October November 2012
with
#4 Youth Exchange
A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed In partnership with Counterpart International, YIC was able to give four participants an unforgettable experience— to spend a week in Şivas, Turkey, learning about the importance of solidarity and social assistance among young people, with
participants from all across the European continent. While the Youth Initiative Center is frequently both an organizing and participating organization in Youth in Action projects and initiatives, this one was particularly special. The program was specifically designed to reach youth from disadvantaged backgrounds; and with the generous support of Counterpart International, the participant costs could be covered. YIC gave an open call among the 41 Youth and Community Action Centers (YCAC) throughout the country, and four participants from four different regions of Armenia were chosen to attend the week-long international youth exchange.
Upcoming Clubs Mondays: 14:00 – International Club (Sona Sahakyan)
16:00 – English for beginners (Volodya Khachatryan)
17:00 – Conversational English (Kimberly VanKirk)
Tuesdays: 16:00 – English for beginners (Volodya Khachatryan)
17:00 – Spanish Club (Anna Harutyunyan and Iustina
As part of the program, participants were encouraged to recognize not only
marginalized groups within their own countries, but also to identify groups who could assist and support such groups. And during the final days of the exchange, participants were given the opportunity to visit the local municipality and serviceoriented organizations, where they learned first-hand about innovative and effective social assistance programs. Just as importantly, bringing 30 young people from Lithuania, Georgia, Russia, Moldova, and Turkey also promoted cross-cultural understanding and appreciation among the participants, and strengthened their skills in cooperation and teamwork while encouraging tolerance toward different lifestyles and points of view. By Kim VanKirk
Pascari)
Wednesdays:
16:00 – Photography Club (Luís Carvalho)
17:30 – Intermediate English Club (Siranush Minasyan)
Thursdays: 15:00 – European Club (All EVS volunteers)
15:00 – EyoU Club (Aleksandra Zięba and Victoria
Walter - Last Thursday of each month) 17:00 – German Club (Anna Schott & Johanna Palomita)
Fridays: 16:00 – Farsi Club (Galya Hovhannisyan)
17:30 – Intermediate English Club (Siranush Minasyan)
More info on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ groups/yic.members.group/
Often, pictures can express more than words. Photographs
and through cultural differences, since photography is an art
can document our realities and express our feelings when
which is not restricted by language and culture. The project
words fall short. And pictures can be a powerful way to bring
also worked towards recognising photography as an effective
people together. From the 14th-20th October, that is exactly
way of expressing opinions and feelings, as illustrated in the
what happened when five YIC members participated in a
project title “photographs talk louder than words.”
youth exchange in Turkey entitled “Photographs Talk Louder
Participants received an introduction to basic photography
than Words.” The project was organised by Hasan Ferdi
and famous photographers before spending time taking
Turgutlu Technical High School in the town of Turgutlu in
pictures
western Turkey and featured 30 participants from six different
photographs were then displayed and shared in an exhibition
countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Czech Republic, Slovakia,
at the end of the week. In addition to the time spent behind
Turkey and Ukraine.
the camera, there was also free time for the participants to
The goal of the project was to use photography as a medium to encourage young people to work together across borders
in
and
around
Turgutlu.
The
participants’
explore the culture and sights of the town and its surrounding landscape.
By Kristoffer Jansen
Club Spotlight - EyoU Club On the 25th of October, two of YIC’s EVS volunteers,
Aleksandra from Poland and Victoria from Austria, conducted
customs, traditions, and lifestyles of our
EVS volunteers’ home countries.
the first meeting of the EyoU Club. They informed interested
The topics of the EyoU Club are
youth about the European Union in general, and focused
decided upon beforehand, and will
specifically on the Youth in Action program and the
be announced in the YIC Members
possibilities for young people in Armenia to go abroad.
Group on Facebook. Suggestions
During the first meeting they also outlined the purpose and
and requests for topics to discuss
main topics of the EyoU Club. YIC members can attend this
can be made to the two club leaders
club to learn about the opportunities connected with the
and will be gratefully received.
European Union, the system and structure of the European
The next EyoU Club will be held
Union, and how they can potentially benefit from it. In
on Thursday, the 29th of November
addition to the monthly EyoU Club, all of our EVS volunteers
at 15:00. During this upcoming club,
will kick-off the European Club in November, which will meet
our volunteers will inform our members about scholarship
weekly and present the cultures of Europe. Whereas the EyoU
opportunities in foreign countries and give practical advice on
Club will focus only on the opportunities and programs within
searching and applying for programs, such as DAAD in
the European Union, the European Club will introduce the
Germany.
