YMCA Europe visited H20 Esports Campus in Purmerend (Netherlands) to better understand how gaming and creative technology can be intentionally structured as pathways toward skills development and youth empowerment.
H20 operates as a Creative Tech and Gaming Campus where esports competitions coexist with training environments in streaming, content creation, game development, robotics and AI-related learning. What distinguishes the model is the clear progression from engagement to structured skill-building.
For YMCA, the relevance lies in strengthening existing Digital Hubs rather than replicating large-scale infrastructure. Across more than 500 hubs, the strategic challenge is sustaining youth engagement and converting participation into measurable learning outcomes.
The visit builds on YMCA’s early steps in competitive gaming, where esports activities have already been used to foster belonging, teamwork and transferable skills within local YMCAs. As highlighted in recent initiatives on competitive gaming, the focus is not performance alone, but community, inclusion and structured development. However, the movement remains at an exploratory stage, assessing how gaming can evolve from activity-based engagement into a more systematic skills pathway linked to digital literacy and employability.
During the visit, discussions focused on:
- how supervised gaming clubs can transition into digital skills modules
- how esports event organisation can build project management and leadership skills
- how creative tech environments can stimulate entrepreneurial thinking
- how gaming interest can serve as an entry point into AI literacy and certified digital courses
The exploration is positioned as an experimental layer within the current Digital Hub framework, not as a separate esports programme. Any next steps would involve limited pilots, clear KPIs and strong safeguarding standards.
The central question remains practical: how can youth interest in gaming be converted into structured development pathways that strengthen employability, digital competence and community leadership across Europe?
