Adolescents of Ijevan conclude UPSHIFT with 5 community development projects
From sports, science education to tourism, young people in Ijevan develop their skills in civic activism.
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On 30 September, the European Union, UNICEF, Gyumri Youth Initiative Center NGO and the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports concluded UPSHIFT Ijevan. Convened in Dilijan, five young teams presented the results from their community development projects and shared their lessons learned. Out of 40 applicant teams these teams were selected in March after the UPSHIFT bootcamp and worked till September with their coaches to turn their ideas to reality.
“For many years, UNICEF partnered with the Ministry of Education on ensuring a wide range of education opportunities are available for children and young people in Armenia, both through the formal education system and complementary non-formal education. UPSHIFT is an example of this approach: it is a non-formal education programme which provides adolescents and young people with opportunities for learning, strengthening their 21st century skills, which they will use throughout their life, and promoting opportunities for civic activism. It is also an example of the great collaboration with the European Union on promoting educational opportunities for children and young people across Armenia,”
“The development of young people, their education and opportunities to turn their ideas into reality is a priority for the European Union. This programme is special as it gives you the freedom and opportunity to develop, identify and discuss issues within your communities and together find solutions to them,”
“It is very important for the Ministry that these kinds of programmes are implemented at marz level. The development of abilities of our young people across the country and creating an enabling environment where you can put your abilities to use for your community is what the state aims for within the national youth policy,” stated Artur Martirosyan, Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports. “Thanks to UPSHIFT, our adolescents and young people supplement their stock of formal knowledge from schooling through acquiring new skills, generating and implementing innovative ideas.” Mr Martirosyan also added that the Government will establish 25 new youth centers in the marzes by 2026, and one of them will soon open in Ijevan.
The five teams took turns in presenting their projects, which included an improved outdoor sports area at Aygehovit village school where students are now able to play basketball, volleyball, and tennis. The second group focused on the massive task of developing a comprehensive map of Ijevan landmarks and facilities to support tourism, eventually signing a memorandum with the municipality to place the maps within Ijevan. The third group focused on creating an astronomy club at their school with various materials and equipment to encourage students’ interest in science. The fourth team from Sevkar village advocated with the administrative head of their community to provide a dedicated room in the community to serve as a youth center to promote self-development and civic activism. While finally the fifth group created an intellectual board game on Tavush marz as a new engaging learning material for their peers, which they disseminated to school and public libraries in their community.
“Gyumri Youth Initiative Center NGO is pleased to partner with UNICEF this year to implement UPSHIFT in Ijevan and Gavar communities with the support of the European Union. This programme cultivates the creative and development potential of young people in Armenia, providing them with opportunities to hone their leadership, communication, and team-work skills among many other benefits,” shared Artur Najaryan, Chairman of the board of the NGO, inviting for a moment of silence for young people and civilians who died as a result of the armed conflict with Azerbaijan in September.
