Skills for a Shared Future: How YMCAs Turned World Youth Skills Day into Local Action
Every year on 15 July, the world marks World Youth Skills Day – a United Nations observance that highlights the importance of equipping young people with skills for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship.
This year’s theme, “Skills for a Shared Future,” reflects a simple truth: when one young person gains skills, families, communities and societies benefit.
Building on the HP-YMCA Digital Hubs framework and its focus on practical skills, digital inclusion and local delivery, YMCA Europe turned this global theme into coordinated action across its network. The result was YMCA Skills in Action, a movement-wide campaign inviting local YMCAs to design and deliver their own skills activities between 1 and 15 July, and to share their stories under the hashtag #YMCASkills2026.
The campaign, by the numbers
- 15 days of coordinated action
- 57 local YMCAs delivering activities across communities
- More than 5,700 people reached through practical, in-person skills development
All activities were delivered face-to-face in youth centres, schools, sports fields and digital hubs, led by YMCA staff and volunteers who understand their local realities. One shared campaign enabled 57 locally tailored responses. These figures capture just a two-week snapshot of a much broader reality: this is the work YMCAs carry out every day, throughout the year.
What young people experienced
Participants developed skills in areas such as digital and AI literacy, employability, entrepreneurship, communication and teamwork. Activities were grounded in non-formal education methods, ensuring learning was practical, engaging and relevant.
Many YMCAs drew on existing learning opportunities, including HP LIFE courses and the Microsoft–Founderz collaboration. In several locations, sessions took place in digital hubs equipped with HP Hope devices, enabling access to technology and free learning environments.
Inclusion was a central priority. Activities were intentionally designed for and with young people facing barriers to participation — including those not in employment, education or training, migrants and refugees, and young people with disabilities. Accessibility, dignity and relevance were embedded from the outset.
Celebrating what works
To recognise the impact, creativity and commitment across the movement, YMCA Europe awarded €5,000 in prizes across four categories: Most Beneficiaries Reached, Most Inclusive Activity, Best Video and Most Viral Video.
These awards are not about competition, but about highlighting effective approaches that can inspire and be adapted by others.
Winners of YMCA Skills in Action 2026:
Most Beneficiaries Reached
- 1st place: YMCA Serbia
- 2nd place: YMCA Volyn (Ukraine)
- 3rd place: YMCA Moldova
- Most Inclusive Activity: YMCA YWCA Lviv, Ukraine
Best Video: YMCA NS Khust, Ukraine
Most Viral Video: YMCA Arad, Romania
Thank you to all 57 YMCAs who made this campaign possible.
