May marked the launch of the “CivicLab: Platform for Youth Participation and Leadership” project, aimed at empowering young people. The first phase of the project, consisting of a series of Civic Education workshops, provided active youth from the Vanadzor consolidated community with the opportunity to gain new knowledge and develop practical skills.
The training series was built on the principles of promoting youth leadership and civic engagement. Participants began their journey by developing skills in communication, cooperation, and community leadership, followed by a workshop on mapping community issues and setting priorities. During this phase, the youth learned how to accurately diagnose community problems in order to find effective solutions later on.
The next important stage of the workshops focused on the local self-government system and mechanisms for civic participation. Through practical work, participants examined the legal and practical tools that allow citizens to become directly involved in community decision-making processes.
The capacity-building phase concluded with a workshop on youth participation rights, during which participants were also introduced to digital participation tools. In this context, the youth worked practically on the teselem.am platform, through which they voiced various community issues and submitted them to local self-government bodies.
Through interactive discussions, teamwork, and practical exercises, the young people had the opportunity to develop essential skills in cooperation, initiative, and community involvement. This first phase of the project served as an important platform for the youth to better understand community issues, articulate their own ideas, and realize the importance of active civic participation.
The “CivicLab: Platform for Youth Participation and Leadership” project is implemented by the “NGO Center” Civil Society Development NGO and is funded by the Hovnanian Foundation.