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YIC Newsletter_ August 2012
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Clubs in August
As YIC is on holiday
for much of August,
we will continue with
old and new clubs in
September.
More info on
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.c
om/groups/yic.members
.group/
July with
August 2012 #2
EVS volunteer Kert Kivaste
“Even if you expect it to go by fast, it still goes by faster than you expect!”
This is the line I’ve been using quite a lot recently as my EVS service is
about to end. From my previous experience with projects 6-12 months
long, I knew that half a year can go by extremely fast; therefore I tried to
make the most out of it from the beginning. I was mentally ready... or so I
thought, as now 5 months later it still feels like it went by in a flash.
I came from my nice, small, and completely flat country – Estonia – on the
9th of March 2012 to start my European Voluntary Service. The 22nd of
August would be my departure day.
During these past months I have held several different clubs in YIC, led a
series of soft skills training workshops for local volunteers, helped create
these newsletters, taught English at the Armenian Caritas “Little Prince”
Social Center, and of course was busy in July with helping to execute
Volunteering Month with YIC.
The time here has been a wonderful experience in my everlasting journey
of self-development. To start with, I had never lived abroad for such a long
time.
Although I would
surely do several
things differently if I
were to start over, all
in all it was an
absolutely fantastic
experience and I’m
especially grateful
that it happened in
such an inspiring and
motivating
environment as the
Youth Initiative
Center.
Kert Kivaste
Everyone who applies for EVS has a personal motivation and purpose, sometimes regardless of
the specific project. But I’m sure that my friends and I did not expect that I would become more
emotional after my project! That achievement was inconspicuous, but I’m very happy for that.
The only question I had after I read the project description for the first time was,
“Romania...What do I know about Romania? Nothing! So why not try?” And so I applied. I was
also very excited about the project description and happy that I would have a chance to learn
about forum theatre and street animation. I also knew that our team would consist of 9 other
young people, so there was a good chance to make new friends. I remember very well the day
that I was told I had been selected; I was very excited and happy that there were people next to
me to share my excitement. I started counting the days until my flight, until I would go to a
country about which I knew nothing.
When the day of my flight arrived, I felt excited but serene, ready for this new period of my life.
I had some trouble during the beginning of the project- I didn’t like Bucharest initially, I didn’t
know my teammates, and the hostel was too small for us and the guests, so the start of the project
was difficult for me. But after getting to know each other, I became friends with many of my
teammates, and we started to understand and support each other. And concerning Bucharest, once
my mentor- who was the best!- showed me “her Bucharest,” I really liked the city. Oftentimes I
walked through the city with my friends and discovered new things about Bucharest and
Romania.
During the project we worked together to organise a forum theatre festival, which included
sharing information about the festival, creating teaser videos about it, and performing street
animations to promote it. We even performed our own play, and as I had one of the main roles, I
needed to be very emotional; and I’m proud that I was able to do it better than any of us
expected. At the end of the project we discovered how much we had bonded with one another,
with our NGO, and even with Bucharest- so much so that some of us didn’t want to come back,
because two months is very short.
“EVS with YIC”
“Volunteering Month with YIC”
The month of July was very productive for YIC NGO, filled with both indoor and outdoor
activities in Gyumri. YIC, with the support of local and international volunteers, launched a series
of activities for local youth within the framework of the “Volunteering Month with YIC” initiative.
The activities were designed to promote volunteerism as a mechanism for youth participation. As
one of the primary advocates for voluntary work and youth participation in Northern Armenia, YIC
recognizes the importance of undertaking actions with local youth to get them more active and
help develop their potential to deal with the problems faced in the community, and encourage
youth to bring about the change they wish to see.
”Volunteering Month with YIC” was the promotion of voluntary initiatives, and was carried out
through the following activities:
Designing
T-Shirts
The month of July debuted
with a very creative
activity, which was the
designing of T-shirts to
promote volunteerism and
the Youth Initiative
Center. T-shirt painting
took place on the 2nd of
July at the YIC NGO
office. Local and
international volunteers, as
well as many active
members of YIC, gathered
together to hand-paint
unique shirts that
expressed the importance
and joy of volunteering.
This event was
purposefully created to
warm up the participants
for the set of vast and
varied activities that would
take place throughout the
rest of July.
Hugging Day
Within the same week, on the 4th of July, YIC NGO decided to take to the streets in order to
rally Gyumri residents to support and increase the community’s awareness of volunteers and
volunteering. YIC staff members, as well as volunteers and active YIC members, took a break
from the office to walk around the main square and along the pedestrian street to offer hugs and
smiles to passers-by. Everyone was pleased to find that people were quite friendly and many
appreciated the hugs and commitment to volunteering. The aim of the event was to promote
volunteering as an unpaid but very significant act that can have an enormous impact on both
the larger community and the volunteers themselves. Each participant of this event also held a
sign with the slogan “Volunteering = Hugging,” with the idea that you get similar feelings from
hugging as from volunteering.
Parents’ Day
Just as a ship cannot sail
without the support of the
entire crew, an organization
needs the support of each
member in order to reach its
full potential. So, in
recognition that each member
of YIC has a family that
supports and encourages their
participation in YIC’s events,
the Youth Initiative Center
invited parents to the office in
order to thank them for their
support and share information
about the NGO. Parents were
delighted to hear that their
children were involved with
something beyond reasonable
explanation.
Outdoor Painting
with Children
This artistic event was specially created
for children from the Hyus and the OLA
social centers. The purpose of the day
was to encourage the children to express
their thoughts and understanding about
volunteering. YIC gathered everyone
together near the main square behind the
famous Amenaprkitch church before
rolling out a “red carpet” of paper for
children to draw on. Children of all ages
imagined a world of volunteerism and
hope, and transformed this strip of paper
with their illustrations. This day was
very successful because it involved
caring children whom are very
significant to the immediate and
future development of Armenia.
