Project title: ConNect, Implemented by Surgery Club Initiative (Yerevan State Medical University)
Timeframe: May 2022 – January 2023
Budget: 2,494,000 AMD
The project’s objectives were to enhance theoretical and practical knowledge, encourage active student engagement, and promote participation of students in medical communities at Yerevan State Medical University (YSMU). Leveraging social media, the project engaged with more than 200 students, ages 15-26, from Yerevan State Base Medical College and YSMU. Specialized courses, facilitated by the university’s resources, imparted practical, theoretical, and ethical skills, evaluated through tests and competitions. Students interacted with medical specialists, gaining valuable insights into the medical profession. The project conducted five events, enabling more than 140 students to showcase their knowledge to professionals, receive certificates and access to further opportunities. Some students initiated their own projects inspired by ConNect surgical project. Practical courses, competitions, and experimental surgeries improved students’ skills and educational levels, positively influencing their peers. The project also focused on medical ethics, patient interviewing, and effective educational tactics, fostering critical thinking and integration into medical communities. In the project's culmination, 130 students participated in the final contest.
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Project title: An initiative to promote students’ organisational and research abilities, Implemented by Innovative Education Foundation (European University of Armenia)
Timeframe: May – December, 2022
Budget: 2,460,000 AMD
The project aimed at uniting active students under common ideas and projects, focusing on two objectives: enhancing research and organizational skills and establishing a student initiative group at the university. The project group successfully executed various actions, including organizing practical meetings, organizational development trainings, creating course guides, and engaging with students from the Faculty of Economics and Management. They formed the Young Managers Student Club, facilitated 2-module courses, promoted research and organizational skills, and developed regulations for the Club. The most significant achievement was establishing the Young Managers Student Club at the European University of Armenia, empowering students and outlining formalization guidelines for similar groups within the university.
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Project title: Creating a Student Club, Implemented by Yerevan State University Ijevan Branch
Timeframe: May – October, 2022
Budget: 2,245,000 AMD
The main aim of this project was to enhance the capacity and practical skills of students at the Ijevan Branch of Yerevan State University through non-formal and extracurricular education, while also encouraging their participation in cultural activities. The following objectives had been identified: (1) Establishing a platform for non-formal education, (2) Providing students with adequate practical skills and capabilities. To achieve Objective 1, a student club was formed comprising students from the Ijevan Branch of Yerevan State University. This involved acquiring necessary resources such as space, furniture, and basic equipment. Objective 2 has been met through the execution of training programs facilitated by experts, organisation of excursions to historic places in the Tavush region, collection and digitization of information about these historic places, and development of a guidebook to for new tour guides. In particular, the publication produced showcases various excursions held in frames of the project to popular attractions located in the Tavush region. The objective of these expeditions is to familiarize the new guides with the region’s renowned tourist destinations, allowing them the student participants of the project to share their knowledge and skills with new guides.
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Project title: Student Democracy in Shirak Region, Implemented by “Hartak” Research Center NGO
Timeframe: May – November, 2022
Budget: 2,492,000 AMD
The project aimed at enhancing university collaboration in Shirak, focusing on two key objectives: establishing a student body across universities and enhancing transparency through student-led research. Ten female students from three Shirak-based state universities collaborated to analyze in-demand professions and assess educational programs at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Law. The project also engaged in local advocacy, including a meeting with the director of the Gyumri branch of the National Polytechnic University. This bottom-up initiative shed light on the mismatch between university courses and market demand, with an emphasis on student empowerment and engagement.
