YMCA Europe joined WorldSkills Conference 2026 in Shanghai from 23 to 25 September for three days of exchange on skills, inclusion and the future of work.
The conference also marked an important moment for BeChangeMaker: the conclusion of its tenth edition and the announcement of its handover from WorldSkills International to YMCA Europe.
Connecting skills with opportunities
Held alongside WorldSkills Shanghai 2026, the conference brought together young people, educators, policymakers and industry leaders to explore how skills development can respond to a changing world. Discussions covered AI, vocational education and training, skills recognition across borders, and international cooperation.
A recurring message was the need to bring education and workplaces closer together. Governments, training providers, employers and young people all have a role in shaping learning that responds to changing needs. For YMCA Europe, this reinforced the value of connecting community-based programmes with vocational training and employment opportunities.
The discussions on AI emphasised investing in people alongside technology. Learners and workers need time, support and opportunities to keep developing their skills. Speakers also highlighted critical thinking, understanding AI’s limitations and keeping people responsible for decisions—including in recruitment. These conversations offered useful ideas for how YMCA can support both young people and the youth workers who guide them.
Another key theme was making skills easier to recognise across countries and workplaces. For YMCA Europe, this raises an important question: how can young people demonstrate the skills they gain through non-formal education, volunteering and community activities? The conference provided opportunities to explore this with partners, alongside more inclusive pathways into training, employment and entrepreneurship.
Young entrepreneurs take the global stage
The BeChangeMaker final on 24 September brought five teams together to present solutions to social and environmental challenges. The programme received 700 applications from 77 countries and regions this year.
Meeting the participants and following the final stages of the programme gave YMCA Europe an opportunity to hear directly about their ambitions, the challenges they face and the support they need beyond the competition.Conversations about an alumni network highlighted their interest in staying connected, exchanging experience and helping future participants as local ambassadors.
Ruruka, from Paraguay, won the 2026 competition with its approach to transforming industrial sludge into sustainable construction materials [Learn more].
The other finalists demonstrated the range of challenges young entrepreneurs are working to address:
- Empals, India: accessible learning support for children with ADHD, dyslexia and autism.
- Polaris Safety, China: technology to help women navigate routes and public spaces more safely.
- Ridan AI, India: a behavioural AI approach to reducing harmful social media use.
- Vivian, Mexico: a digital interpreter translating Spanish into Mexican Sign Language.
YMCA Europe played a direct role in determining the competition’s outcome, serving on the three-member jury alongside representatives from UNESCO UNEVOC and HP.
Building on a decade of BeChangeMaker
The final also marked the handover of BeChangeMaker’s stewardship to YMCA Europe.
Developed by WorldSkills International and the HP Foundation, with support from UNESCO-UNEVOC and a wider network of partners, the programme has created a global opportunity for young social entrepreneurs.
Speaking at the handover, Jessica Woitalla, Project Manager at YMCA Europe, thanked WorldSkills for its leadership and the trust placed in YMCA to help carry the programme forward:
“Our intention is not to leave behind what has made BeChangeMaker special. It is to build upon it.”
The ambition is to preserve the global competition, learning, mentoring and connections while creating more ways for young people to begin their journey closer to home.
A young person might first identify a challenge in a YMCA centre, school or local community. With support, they could explore that challenge, develop an idea, build their skills and test a solution. The global BeChangeMaker programme would then offer an opportunity to strengthen that idea and connect with mentors, expertise and peers from around the world.
As Jessica explained in her speech:
“And we don’t want that journey to end with a pitch. We want BeChangeMakers to remain connected — to one another, to mentors, to partners, and to the opportunities and resources that can help them take their ideas further.”
An invitation to build together
This next chapter will take time and collaboration. YMCA Europe invites BeChangeMaker’s existing partners—and others who share its purpose—to contribute their expertise, networks and opportunities.
WorldSkills and its partners have built a strong foundation.
By connecting that experience with local communities and continuing support for alumni, the ambition is to help more young people turn the challenges they see into solutions they can act on.
YMCA Europe congratulates Ruruka and all the 2026 participants, and thanks WorldSkills International, the HP Foundation, the mentors and programme partners for making this milestone edition possible.
