Study Visit in YERITAC
 From 22 to 29 of August World Independent Youth Union NGO was hosting a Study Visit in Armenia. The project was a result of cooperation of several NGOs (Polish Communes Association of Nysa Euroregion (Poland), Akademicki Zwiazek Sportowy Klub Środowiskowy (Poland), Interkulturelles Netzwerk (Germany), World Independent Youth Union (Armenia) and was realized by financial support of Polish National Agency in frame of Youth in Action program. During the visit the representatives of different youth organizations from Poland, Germany, France, Ukraine, Georgia and Armenia had chance to get familiar with the reality that excite in Armenia in youth field. They had several meeting with youth organizations in Gyumry (YFPD, YMCA Gyumry and Vanadzor, 5th Floor) and in Yerevan (YERITAC, For Sustainable Human Development). These meetings were great opportunity for guests to see in reality how the youth organizations are working in Armenia, what kind of projects they are realizing, what are the difficulties that they face during their work and what are the support structures that excite in the country. At the same time local NGOs were able not only to present their work but also to receive information about European youth work and also to discus possible project ideas.
The guests expressed a big interest towards the regional projects implemented and to be implemented by YERITAC. YERITAC representatives described the previous experiences (surveys, conferences, etc) of communication and cooperation with Youth NGOs from Azerbaijan, Turkey and Georgia.
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Yeritac Participates in a Youth Fair
 From June 25-27, 2008 YERITAC participated in the youth conference “Youth, reality, perspectives” which was aimed to activate and enlarge the Youth information field, and foster links between the youth NGO’s, as well as with the governmental and international organizations. The conference was organized by the Center for Organizing Youth Activities with the financial assistance of the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs.
During the 3 days of the conference YERITAC participated in the exhibition-fair “Idea Market” presenting its history, mission, previous, ongoing and future projects to exhibition attendants, fellow participants, representatives of governmental and international organizations and media representatives.
 Along with the exhibition-fair YERITAC representatives were engaged in the series of discussions on youth policy issues organized by the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs within the framework of the youth conference.
In general the conference was a very useful one as provided an opportunity to observe the present state of the Armenian youth NGO field. At the conference YERITAC made effective networking with other youth NGOs, state and international organizations considering the perspectives of cooperation with the ones sharing YERITAC mission, ideology and objectives.
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International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers
 On May 29, 2008 YERITAC member Artak Galyan presented UN Reference Paper entitled «UN Peace Mandate» at UN Yerevan Office. The publication of the Reference Paper was dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the UN Peacekeeping officially celebrated on May 29, 2008 - on the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers.
The Reference Paper discusses the primary function of the UN i.e. preservation of regional and global peace and security. The paper touches upon the three main concepts within which UN's global peace and security maintenance function is realized: peacemaking, peacekeeping and peacebuilding. The major focus of the reference paper is given, however, to peacebuilding and to the bodies responsible for peacebuilding implementation as far as peacemaking and peacekeeping tends to develop in the direction of peacebuilding becoming more multidimensional and complex, and including elements that secure sustainable development of post-war societies.
/"UN Peace Mandate"/<< ՄԱԿ-ի Խաղաղության մանդատը>>/
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International Youth Exchange in Czech Republic
 On April 16-23, 2008, five of YERITACs were invited to International Youth Exchange (YE) “Outdoor Fairytale” in Czech Republic in Ostrava, Velke Sedlo, Nizky Jesenik.
The event was organized by D-KLUB Ostrava, civic association with financial support of Czech National Agency of Youth and Children, Czech Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports.
The Youth Exchange “Outdoor fairytale” gathered together 30 participants from Czech republic, France, The Netherlands, Armenia, Georgia and Ukraine.
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Applicability of Peacebuilding in Youth Work
 On March 2-9, 2008 YERITAC was invited to participate in a Study Session entitled “Applicability of Peacebuilding in Youth Work” which took place in the European Youth Center in Budapest, Hungary. The session was organized by the United Network of Young Peacebuilders (UNOY Peacebuilders) in cooperation with PATRIR (Romania), Earth Charter Youth Initiative and financed by the Directorate of Youth and Sport of the Council of Europe. There were more than 30 young people from different parts of World, including the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Moldova, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Palestine, Nepal, etc.
The session aimed to provide skills on peace building, main concepts of conflict studies and touch some of the existing conflicts through the prism of the gained knowledge. Among the discussed topics were also Nagorno Karabgh and Palestine-Israeli conflicts. One of the most important outcomes of the study session was the given opportunity to the young people from conflicting regions to talk and communicate together, to review the conflicts with new approaches.
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Promoting Youth Political Participation in Armenia
 Since January 2008 YERITAC has become an active member of a Forum of Armenian NGOs organized by the National Democratic Institute. The objective of the forum is the discussion of the issue of youth political participation and other issues which are, however, related to this core issue. The Forum developed a draft report on the level of youth political participation in Armenia suggesting effective mechanisms that will promote youth involvement in political decision-making. The document involves also possible solutions aimed at reforming education system and promoting youth employment as well as touches some other burning issues.