By Aleksandra Zięba and Victoria Walter
EVS Hosting
Active Citizens in the Caucasus Beginning from November 1st, YIC staff and members will
the EECA region and encourage others to take a chance with
happily add one more country to our growing list of EVS
EVS!
countries represented at the Youth Initiative Center--
Generally, the project will promote the European values of
Germany. Under the “Active Citizens in the Caucasus”
active citizenship, volunteering, social inclusion, and equal
project, five volunteers from Germany will arrive to spend the
chances for all, primarily through the use of non-formal
next
non-governmental
educational events and activities for local youth and children.
organizations in the South Caucasus countries of Armenia,
Specifically, the Armenian project will focus on providing
Azerbaijan, and Georgia. Two volunteers will be hosted in
opportunities to youth from disadvantaged backgrounds,
Azerbaijan, one in Georgia, and two others - Anna Schott and
including orphans and youth from underprivileged areas. And
Johanna Teubler - will complete their voluntary service with
like all EVS volunteer projects, the volunteers are encouraged
YIC.
to initiate their own ideas and activities within the framework
eleven
months
in
different
The idea behind the project is two-fold: first, to strengthen local
organizations
and
of the project, according to their own aspirations and specific talents!
youth centers with fresh
Like all EVS projects, our volunteers have the opportunity to
enthusiasm and a taste of
receive as much as they give. Under this particular Youth in
Europe; and second, to link
Action (YiA) project, the volunteers will get insight into the
the
volunteers’
workings of a youth-focused NGO, become familiar with non-
activities with a common
formal education methods and tools for working with youth,
purpose.
and
five
volunteers
Once return
the to
discover
potential
approaches
for
avoiding
the
marginalization of certain social groups.
Germany at the end of the
Stay tuned for the upcoming activities within this project, or
project, they are expected
just come by the office and say hello to our newest EVS
to promote volunteering in
volunteers!
By Kim VanKirk
Training Course
You Have More Rights Than Staying Silent What is “youth participation” and how can we increase the
and role plays.
understanding of it? How can we motivate young people to
During a mid-training trip to the city of Batumi, participants
become active citizens and be included in decision-making
sat down with representatives from the local municipality and
processes? What kind of social issues are facing youth, and
Droni NGO, in order to learn more about the existing
what is the best way to deal with them?
methods being used to engage local young people.
These questions, among others, were the focus of the six-day
Immediately following the discussion, participants enjoyed an
training course “You Have More Rights That Staying Silent” in
afternoon in the seaside city, where they got to experience
Kobuleti, Georgia in early October. The training course
Georgian culture, history, and cuisine. Later in the week, the
brought together youth leaders, youth workers, and young
participants also joined together for the Intercultural Evening,
people from Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Italy, Lithuania,
where the cuisine and cultural traditions of each country were
Moldova, Romania, and Slovenia.
introduced. During the Armenian presentation, everyone got
Participants developed their knowledge and skills on the
up to try a traditional dance; later in the evening, everyone
topics of youth participation, active citizenship, human rights,
learned how to play a typical Belarusian children’s game.
and democracy, with the hope of increasing youth
Through it all, participants shared stories and laughter, and
involvement and supporting young people in developing
discovered similarities that are stronger than any differences.
initiatives to address local issues. To this end, the trainers
And even despite a hurricane on the final day that took out
provided a variety of useful tools, including the European
the power and tested the resourcefulness of the training team,
Charter on the Participation of Young People in Local and
the objectives of the training course were fulfilled, and
Regional Life (a publication by the Council of Europe) and the
participants left with tangible ideas for future cooperation.
RMSOS framework, as well as many opportunities for information sharing through team-based activities, discussions,
By Gagik Grigoryan
International Training Course
URA – You are Able At the Youth Initiative Center, we know about the power of volunteering and the many benefits it can bring to both the
organization and the volunteer, and we want to make sure that others do, too. So it was an easy decision to organize an international training course with the aim to promote volunteering as a mechanism for increasing youth employability. The program, entitled You Are Able (URA!), specifically focused on: • recognizing the types of voluntary activities that lead to capacity development and competitiveness in the job market; • how to recruit, retain, and recognize volunteers for maximum effectiveness; and • the introduction of mechanisms for tracking voluntary work as a learning process. The training began on October 14th, when 25 participants from 13 different countries arrived in Gyumri to attend the week-long workshop, which took place at the Berlin Art Hotel. For the next six days, the participants took part in discussions, simulations, and seminars all designed to give them new knowledge and skills about how volunteering can be used to increase prospects for
employment. In addition to the ideas and tools presented by the trainers, participants were encouraged to exchange their own ideas, experiences, and realities with one another. The workshop also provided the opportunity for participants to experience Armenian culture, many for the first time. As part of the learning process, participants were sent out into the community with small volunteering tasks to complete, which offered the chance for interaction with local people. And Armenian hospitality was at its finest when thirteen local families volunteered to host the international participants for the first two nights of the training, giving these participants a glimpse of daily life and culture in Gyumri. For more information about the training, including information about the partners, the program agenda, videos about volunteering made by the participants themselves, and other useful links, please check out the URA! blog at: www.ura2012.wordpress.com. For pictures from the training course, check out the URA photo album
at YIC’s Facebook page.
