In 2024, through its Digital Community Hub – YMCA Bitola strengthened its efforts in addressing the challenges of digital literacy and inclusion in North Macedonia, where digital literacy rates remain below the EU average.
While urban areas have shown improvement, rural communities and marginalized groups continue to face significant barriers in accessing digital education, highlighting the ongoing need for free and accessible programs.
Expanding Digital Education and Key Objectives
YMCA Bitola‘s key objectives for 2024 focused on equipping youth with essential digital and employability skills, raising awareness about mental health in the digital era, and strengthening partnerships with educational institutions. Target groups included primary and secondary school students, university students, and youth from marginalized or disadvantaged backgrounds.
Key Activities and Impact
Throughout 2024, YMCA Bitola implemented numerous impactful activities designed to foster digital skills and promote social inclusion:
- HP LIFE Courses: Comprehensive sessions covered communication, marketing, finance, entrepreneurship, professional skills, and digital business, utilizing HP equipment.
- Peer Education: Sixty trained students conducted sessions on mental health and social media, reaching over 2,000 peers—the largest reach of its kind in the city.
- GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) Club: Participants engaged in workshops on social media marketing and brand presentation.
- Rural Outreach: Meetings with student parliaments in rural schools led to the development of a safe environment project to be implemented in 2025.
- Anti-Bullying Education: Peer-led workshops reached 200 high school students across six schools, focusing on online safety and bullying prevention.
- Digital Academy: Monthly sessions, supported by a Peace Corps volunteer, addressed digital literacy, social media literacy, digital marketing, and internet safety.
- European Mobility Week: In collaboration with eight primary schools, lectures and activities highlighted digital inclusion and sustainable mobility.
- Regional Collaboration: YMCA Bitola strengthened its connections with YMCA Kosovo and YMCA Serbia, exchanging best practices during visits to their digital hubs and fostering joint initiatives across the Western Balkans.
In total, 160 workshops were held, involving 2,946 participants, of whom 2,497 were unique users. The Digital Community Hub issued over 490 HP LIFE certificates and additional certifications in peer education and digital safety.
Communication and Outreach
To engage youth, YMCA Bitola employed a mix of traditional methods and digital marketing strategies. Social media platforms, particularly Facebook and Instagram, proved most effective for student engagement, while LinkedIn facilitated professional outreach.
Resource Mobilization and Partnerships
YMCA Bitola’s digital education program benefited from an unrestricted budget, alongside additional financial and in-kind contributions from local partners, including the city municipality, UNDP, YMCA Germany, and USAID. These contributions helped cover essential expenses such as rent, utilities, transportation, and staffing costs.
Lessons Learned and Future Directions
- Continue offering free digital education programs, with an emphasis on high school and upper-grade primary students.
- Schedule more activities on Fridays to maximize attendance, as this day has fewer academic and extracurricular conflicts for students.
- Strengthen relationships with schools by promoting YMCA as a complementary partner to formal education, fostering collaboration to support student well-being.
- Expand outreach in rural areas through dedicated projects that address limited informal education opportunities.
- Increase career counselling initiatives to provide young people with relevant support for their professional development.
A Vision for 2025
YMCA Bitola remains committed to broadening its reach and deepening its impact. The upgraded courses introduced in 2024 have been highly valued by both staff and participants, and plans are in place to build on this progress by enhancing career counselling services.
The achievements of 2024 reflect YMCA’s dedication to fostering inclusive digital education and empowering youth for the future. Continued collaboration with partners will be essential in driving these efforts forward, ensuring that underserved communities have the resources and support needed to thrive in the digital era.
More stories from the West Balkan Digital Hubs, here
Digital Community Hubs in the West Balkans is a YMCA initiative, powered by HP to accelerate digital equity in the regions, by helping YMCAs in Kosovo, Albania, Serbia, and North Macedonia to expand existing or create new digital community hubs.
The project aims to expand existing digital hubs and create new ones to enable young people, including those from marginalized communities, teachers, and youth workers, to access greater opportunities for education and employment.
