YMCA and HP LIFE Open the Doors to Opportunity

July 2023

At her local YMCA in Ethiopia, Danayit Zegeye sharpened her social media marketing skills while Fiona Meqa learned how to be an effective business leader in Kosovo.

Thanks to a partnership between the HP Foundation and the  World Alliance of YMCAs, the HP Foundation’s free digital learning platform,  HP LIFE , is now offered to students in seven YMCAs. More than 30 HP LIFE courses are available in eight languages, covering a range of topics from starting a small business to understanding 3D printing.

The partnership’s goal is to narrow the digital divide by helping people—particularly younger generations—acquire new skills, secure employment opportunities, and build a fulfilling future.

Danayit Zegeye and Fiona Meqa are among the scores of people tapping into the free resources provided by the partnership.

Preparing for a successful future in Ethiopia

Danayit Zegeye lives in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She is a student at her local YMCA where she recently completed graphic design training. She plans to start her own business in the near future.

“My business is in the research stage at the moment, so I was keen to take courses that would help me develop a proper mindset and follow an appropriate path from the beginning,” said Danayit who was introduced to HP LIFE by the YMCA team.

Danayit enrolled in four courses: Success Mindset, Social Media Marketing, Your Target Audience, and Selling Online through which she discovered the importance of having a successful mindset and sharpened her social media marketing skills.

And this was just the beginning for Danyit who embraced the phrase ‘the more the merrier’ by taking other HP LIFE courses and learning additional skills, which she hopes will open up more possibilities for her future.

Learning in-demand skills in Kosovo

Fiona Meqa has been an enthusiastic member of her local YMCA for two years. She describes herself as extremely competitive and loves learning new things. So when the staff at her local YMCA center introduced her to HP LIFE, she was excited to try out the program.

Fiona enrolled in four courses— Effective Leadership, Design Thinking, Success Mindset, and Business Email—recommended by staff who helped Fiona and her fellow students to navigate the platform.

“All four of the courses were very hands-on and allowed me to share my thoughts and opinions while gaining knowledge on new topics,” said Fiona. By the time she completed the courses, she had learned how to craft a business email, be an effective leader, and cultivate a success-focused mindset.

Fiona credits HP LIFE for introducing her to new skills—such as professional email writing—that are not offered at her school, and she has already started to use her new knowledge to inform her future career path.