By Kim VanKirk
EVS Sending
Ariadna volunteering in Turkey This month, we are pleased to introduce Ariadna Grigoryan, our EVS volunteer in Istanbul, Turkey. “I just can’t miss this unique opportunity for self-discovery,”
In the future, we plan to write a project proposal on
was my first thought when I saw the announcement about the
cooperation within the educational sphere, such as academic
“Rolling
exchanges and implementing the Erasmus Mundus program
Istanbul”
EVS
opportunity
in
Hrant
Dink
Foundation (HDF; www.hrantdink.org). This EVS is special
between the two countries.
because, apart from working for an Armenian organization in
I also participated in the annual youth gathering with
Istanbul that specializes in minority/human rights and cross-
Community Volunteers Foundation, which enabled me to
border dialogue, I also have the opportunity to meet young
meet new people and learn about volunteer needs-based
volunteers from all over Turkey through TOG (Community
initiatives all over the country, and contributed to my expertise
Volunteers Foundation; tog.org.tr/EN/) and develop my own
in future undertakings. And as a member of TOG’s
community and cross –border projects.
international study group, we’ll be working on developing new
As a volunteer in Hrant Dink Foundation, I mostly act as a
projects that focus on the organization’s priorities and scope
link between the activities being organized by HDF and their
of interest, which are: youth mobilization and activism,
current and potential Armenian partners, thus increasing
cooperation with Germany and Armenia, and volunteer work.
awareness of HDF’s activities in Armenia, finding new
Before embarking on this adventurous path I had many
opportunities, expanding the network, and extending the scope
doubts, but as they say: “You never know until you try.” My
of cooperation.
last comment would be: “Dare to try.”
By Ariadna Grigoryan
Interview with the member of August – Martin Poghosyan We caught the member of August for a short interview:
game. And I have one more hobby: films. Film is the most
How did you find out about YIC?
important thing in my life. I dream that one day I will be able
My mother told me about YIC. Frankly speaking, I thought
to earn money through that hobby.
that it wasn’t something serious. She advised me to go and see
P.S. I also love sleeping.
what a kind of organization it was. YIC people met me very
What is your profession and where do you work?
warmly, and from the beginning I felt at home. Probably, it
I study at Gyumri Art Academy, but I also pay a lot of
was the friendly, warm atmosphere that made me attend
attention to self-education and self-development. I don’t
regularly.
currently work, although I would really like to. I would like to
What is the best thing at YIC?
earn a lot of money. But I am ready to earn little money
YIC people are unique. It is a pleasure for me to speak with different people about various topics. You can have very
through shooting films, because it is more important for me to do what I really like and
interesting discussions which you would not have anywhere
enjoy, even if I can earn only
else. I wish that there will be more such NGOs in our city.
a little money through it.
What is the most important thing you have learned at
Why
YIC?
recognize YIC?
I think there are still many important things I have to learn
people
should
Every person who wants to
from YIC.
escape from the gray colors
What hobbies do you have?
of our city - welcome to YIC.
I am fond of football, and can say I am addicted to that
Interview by Nune Minasyan
Interview with the member of September – Nune Minasyan We caught the member of September for a short interview:
The most important thing I have learned at YIC is probably
How did you find YIC?
volunteering. Due to YIC, I have learned how to volunteer,
I followed my sister’s advice (Nelli Minasyan - Project
which of course has become the new means for my self-
Officer in YIC) to become a member of YIC. Now I am also
development.
a local volunteer.
What hobbies do you have?
What is the best thing at YIC ?
I have many interests. But most of all I like to be involved in
YIC has so many good features that it is really difficult for
organizational issues and which sometimes is part of my
me to single out some
voluntary work. I regularly organize leisure activities and
of them. But most of
events for YIC.
all I like their working
What is your profession and where do you work?
style of “for youth, with
youth
and
by
youth.” What
is
the
most
layer; anyone who wants to be more informed and educated
important thing you
should recognize YIC and color their life with the bright
have learnt at YIC?
colors of YIC.
Address: Shirakatsi 177a, apt.2, Gyumri 3118, Armenia newsletter@yic.am
Website: www.yic.am Tel/Fax: +374 312 4-94-97
Why people should recognize YIC? Anyone who wants to differ from nowadays gray social
Contacts E-mail:
I am a manager at Fashion Shop and also a hairdresser.
Interview by Nune Minasyan