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Project title: Point of View, Implemented by Risomastic NGO
Timeframe: May – January, 2023
Budget: 2,299,000 AMD
The project aimed at increasing student involvement in university management by enhancing their awareness, identifying issues, and proposing solutions. The objectives included encouraging students to suggest internal management policy and campus organization ideas and promoting the dissemination of students’ rights and responsibilities. To achieve Objective 1, a three-day workshop was conducted for students from six Armenian universities. The students prepared reflections and short videos based on the workshop discussions. Objective 2 involved organizing discussions for students from each university group, with each member sharing a social media post about the issues discussed. Participants identified widespread issues in universities: bureaucracy, lack of Armenian literature, inadequate facilities for people with disabilities, library-related problems, and technological classroom limitations. Proposed solutions include email and electronic evaluation systems to address bureaucracy, extending library hours and involving student volunteers, and providing ramps and lifts for accessibility. Suggestions were made to allocate funds for technology, repair classrooms through fundraisers, and translate Armenian literature. Concerns about cafeteria absence were also raised. YSMU has already taken steps to address these issues by opening an Artlunch branch and addressing library hours.
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Project Title: The role of youth in the community, Implemented by Youth for Change Initiative
Timeframe: January – August, 2023
Budget: 4,509,375 AMD
The project has established a platform that enables young people to engage in community activities and gain insight into the actions of local government. Through this platform, students in Lori region have had the opportunity to voice their concerns regarding issues faced by young people in Vanadzor and nearby villages. The ultimate goal was to enhance the participation of young people in local government decision-making processes and improve the mechanisms through which they contribute to community development. The pivotal moment for the project was a round table discussion attended by community, civil society, and municipal representatives. Key topics included Aghayan Street traffic safety and stray dog concerns, which were addressed to some extent after the meeting. This event connected youth and local government, paving the way for future collaboration. The municipality’s acknowledgment of the platform’s effectiveness underscores its significance. The Hayk Square youth festival in Vanadzor on August 13 was a powerful event, amplifying the youth’s voice and showcasing their potential through vibrant activities, culminating in a spirited final concert.
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Project Title: Protection of students’ rights as a benchmark for realizing the right to education: Loopholes and Legislative Gaps, Implemented by Viktorya Hakobyanyan’s initiative
Timeframe: January – October, 2023
Budget: 3,380,000 AMD
The project aims to investigate issues pertaining to students’ rights, including violations and protection measures, and provide recommendations for enhancing the safeguarding of students’ rights. The rationale behind the project lies in the prevalence of students’ rights violations by not only educational institution faculty but also students, resulting in breaches of rights, such as privacy, appeal rights, and other legal entitlements. Hence, it is crucial to scrutinize such cases and propose protection measures that can be later integrated into legislative reforms. Thus, the main goal of the program is to study the problems related to the realization of students’ rights, the cases of students’ rights violations and to present more effective structures for the protection of rights. In addition, a review of legal acts fixing students’ rights and rights protection procedures, highlighting legislative gaps and presenting proposals have been developed and will be finalized by the end of the project.
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Project Title: The Good Doctor, Implemented by Medicus Initiative
Timeframe: January – November, 2023
Budget: 3,987,376 AMD
The main objective of the project is to simplify and make medical professional information accessible to a wider audience, and to showcase the experience of the medical students to wider public. Despite the advancements in technology, the Medical University still uses traditional teaching methods, which often make it difficult for medical students to grasp complex topics, hindering their professional development. Additionally, many important materials are only available in foreign languages, making them inaccessible to Armenian students. The project aims to address these issues by making the university’s professional literature available in a digital format, translating foreign language literature into Armenian, and using social media to disseminate the information to a broader audience. The project aims to enhance the project team’s capabilities, boost medical literature accessibility, promote social activism, and spotlight university issues for university leadership awareness.
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Project Title: We are Together, Implemented by White Cane NGO
Timeframe: January – June, 2023
Budget: 3,135,000 AMD
The primary objective of the project was establishing a student council for persons with disabilities in Armenia. The council’s mandate is to tackle the challenges faced by students with disabilities who are pursuing higher and secondary professional education in Armenia. Specifically, the council will aim to enhance communication between universities and the labor market, safeguard students’ rights and interests, and promote the self-organisation of students with disabilities.
The project team reached out to 20 educational institutions in Armenia, collecting data from 124 students with disabilities. After a thorough selection process, 26 enthusiastic applicants were chosen to participate in the project. Diverse modules were developed for the courses, covering digital literacy, legal aspects of human rights for individuals with disabilities, and communication skills. A two-day workshop in Tsakhkadzor refined the student council’s internal regulations with 25 engaged participants. The online courses prepared students for effective group work and decision-making. Ultimately, the Council devised a recommendation to establish mechanisms for accommodating students with disabilities during university entrance exams in Armenia.