In March 2008 NDI initiated the creation of a Council of Armenian NGOs composed of the 14 Forum member-NGOs. The Council shall finish the work over the report and submit it to the relevant state bodies, thus influencing their decision-making in the field of youth policy development and implementation. The Council shall implement some other youth programs which are now in the process of development.
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‘Youth Advocacy for a Culture of Peace:
A Reflective Guide for Action in Europe'
 ‘Youth Advocacy for a Culture of Peace: A Reflective Guide for Action in Europe' is a tribute to the role of youth in peace advocacy. It is about youth coming together and helping each other to understand how to carry out efforts towards achieving a culture of peace. It is a space for youth to share their advocacy experiences with other youth in order to give them the encouragement and guidance to push for their cause not just to the wider public, but to policy-makers as well. Where youth have participated in advocacy campaigns, this tool-guide is a way to sustain those efforts and to keep youth empowered.
The publication was written based on the critical reflections of the Youth Advocacy Teams of UNOY Peacebuilders in 2005, 2006 and 2007. In addition to UNOY Peacebuilders, youth and youth organisations shared their advocacy experiences. The organisations involved include U Move 4 Peace (Belgium), the Helsinki Citizen's Assembly - Vanadzor (Armenia), YERITAC (Armenia), the Hague Appeal for Peace (NY, USA), the Human Rights Information & Documentation Centre (Georgia).
In ‘Youth Advocacy for a Culture of Peace: A Reflective Guide for Action in Europe', five youth advocates share their experiences and inside tips. In addition, a number of other youth who have been involved in peacebuilding advocacy have provided input. Based on this, an extensive tool-guide was developed, which includes practical tips, examples and exercises. Basic concepts such as advocacy, peace and the role of youth are also explained.
The tool-guide motivates youth to take action in the context of the International Decade for the Culture of Peace and the All-Different All-Equal Campaign.
Please click here to download the report (1.1 MB).
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TOTEM 2007 in Czech Republic
On October 11-18, 2007 “Vita Civic Association” organized an international seminar entitled “TOTEM-Training of Traditional Ecological Magic” in  Czech Republic. YERITAC was also invited to participate in this great event and share with its experience on ecology related activities. The seminar was financed by the Czech national Agency Youth and Youth Institute of the Czech Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport. There were 26 representatives from 21 countries, including Czech Republic, Romania, Turkey, Portugal, Iceland, England, Armenia, Georgia, Ukraine, Belarus, Egypt, Macedonia. The main aim of this event was intercultural dialogue and learning of new methods of ecological education via art, workshops, etc. It planned to deepen the cooperation between YERITAC and Vita Civic Association through designing joint projects for 2008.
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Students about Peace and Development in South Caucasus  On September 21-23, 2007 YERITAC delegation left for Gudauri, Georgia to participate in a two-day conference entitled “Students about Peace and Development in South Caucasus.” There were 24 participants in total from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. The organizers of this regional conference were Konrad Adenauer Foundation and Ilia Chavchavadze State University. The participants prepared special presentations for the 4 sessions of the conference: 1. Politics and Society in the South Caucasian States since Independence, 2. Economic Development in the South Caucasian States since Independence, 3. Peace and Security in the South Caucasus and 4. Culture and Values in Transforming Societies. Below, you can find the presentations of YERITAC members on the above mentioned topics and the photos of the conference:
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Second South Caucasus Youth Festival  With the financial support of EU and UNFPA the RHIYC project has presented the Second South Caucasus Youth Festival “Healthy Wave” that was held in Batumi, Georgia on September 12-14, 2007.
Hence the participants of the festival were meant to be members from different NGOs the board members of UNFPA have honored our NGO YERITAC to take part as well. The project was designed to improve sexual and RH concerns of the youth and reach out to at least 2, 850, 000 young people in three Caucasus countries-Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan...more
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Summer Camp 2007-Students Forum
 On August 11-18, 2007 Mariam Movsisyan, a YERITAC member, was invited to participate in "Summer Camp 2007-Students Forum" in Hankavan, Armenia. The main aim of this forum was the design of a Resolution which announces suggestions concerning five different areas: 1. Education, educational reforms, students in the centre of educational process, 2. Social programmes, questions of employment and student activities, 3. Public work and politics, 4. Science, youth involvement in scientific processes, 5. Local, regional and international relationship and cooperation. The Armenian and English versions of the Resolution are available here:
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CSI's Training in Lori Region, Armenia
 On July 5-9 YERITAC participated in trainings organized by Yerevan based Armenian NGO Civil Society Institute in one of the Armenian regions – Lori. The trainings were organized in the frame of Civil Society Network (supported by USAID), Peace Building and Conflict Resolution Resource Center (in partnership with International Alert, supported by DFID). Participants were about 35 students and a few lecturers from Yerevan, some regions of Armenia, and Karabakh (cities Dilijan, Chambarak, Goris in Armenia, Shushi and Martuni in Nagorno Karabakh). The training was hosted in the wonderful resort called Lori, near Vanadzor city...more
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YERITAC’s Meeting with International Youth NGOs  On June 29 YERITAC hosted representatives of more than 20 European youth NGOs, including from  Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Poland, Spain, Turkey, who have arrived in Caucasus region aiming to gain new contacts for the further cooperation. This unique study visit was organized by the World Independent Youth Union (WIYU) and SALTO Eastern Europe and Caucasus Resource Center. The guests were introduced to the activities of YERITAC and talked about possible cooperation possibilities with YERITAC and generally Armenia. On June 30, the initiators have also organized an NGO fair for both Armenian and foreign youth NGOs to  promote partnership and cooperation between them. The fair was very fruitful and interesting in sense of preliminary agreements and new information.
