Over the past three months, with strategic support from HP, YMCA has significantly expanded its digital impact, reaching over 181,000 direct beneficiaries across 15 countries in more than 400 hubs.
The YMCA Digital Hubs continue to deliver critical digital literacy, tech education, and social empowerment programmes tailored to the real needs of diverse communities.
From Batumi to Belgrade, Tayside to Thessaloniki, and Avignon to Odesa, YMCA Digital Hubs are transforming local spaces into vibrant centres of opportunity.
Whether it’s through game design and programming tournaments, digital literacy courses for displaced individuals, or AI and esports sessions, each activity supports the growth of vital 21st-century skills.
In Serbia, the partnership with local innovation festivals has helped the YMCA engage thousands in hands-on learning and new tech experiences like 3D printing and VR. In Georgia, the Hubs are addressing systemic barriers by empowering previously disconnected youth with real tools for employment.
Meanwhile, YMCA Spain continues to provide a safe space for upskilling vulnerable groups and fostering digital inclusion through workshops and community engagement.
YMCA Romania, Ukraine, Albania, and Moldova are leading efforts with schools and rural communities, offering everything from cyber safety workshops to teacher training and youth-led digital campaigns. YMCA Scotland, through its presence at the SCVO Gathering, showcased how local hubs can drive innovation in modern youth work.
Every YMCA digital hub adapts to local realities: offering basic digital education for adults, job support for young people, or creative projects that build confidence and foster community. Many hubs also incorporate HP LIFE, HP Gaming Garage, and other open-source tools, bringing learners closer to future-ready skills and meaningful career pathways.
A closer look at the data from the YMCA Digital Hubs across Europe reveals how the collective efforts are shaping real change.
Focus Areas
- Skilling (providing learning opportunities for digital and life skills necessary for work and active participation in society): 52.4%
- Gaming (esports, coding course, gaming management course): 24.6%
- Economic Opportunities (providing opportunities for development of business skills and entrepreneurship as well as access to employment opportunities): 23%
HP Support Streams
- HP HOPE (refurbished laptop donation): 48.2%
- Cash Mini Grants: 32.2%
- HyperX (equipment for digital education and gaming): 19.6%
Learning Solutions in Use
- HP LIFE: 49.1%
- HP Gaming Garage: 27.3%
- AI Teachers Academy: 14.5%
- HP IDEA: 9.1%
Innovation Dimensions
- Digital Skills Content (providing the availability of educational, culturally relevant, and engaging digital skills content tailored to the needs of users): 34.9%
- Digital Literacy (providing skilling and knowledge required to use technology effectively and confidently): 33.7%
- Technology Access (providing physical devices and infrastructure necessary for accessing digital tools and resources, such as laptops, tablets, other computers, and internet/broadband services): 31.3%
These figures reinforce the breadth and depth of the YMCA–HP partnership. Whether supporting advanced training or foundational literacy, the hubs remain pivotal in delivering inclusive, localised responses to Europe’s evolving digital landscape.
The journey continues – and so does the impact.
