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Americans for Artsakh
c/o NKR Office
1334 G St, NW
Suite 200
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 223-3440
www.americansforartsakh.org
Americans for Artsakh Extends Leadership Program to Youth
Following a series of successful government training programs, Americans
for Artsakh has just completed the first in what will be an annual
series of youth leadership programs in Artsakh. AFA brought an
outstanding team of experienced trainers to Stepanakert and Shushi to
provide valuable leadership skills to the most gifted and motivated
university students in the area. Students were selected from a range of
local tertiary-level institutions, and training space was generously
provided by Artsakh State University and the Naregatsi Art Institute in
Shushi.
The course provided leadership, negotiation, and cognitive effectiveness
(or "lateral thinking") training, based on methodology developed by the
Harvard University/Mercy Corps Conflict Management Group. The material
focused on using the ideas of prominent authors to bring these concepts,
vital to success in the modern world, to the area. A total of 30
students received an intensive (eight hours a day), eight-day training
session that was broken up into four components based on which author
was being presented at a given time. Each of the trainers - Arshak
Balayan, Tigran Bertizyan, Hamazasp Danielyan, and Gayane Vardanyan -
taught one section of the course. Class activities included games, role
plays, and various types of team-building exercises that helped
reinforce the ideas and foster a sense of camaraderie among the group.
In addition to the course itself, the team was featured on a national
television show based in Shushi.
Another component of the program involves the provision of special
grants to select students who will conduct their own community service
projects using the methods they learned in the course. The grants will
be given on a competitive basis, based on which students write the best
proposals.
Although the training team has conducted similar projects in other parts
of the Armenian world, they had a unique experience in Artsakh. Upon
completion of the course, team leader Balayan commented, "People in
Artsakh need us. They really need what we teach and I feel that I am
doing more than I have done teaching two years in Yerevan." Participant
Alexander Badalov concurred. "This is the first long-term youth
training ever organized in Artsakh.I am impressed. I hope [the
trainers] will be back for more."
Since AFA began organizing training courses in 2008, most of the
trainers have taken note of the great need in the area and deep
appreciation that they receive from the beneficiaries in Artsakh.
Because of its unrecognized political status and comparative lack of aid
it receives, Artsakh's particular disadvantage affects its ability to
implement programs such as these. As a result, the enthusiasm of the
participants, penetration into the local population and overall impact
are far greater than in many other places.
AFA plans to continue its training courses at both the government and
university level, and also offer more subject-specific courses to
students and professionals in Artsakh.
c/o NKR Office
1334 G St, NW
Suite 200
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 223-3440
www.americansforartsakh.org
Americans for Artsakh Extends Leadership Program to Youth
Following a series of successful government training programs, Americans
for Artsakh has just completed the first in what will be an annual
series of youth leadership programs in Artsakh. AFA brought an
outstanding team of experienced trainers to Stepanakert and Shushi to
provide valuable leadership skills to the most gifted and motivated
university students in the area. Students were selected from a range of
local tertiary-level institutions, and training space was generously
provided by Artsakh State University and the Naregatsi Art Institute in
Shushi.
The course provided leadership, negotiation, and cognitive effectiveness
(or "lateral thinking") training, based on methodology developed by the
Harvard University/Mercy Corps Conflict Management Group. The material
focused on using the ideas of prominent authors to bring these concepts,
vital to success in the modern world, to the area. A total of 30
students received an intensive (eight hours a day), eight-day training
session that was broken up into four components based on which author
was being presented at a given time. Each of the trainers - Arshak
Balayan, Tigran Bertizyan, Hamazasp Danielyan, and Gayane Vardanyan -
taught one section of the course. Class activities included games, role
plays, and various types of team-building exercises that helped
reinforce the ideas and foster a sense of camaraderie among the group.
In addition to the course itself, the team was featured on a national
television show based in Shushi.
Another component of the program involves the provision of special
grants to select students who will conduct their own community service
projects using the methods they learned in the course. The grants will
be given on a competitive basis, based on which students write the best
proposals.
Although the training team has conducted similar projects in other parts
of the Armenian world, they had a unique experience in Artsakh. Upon
completion of the course, team leader Balayan commented, "People in
Artsakh need us. They really need what we teach and I feel that I am
doing more than I have done teaching two years in Yerevan." Participant
Alexander Badalov concurred. "This is the first long-term youth
training ever organized in Artsakh.I am impressed. I hope [the
trainers] will be back for more."
Since AFA began organizing training courses in 2008, most of the
trainers have taken note of the great need in the area and deep
appreciation that they receive from the beneficiaries in Artsakh.
Because of its unrecognized political status and comparative lack of aid
it receives, Artsakh's particular disadvantage affects its ability to
implement programs such as these. As a result, the enthusiasm of the
participants, penetration into the local population and overall impact
are far greater than in many other places.
AFA plans to continue its training courses at both the government and
university level, and also offer more subject-specific courses to
students and professionals in Artsakh.