QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

Spring 2013, Issue 12

Transforming the Face of Tourism in Yeghegnadzor

On April 1, 2013 Syunik Development NGO launched a five-month initiative that intertwines local tourism and employment opportunities for tour guides in Yeghegnadzor, Vayots Dzor province of Armenia. The project is funded by the USAID Enterprise Development and Market Competitiveness (EDMC) Project and supported by Yeghegnadzors Gitelik University and the Yeghegnadzor Branch of the State University of Economics. EDMC and Syunik NGO look to contribute to the development of tourism in Armenias Vayots Dzor province, especially alternative forms of it, through the training of local guides. Vayots Dzor is undergoing the challenging development of a new economic base, and tourism is becoming a major direction for this development. With tourists discovering the province in greater numbers, the need for trained guides increases. The project seeks to design a course curriculum and certification program for tour guides in collaboration with local tourism actors and experts. It will select 15 promising students to be trained as tour guides, which will include a practical internship

Training session

phase. The two-month internship phase will have placements for the students with local hospitality SMEs during which they will have opportunities to be coached by a professional guide and prepare local tours and packages. These concrete tour packages for Vayots Dzor will be focusing on not just visits to traditional destinations but also forms of adventure tourism. A reusable program will be developed which will benefit future tour guide students and faculty. It will create a center of tour guide training locally for Vayots Dzor, which currently lacks one.

Syunik Staff Member Wins Energy Globe Award Armenia!

Marine Aghajanyan, one of Syunik NGO staff members, has submitted her project Agent for Change for the Energy Globe award, todays largest platform for sustainability. For this award participants from over 100 countries sent in a total of 1051 entries. Marines project focused on using theater methods to illustrate environmental issues like pollution. The international jury, chaired by Maneka Gandhi, has evaluated all submissions and selected the national winners. Marines Agent for Changes project was chosen as the best from our country and was honored with the national Energy Globe Award Armenia. Marine received her award on June 5 at a special ceremony held in Armenia. Her project is an important success story and a motivation for others to follow her example.

HEKS-EPER Officers Visited Syunik NGO

April 29-30, 2013, Vincent Huge, Program officer of HEKS-EPER South Caucasus, Nana Topuridze, HEKS-EPER regional director of South Caucasus, and Ramaz Giogobiani HEKS-EPER agricultural advisor South Caucasus paid a monitoring visit to Syunik NGO. At first meeting was organized between Syunik NGO key staff and monitors where both the Rural Development Program (RDP) and Camps for Peace projects were discussed: dynamic of the projects, expected results, proposals for future and lessons learnt from project implementation. After the meeting, field visits where organized where monitors were introduced to all the components of the project. The guests toured the RDPs new established and demonstration plot (apple and pear) in Chiva village and grape orchard in Areni village where they met with the farmer advisers. They also visited the Nursery and paternal orchard in Getup Community which was established in scope of RDP. A field visit was organized also to the demonstration plot and nursery of Syunik NGO, which was established by the seedlings and rootstock imported from the Netherlands. A special gratitude from local communities is extended to HEKS-EPER for their continuous support which resulted a number of sustainable developments in the region over the years.

Meeting with HEKS-EPER officers

Vayots Dzor Hospitality Business Owners Meet at Gitelik University

in Armenia working with international partners in Greece, Turkey and Georgia, is working with Syunik NGO to develop tourism throughout the four countries by highlighting the ancient Silk Road which passes through the Vayots Dzor region. BSSRC will construct signs, maps and internet portals supporting regional tourism as well as help forge closer ties between hospitality service providers. By working together, visitors to Vayots Dzor, Armenia and the other BSSRC nations will gain a greater appreciation of the many tourist sites, site history and relevance as well as enjoy better trained and managed hospitality services during their stay in our region. Armenian Monuments/BSSRC and Syunik NGO plan to repeat these meetings with increasing local business participation. The next meeting is scheduled for July 2013. More information on further developments of this joint initiative will be included in our forthcoming newsletters.
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Working session

May 15, 2013, Gitelik University and Syunik Development NGO hosted 20 local hotel, bed and breakfast, and restaurant owners for an afternoon discussion concerning the Black Sea Silk Road Corridor project (BSSRC). Armenian Monuments Awareness Project NGO, the primary organization

Exhibition at Gitelik University

On April 25th, 2013, Syunik Development NGO held an exhibition entitled I am Able at Gitelik University within the Social Development Program of South Armenia, Vayots Dzor funded by EED (Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst). At the Exhibition, students from Vayots Dzor community centers introduced their handicraft works. The Batik club of Vayots Dzor Diocese was also part of the exhibition. Among the works presented at the exhibition were wood carvings, beadwork, unique embroidery designs, unique paintings and clay sculptures. Many high ranking guests, including representatives of local and regional authorities, Syunik Development NGO staff, professors, parents, as well as the coordinators and students of the community centers were present at the event. Such events will be ongoing as they provide an opportunity for the community center students to show their creative abilities and capabilities.