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Project Title: Assessing civic activity of students of universities of Shirak marz, Implemented by Hartak Research Center NGO
Timeframe: January - June, 2023
Budget: 3,058,000 AMD
This educational-research project aimed at exploring the reasons for low levels of civic engagement and motivation among students and developing solutions to address these issues. This project ws based on the findings and experiences gained from the “Student Democracy in Shirak Marz” project. The project included activities to enhance the research skills of 15 students from two state universities in the Shirak region: Shirak State University and the Gyumri branch of the National Polytechnic University of Armenia. The students have identified reasons for the lack of civic participation and initiative among their peers, conducted intra-university research, and developed a package of recommendations for the two universities involved in the project.
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Project Title: Contributing to strengthening the connection between Yezidi students and the labor market, Implemented by Yezidi Center for Human Rights
Timeframe: January - June, 2023
Budget: 3,260,000 AMD
The Yezidi community has a limited number of young people pursuing education, and there is a lack of systematic and comprehensive efforts to promote higher education opportunities among them. This results in a lack of marketability of Yezidi graduates. In response to these challenges, the Yezdi Center for Human Rights, a human rights NGO, had launched this project aimed at strengthening the connection between Yezidi students and the labor market, as well as enhancing their professional skills. Ten Yezidi students were selected to undergo the training phase provided by the project. Courses titled “How to Prepare for a Job Interview” and “How to apply and get involved in youth projects?” were conducted, covering CV and motivational letter creation, interview strategies, civil activism, youth program application procedures, and correct application filling. Six project beneficiaries, upon completing the courses, secured one-month work practice opportunities in their preferred institutions – “Khirat Media” news organization, Metsamor Municipality of Armavir Marz, RA Ministry of Finance, “Fidem” software company, and “Medline” medical clinic. During this period, they applied their theoretical knowledge, learned about job complexities, explored new fields, and tested their abilities.
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Project Title: A Democrat Student, Implemented by Youth Power Initiative
Timeframe: January – June 2023
Budget: 3,991,860 AMD
The project focused on educating students from Gavar State University about their rights using both formal and informal educational methods, as well as mechanisms that promote democratic education and activism. The project also aimed at encouraging students to take an active role in university management processes, and improve the university-employer relationship by developing the Career Center as a separate structural unit. The project significantly impacted the Gavar community, especially Gavar State University, demonstrating the benefits of informal education for a quicker and engaging grasp of various topics aligning with students’ interests and rights. The “Student Democracy School” concluded during the project, with its impact continuing through follow-up activities at Gavar Agricultural College, engaging over 70 students. Seven standout graduates from the 20 participants secured work practice opportunities, enriching their theoretical knowledge with practical experiences in community organizations. Five clubs were established and sustain their activities, collaborating with the “Youth Power” initiative to drive university and community development initiatives. An independent student group, formed within the university, has been actively advocating for student rights and planning welfare campaigns. The project positively impacted over 350 indirect beneficiaries. Efforts by the project also led to a database of employer organizations in the community and region, benefiting the university and fostering valuable partnerships.
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Project title: ReGorsU - Reorganisation of the student council as the university’s restart, Implemented by ՛Eco-Youth՛ youth, environmental, tourism NGO
Timeframe: January – December, 2023
Budget: 3,244,000 AMD
The project’s primary goal is to enhance the capacity of the student council at Goris State University and its members, while also promoting and amplifying student activities and increasing their involvement in university decision-making. The project’s direct beneficiaries are the 40 members of GSU, and it also targets the university’s 740 students, teaching staff, and administrative personnel. The project aims to achieve three main objectives: (1) increase the visibility and effectiveness of the student council’s activities, (2) enhance students’ knowledge of university governance and develop policies that prioritize their needs, and (3) review the absence of student council documents and regulations, revise and develop a new charter and other regulatory documents.
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