual summer program that has been held in Macedonia since 2002 in various locations until 2019. YMLP was an annual summer program that has been held in Macedonia since 2006 in various locations until 2019. Both camps empowered young leaders to create positive changes in their communities.
The impact of the camps was intensified through our volunteer clubs housed in diverse communities around the country. The clubs provided an outlet where GLOW and YMLP alumni could share what they’ve learned at camp with their community through monthly activities focused on leadership and local service. Clubs were developed and operated by YMCA with partnership from Peace Corps.
In this field we collaborate with World YMCA and YMCA Europe as part of few international program groups such as: Camping Program Group, with the non-formal network International Synergy Group as well as with other organizations.
In the past, we have been collaborating regionally in the Balkans. The Balkan Camp in Nymphaio, Greece YMCA allowed many regional youths to learn about camps, the outdoors and to fall in love with camping. This camp was held from 2002 until 2011 and was run by international team of campers alumni from the Balkan YMCAs.
Community Development
The civil society with involvement and active contribution of all stakeholders in public policies and processes is crucial for the development of local communities in which we live in and the society in general.
In this direction YMCA Bitola besides youth work recognition, gets involved and gives contribution in the fields of development of relevant youth policies and strategies, implementation of youth programs in schools by empowering youth participation in the decision making, promotion of philanthropy by promoting volunteering and encouraging corporate and social responsibility among companies and citizens.
In that process beside with the above mentioned networks, we cooperate with other community stakeholders such as: Coalition of youth organizations SEGA, Network for financial sustainability of CSOs, primary and secondary schools, municipalities, companies, governmental and local institutions.