Opening ceremony

Syunik Development NGOs long-time cooperation with the EED has enabled us to support three Urban and three rural community centers where classes, groups and clubs are organized in English, computer technology, singing, dancing, bead working, needle working, embroidery, pottery, painting and wood working.

Beekeeping to Support Education

Syunik Development NGO in collaboration project which aims to give opportunities to families with HEIFER International of Armenia continu- in need by engaging in beekeeping. Since 2005 the ous its long term Beekeeping to Support Education families keep the bees and sell the honey with the proceeds used for their childrens tution fees. The first part of the project was successful and the students thought positive about the project. This motivated the project staff to continue the project. The project succeeded because the students passed the bees to each other, thus many students families were able to participate in the project. This project gave students an opportunity to both study at the university and to establish their own bee farms. Now the project is on the second phase. The students of Gitelik University have a chance to take part in this project and with professional trainMeeting with beneficiary students ing on beekeeping they can establish their own bee farms.
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International Visitor Leadership Program

The US State Departments International Visitor Leadership Program, started in 1940, receives thousands of applications each year from different countries all over the world. From the joint decision of U.S. citizens, U.S. embassies in various countries and the program staff, this program gives people from many different non-governmental and governmental organizations a chance to visit the United States for one month. The International Visitor Leadership Program aims to familiarize participants with the activities of government and non-governmental organizations of the United States, the collaboration among them, their youth development programs, as well as the United States diversity and culture. Program participants visit the US capital, New York City and many other places. They meet with representatives of State and provincial government agencies, visit educational and cultural institutes and get acquainted with the projects implemented by nongovernmental organizations. This Year Narek Beglaryan, coordinator of Yeghegnadzor Youth Bank Initiative, was one of the participants who visited US for one month. After his return, Narek organized an information session with Syuniks staff members and shared his experiences from US.

Eastern Express Training Course

From 18th to 23th of March 2013, Nara Harutyunyan, one of Syunik NGOs staff members, participated in an exchange project organized by the Youth in Action Program. The project took place in Kiev, Ukraine. The Eastern Express training course aimed at raising the quality of Youth Exchanges within Youth in Action programs, especially in cooperation with programs in Eastern Europe and Caucasus region. The training provided participants with detailed information about the Youth in Action program. Participants also learned the possibilities of cooperation between programs and EECA countries within Youth Exchanges, how to develop quality and creative approaches in organizing Youth Exchanges as well as how to bring together youth workers and leaders to create new Youth Exchange ideas within the Youth in Action Program. During the training, participants had an opportunity to share information about their organizations with the other participants. The project gave youth participants the possibility to gain new experiences and exchange ideas.

Group working session

How to make young people take social responsibility and to promote ecology in Armenian society? EcoLab seems to be one promising attempt.
Its been few years since Joint Civic Education (JCE) program started operating in the Caucasus region focusing on promoting active citizenship among youth in participant countries Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Russia (North Caucasus) and Turkey. This year EcoLab, the Armenian country program of JCE program, focused on ecology and education for sustainable development, was lunched. Twenty five young environmental activists across the country were selected to receive a unique capacity building training. The kick-off meeting took place in Vanadzor from April 27th to May 5th, 2013. Participants learned about sustainable development from local and international trainers and started thinking about mini initiatives that could make a difference in their communities. They were also given an opportunity to work in groups and discuss their ideas which could transform into local community development projects. More information on EcoLab could be found at www.am.joint-civic-education.net.

Ecology in Armenia A Contradiction?

Program participants

EcoLab is the Armenian country program of Joint Civic Education. EcoLabs partners are the MitOst Association (Berlin, Germany), the Institute for Democracy and Human Rights (Yerevan, Armenia), Peace Dialogue NGO (Vanadzor, Armenia), Syunik Development NGO (Vayots Dzor, Armenia), and Journalists Club Asparez (Gyumri, Armenia). The program is funded by the German Federal Foreign Office, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (Portugal) and the Robert Bosch Stiftung (Germany).

Training on Leadership and Facilitation

In April, 2013, HEKS-EPER, one of Syunik NGOs long term partners, conducted training on Leadership and Facilitation for leaders from Armenia and Georgia who will be working at the Peace Camps for South Caucasus this summer. The training took place in Borjomi, Georgia and covered a number of topics related to good leadership and efficient facilitation. These trainings prepare leaders to facilitate their diverse groups and promote friendly relationships between teenagers from different ethnic backgrounds. Young leaders from
Nara Martirosyan

Syunik NGO also participated in the trainings and came back with new knowledge and skills that could be utilized during their work at the camp. This year we will enlarge the project with involvement of NGOs from Armenia and Georgia, and a new NGO from Abkhazia and youth from Abkhazia. The main aim of this project is to develop effective peace-seeking behaviors among teenagers and youth from Armenia, Georgia and Abkhazia including ethnic minorities from these countries.

Office of International & Public Affairs Syunik Development NGO

Tel/Fax: +374 (0281) 24009 Email: oipa.syunikngo@yahoo.com www.syunikngo.am

Momiki St. 5, 3601 Yeghegnadzor, Vayots Dzor Province, Republic of Armenia