Armenian
Constitution Day
On September 21st 1991,
almost 21 years ago, Armenia
gained independence from the
Soviet Union. This important
day was one of celebration for
Armenia and Armenians in
general. And on the 5th of July
1995, the country officially
reformed the constitution for
an independent Armenia.
Hence, May 5th has been
recognised as a public holiday
which Armenians cherish and
celebrate with traditional songs
and dance in Yerevan.
Additionally, each city and
village celebrates this day with
its own traditions and its own
style. YIC decided to mark this
day by drawing attention to the
rights and privileges
guaranteed by the Constitution.
YIC members prepared posters
and fliers with constitutional
information, which were
distributed by international and
local volunteers to passers-by,
along with many
congratulations!
European Voluntary
Service Action day
YIC NGO actively sends and hosts volunteers
within the European Voluntary Service. Hence,
EVS Action Day was dedicated to the
promotion of EVS to Armenian youth in
Gyumri. The participants each hung a poster
around their neck that exemplified their
voluntary service experience in one word (i.e.
self-discovery). YIC and EVS volunteers
circled around the city, explaining the activity
and inviting those who were interested to join
them.
Youth In Action Info Day
The following day, it was time to bring the
residents of Gyumri to us. For Info Day, YIC
invited interested parties and stakeholders-
including local NGOs and local youth- to learn
about the YiA program and the opportunities
for EVS. YiA multiplier Anahit Minasian from
the KASA Foundation gave a presentation
about how organizations can host EVS
volunteers, and then YIC’s own EVS volunteer,
Kert Kivaste, spoke about his current and
previous experiences as a volunteer, what he
has gained though volunteering, and what
organisations can potentially gain by hosting a
volunteer.
Birthright Armenia Info and Action Day
Birthright Armenia is an international organisation that gives the opportunity for diaspora
Armenians to visit Armenia and volunteer with different NGOs, governmental organizations, or
educational institutions. The Youth Initiative Center frequently collaborates with Birthright
Armenia to host international Armenian volunteers. Diaspora Armenians not only get the chance
to explore their country, but also to gain practical skills while volunteering with Armenian
locals. As July was a month dedicated to the promotion of both local and international
volunteering, YIC wanted to show support for the various organizations and programs available
to Armenian youth that encourage volunteerism in Armenia.
Flying Kites
Flying a kite can demonstrate optimism and moving forward, and can represent one’s hope for a
flourishing and thriving future of their country. Moreover, flying kites usually leaves participants with
positive thoughts and a hopeful spirit. To encourage such a spirit of positivity in Gyumri, YIC organized
a kite-flying event in which YIC members and interested passers-by made paper kites and decorated
them with volunteering slogans that had been thought up by local youth. Flying the kites was a symbol
of moving forward into a field of positive energy and hope.
Also during the busy month of July, a small group of active YIC members were invited to
travel to Turkey to attend an international training within the framework of the Youth in
Action (YiA) program. As expected, the trip to Turkey turned into an unforgettable
experience for all of the Armenian team members. The program, called “Nature-History-
Adrenaline,” was primarily centered around the Butterfly Festival that takes place annually
in the vicinity of Uzundere, near Erzurum. Besides the festival, the program was designed
to give an opportunity for young people from five different countries to meet one other,
share their unique cultural traditions and customs, introduce their respective countries,
develop new friendships and networks, and find out more about Turkey itself.
The training was oriented toward sports activities. The team from YIC had a great
experience visiting Tortum Lake and the waterfall, which is the third highest waterfall in the
world and offers rafting and canoeing activities. The teams were also taken to Erzurum
University to visit the campus; while there, they were invited to the sports campus where
they enjoyed a wonderful volleyball game and hiking. In 2009, Erzurum hosted the Winter
Olympic Games and thus has wonderful skiing resorts and skating facilities, which includes
a ski jump facility that is the highest in Europe. The Armenian team had an amazing
experience ice-skating in one of those facilities. Another wonderful, challenging experience
was during a camping trip in an area near Uzundere. The teams camped for three days and
took photographs of the beautiful butterflies and fascinating landscapes. Visiting historical
places and mosques, tasting the delicious cuisine, exploring the shopping centers, and
making new friends added to the overall joy the teams experienced. The trip to Turkey was
an unforgettable benchmark that will stay in their hearts forever.
Training in Turkey
One of YIC’s most well-known clubs- the International Club- organized an Indian
Wedding as the closing event in a series of cultural activities within the framework of
Indian Month at YIC. During the months of May and June, the International Club put
Indian culture in the spotlight to promote cross-cultural awareness in Gyumri, and
organised several activities designed to introduce traditional Indian events and history.
The simulated Indian wedding, which was the culminating event, focused on enhancing
people’s knowledge about India, Indian culture, traditions, customs, and national cuisine.
The first part of the event introduced participants to the ceremony and rituals particular to
a Northern Indian wedding, which was represented through an incredible performance by
the “bride” and “groom” and a separate explanation of each of the rituals. During the
second part of the event, guests were invited to experience another traditional Indian
custom – to sit together and enjoy traditional Indian tea and sweets. The entire event was
accompanied by Indian music and dances, and was attended by the First Secretary to the
Indian Embassy in Armenia.
Contacts
Address: Shirakatsi 177a, apt.2, Gyumri 3118, Armenia
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.YIC.am
Tel/Fax: +374 312 4-94-97
Indian wedding