Expanding Digital Horizons: YMCA Introduce Gaming Garage Program

Latest News Expanding Digital Horizons: YMCA Introduces Gaming Garage Program In addition to the core HP life digital education program that the YMCA has been implementing for the third year at the Bitola Youth Center, the YMCA has expanded its offering with new digital programs through the Gaming Garage HP platform. These additional courses introduced young people to creative digital industries, including video game development, e-sports, programming, visual design, and digital storytelling. Designed to be understandable even for beginners, these courses combine creativity and technology and offer opportunities for access to modern, global, and fast-growing professions. The four-week hybrid program which was implemented this spring, combined online learning with live meetings at the Youth Center. Participants could individually or in teams learn from the online courses and exchange ideas with their peers. The program additionally included a study visit to a local gaming company where young people could get acquainted with real job positions and industrial processes in creating a game for the gaming market. In addition to these regular educational activities, the YMCA also activated the local community through two special Gaming Garage tournaments organized at the Youth Center. The tournaments were realized in two rounds, in spring and autumn as special events that encouraged young people to get involved, have fun and compete by playing some of the games they had the opportunity to learn about during the educational activities and meetings. The Gaming Garage tournaments were conceived as much more than games – participants had the opportunity to learn about the best free online courses for game design and the use of digital creativity in game creation, showing them that their hobby can grow into a skill or a future employment opportunity. Upon completion, participants receive an official certificate from HP and edX.These initiatives are open to all young people from 15 to 30 years old, regardless of previous experience. Curiosity, a desire to learn and an interest in IT technology are enough. Both programs HP LIFE courses and Gаming Garage are implemented in partnership with HP Inc. and YMCA Europe and are part of the wider HP E-Sports and Video Game Development Academy of HP. Through continuous training, joint events, and access to cutting-edge digital resources, the YMCA continues to motivate young people to learn, create, collaborate, and build the digital skills they will need in the future.

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

Latest News 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.

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