Circular economy and the employability of disadvantaged youth
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On 2-10 July, Lilit Kharatyan, Kristine Hovhannisyan and Knarik Husikyan, volunteers of Armenian Progressive Youth NGO took part in a seminar organized by our partner AMSED NGO in Strasbourg, France. The topic of the seminar was “Circular economy and the employability of disadvantaged youth”. The program of the seminar included many interactive methods of non-formal education such as conferences and round tables, simulation activities, open space workshops and visits to local associations.
Speaking about the training sessions, our volunteer Lilit Kharatyan mentioned, “I went to Strasbourg with a basic knowledge about circular economy, however, nine days of active working paid itself off. Experts from all over the world shared their knowledge on the subject and gave comprehensive information which I can utilize later on. Additionally, we were introduced to good practices from different countries, success stories and paths leading towards them. Non-formal education methods on their turn made the sessions more interesting and entertaining. Upon completion of the seminar, our efforts, performances and achievements were evaluated and recorded in the Youthpass.
The participants were delighted with the road they passed during the seminar. Reflecting on her individual growth, Knarik Husikyan says the following: “The project itself was a great experience. Overall, the project assisted my personal and professional development and my active participation in the society. It gave me such a good opportunity to encounter with people from different backgrounds. Also, I have gained knowledge about concepts and ideas regarding democracy, citizenship and civil rights. Thanks to the project, I learnt to appreciate the importance of creative expression of ideas, experiences and emotions, as well as, how to deal with ambiguity and how to get involved in new cultural experiences.”
Since the seminar hosted participants from 14 different countries, along with giving the participants an exceptional opportunity to get acquainted with the modern tendencies in circular economy, it ensured the intercultural exchange between representative of different countries. Sharing her experience regarding intercultural communication, Kristine Hovhannisyan tells: ” I am very sociable person by nature and for me, it was such a great opportunity to get acquainted with different people. It gave me a chance to have a better intercultural competence which involves understanding different cultures, languages, customs, religions, as well as, social, ethnic and educational backgrounds. Also, thanks to the project, I have made many lifelong friends and I am really excited for that.”
Furthermore, participants have discovered a variety of non-formal educational methods that can be used when organising learning activities for youth. Each participant practiced their ability to deliver a speech trough a creative session where they had to prepare speeches on a given topic. It was a nice surprise to see the amazing public speaking skills that participants have and the emotions they were able to transmit to the audience. The participants discovered as well how to improve their creative thinking skills and different techniques meant to unleash ideas, as well as techniques used to generate new ideas for businesses. 
Apart from the educational part of the training related to the topic, the participants discovered Georgia and its culture. Participants learned how to cook “Khincali” and “Churchkhela” two of the most known Georgian traditional foods and sweets. They also attended a “Supra” – Georgian traditional dinner where they tasted amazing foods and felt the local spirit and hospitality. Participants created new friendships among them and enjoyed a good atmosphere. 
On the very first day when I arrived in Yerevan, I was so confused that I could not even understand what was going on around me. Then, I got home and met my roommate (for the upcoming month) who helped me to adapt with the Armenian lifestyle and gave me some recommendations of “must dos” in Yerevan. Therefore, this is where my adventures in Armenia has started.
During my stay in Yerevan, I tried to learn some Armenian to make my communication with the locals a little bit easier. I think I was the happiest person at the time when I could spell and write my name and profession in Armenian correctly. I also learnt some expressions that I could have used in everyday life. My favourite expression in Armenian is “Ես հայերեն չեմ հասկանում”, as I was supposed to use it the most.
Being an EVS volunteer in Armenia has thought me a lot considering my Turkish origin.
Since I arrived in Armenia during the first days of December, I had a chance to experience Christmas ceremonies happening in Yerevan. Our office is located close to the Northern Avenue, where they have an open-air New Year market for almost a month and during the evenings, you can attend concerts performed by children. I felt myself lucky as I have also participated in many Christmas and New Year parties and dinners organized by APY with its staff members and volunteers. During these informal meetings, I met lots of people who gave me some advices concerning my stay in Yerevan. Everyone warned me to buy everything before the January 1st because almost all the shops are closed until the 7th of January. It was far away the best advice as the city turned into a ghost from the January 1st 😀
On its way to reaching out to more young people as well as increasing the access to the opportunities for them, 
Armenian Progressive Youth has started its joint collaboration with an organization called Youth for Exchange and Understanding (YEU). Founded in Strasbourg in 1986 by a group of 120 young people and a member association of the European Coordination Bureau (E.C.B), today YEU is promoting peace, understanding and co-operation for young people from 30 countries across Europe and Africa in a spirit of respect of human rights.
As a member organization since 2012, Armenian Progressive Youth in collaboration with the European Youth Foundation has recently supported one of the training courses organized by YEU in Yerevan on the topic of cyberbullying. The project brought together many young people, youth workers and activists across Europe. The successful completion of this training course has been preceded by the General Assembly (GA), the legislative body of YEU, gathering its 17 partner organizations.
