On the 12th of October, our representatives began their journey to visit and meet the team at YMCA Serbia, reconnect, share stories and be inspired by the incredible sessions at the local Digital Community Hub.
The Hub is located in the town of Backi Petrovac, Vojvodina region. Powered by HP, the YMCA established their digital community hub serving young people from vulnerable backgrounds, ethnic minorities, students, youth workers and educators in enabling youth to access digital resources and develop STEAM methodologies.
The YMCA has two centres, one of which is fully equipped with laptops and tools to accelerate digital equity and STEAM education, and a second centre that serves as the main youth centre.
Shortly after arriving at Backi Petrovac, we were greeted by the team at YMCA Serbia, Secretary General Natasha Kinik showed us the facilities, had a guided tour of the centre, and attended an induction session to the courses offered at the hub.
Young primary school students are keen to take part in a gamification process that involves algorithmic thinking, teamwork and soft skills to complete various tasks on a platform developed by Code.Org.
The activities were engaging and truly encouraged the young ones to develop new skills, and experience team-focused as well as individual learning. The team is very caring, and passionate about the learning journey of the young ones.
Once the courses are completed, young participants receive certificates of completion, stating their level and determining them to return and level up their game of STEAM.
Our team has been incredibly impressed by the expert youth workers at the hub, their care and patience with the young learners, and their determination to create an active, fun and non-formal learning space for the young participants.
We are grateful to have had this opportunity to connect with the team at the grassroots level, observing their incredible determination and work ethic in ensuring the YMCA hub is fully operational and continues to be an exciting experience for all the participants.
Full photo album.