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UNOY Peacebuilders:
‘Building Peace Skills 2007'
 On June 8-15, 2007 YERITAC participated in ‘Building Peace Skills 2007’ Training Seminar organized in The Netherlands by United Network of Young (UNOY) Peacebuilders, where YERITAC is currently involved as a full member. There were 29 youth leaders participating in the Training-Seminar from different cultural and social backgrounds already active in the fields of human rights, peacebuilding, advocacy, campaigning, project management and non-violence. The participants had a unique opportunity to deepen their understanding and knowledge of these topics as well as share their knowledge and experience and build new relationships and networks. The report on the project is available here.
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YERITAC's Involvement in Peacebuilding
 We are honored to inform that YERITAC has recently become a full member of United Network of Young (UNOY) Peacebuilders. It is a global network of young people and youth organisations active in the field of peacebuilding and conflict transformation. The UNOY  Peacebuilders as a network organization contributes to the work of its members and affiliates in two fundamental ways: Capacity building and Advocacy. It also engages in a range of additional activities to support these two key functions: Networking, Sharing of information, Advice and support through a pool of resource persons, Research, Fundraising and Administrative support. Please, refer to the article above to find out about YERITAC’s first steps within the network.
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Pre-Elections Games
 Tsakhgadzor, March 31-April 1, 2007 -- Civil Society Network led by Civil Society Institute NGO organized this past weekend an intercommunity youth forum geared towards promoting youth involvement in the upcoming parliamentary elections in May 2007.
Invitees to the event included youth activists from Ashnak village, Tchambarak, Dilijan and Yerevan. In the first component of the Pre-Elections weekend, presentations were provided by several youth representatives from various NGOs implementing Elections related programs such as YERITAC, It’s Your Choice, Youth Parliament, Youth for Achievements, Collaboration for Democracy and Free Forum for Civic Initiatives.
Next in the series of events for the weekend was the Political Party Market, in which youth representatives from Armenian political parties presented their platforms and programs to the youth. Representatives present at the event were from the following parties: Hanrapetakan, Prosperous Armenia, Orinats Yerkir, Heritage, MIAK, ARF Dashnagtsutyun, National Democratic Movement and Green.
 Suren Saghatelyan, trainer and expert from It’s Your Choice NGO, presented “How to be an Observer” which overall gave an impression to the youth participants about how to become involved within this process and what it entails.
Finally throughout the weekend there were non-formal events and activities organized to increase the cooperation among the youth participants in the forum.
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YERITAC and the Upcoming Elections
In February-March 2007 one of YERITAC members Mariam Movsisyan took part in a training entitled “BRIDGE Armenia” organized by International IDEA Armenia office and Central Election Committee (CEC) of RA. The aim of the training was to “Build Recourses in Democracy Governance and Elections” (BRIDGE). About 30 distinguished participants, including Mariam Movsisyan, were granted with title of certified trainers through BRIDGE International program. The names of these trainers are now included in the database of CEC of RA for the further cooperation within the upcoming parliamentary elections in Armenia.
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YERITAC's New Office
We are happy to inform that YERITAC Youth NGO is moving to a new location to be even closer to young people :)
Click here to see the photos from opening ceremony!
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Visiting "Orran" Orphanage
On January 24, 2007 YERITAC members visited Orran Orphanage children to enforce youth and orphans contacts and to give them some joy! During the visit YERITAC members participated in daily activities of the children, played games and made drawings.
We do hope that these kind of good-will actions will become a tradition not only for YERITAC but also for other young people in our country.
Check our website soon for photos from Orran.
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New Year Party 2007
HAPPY 2007!!!!!
To encourage young people of Armenia in their upcoming activities of 2007 YERITAC organized a New Year party on December 30, 2006 in "Common Ground Center". The party united young people from Armenia and abroad representing various NGOs, youth organizations and educational institutions.
The party became sweeter thanks to SHANT Plus LTD., whom we would like to express our appreciation with an expectations of future collaboration :)
Several contests were held during the party - such as "Best New Year Poster", "Best New Year Cake" and of course "Best New Year Dancer". Click here to find some photos from that great event!!!
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