For many young people, life in a small Armenian village can feel quietly stale. Jobs are scarce and often seasonal, and many families rely on relatives working abroad. This makes young people focus more on everyday survival rather than on personal ambitions. With limited training opportunities and spaces for participation − combined with a ‘nothing-will-change’ belief − it is easy for a sense of resignation to take hold. However, for many young villagers in Gegharkunik region, things are now going differently. With EU support, the Azhdahak Environmental Centre, a local NGO based in the village of Gegharkunik, is mobilising young people through volunteer initiatives that spark real community change.

Clay jugs, wooden sieves, a woven carpet − each of these old household objects carries a story.  Rescued from attics, family kitchens and donated by elderly villagers, they now have a home in a classroom at Gegharkunik Secondary School, teaching younger generations how life was once lived. 

Sofya Avetisyan, a 16-year-old school student, is passionate about traditional antiques. Her idea was quite simple: to collect traditional Armenian household items and create a small exhibition at school. She started in May 2025 with a team of friends, but her initiative soon involved the entire village of Gegharkunik. “The most memorable moment was when people shared stories and memories connected to the objects,” recalls Sofya. “One elderly lady donated an old, worn carpet saying that it had belonged to her grandmother’s mother.”

Parents, teachers and neighbours came to see the small museum corner the students had created. The display became more than a collection of objects – it turned into a space where generations met and shared stories.

Around the same time, in the nearby village of Tsaghkashen, another group of students and villagers gathered outside the schoolyard with shovels and seedlings. Led by Vardan Khachatryan, 17, they planted more than a hundred decorative and fruit trees, transforming an empty area into a green learning space. “When we came back to school in September, teachers and students were praising our garden. That experience changed my involvement in community work,” recalls Vardan. 

At first glance, these actions seem small: a school exhibition, a new garden. Yet they are the beginning of something much larger.

The invisible work behind the scenes

Behind these and over 60 other educational, environmental, cultural, social and charitable initiatives stood a network of teachers, mentors and community activists brought together by the Azhdahak Environmental Centre, with support of the EU and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.

The organisation itself was born from a similar small initiative. Nearly two decades ago, Gegharkunik residents noticed that the river flowing past their village school was filled with waste. “It seemed as if the river was asking for help,” recalls Nellie Drnoyan, the NGO’s head. Students and villagers cleaned the riverbank, transforming the collected metal cans into flowerpots. That single act led to the creation of an eco-club and eventually, the Azhdahak Environmental Centre.

Today, the organisation works with schoolchildren, young people and community activists across Gegharkunik province and twelve surrounding communities. To address the persistent challenge of young people remaining disconnected from community life, the NGO has turned to a simple yet engaging approach: volunteering. “Volunteer work does not require significant financial resources. It allows a team to form quickly and start with small but visible changes,” explains Nellie. 

The first step was the training of mentors – teachers, social activists and community leaders, who would later guide young volunteers. They learned not only the basics of volunteerism and recent legal developments in the field, but also how to recruit, interview and support young volunteers. Rosa Hakobyan, a social studies teacher, stresses: “I was interested in strengthening the connection between the school and the community. Now I use new skills in project planning, communication and teamwork in my professional activities at school to encourage students to become more active.” 

When ideas start to move fast 

Once the mentors were trained, the momentum shifted to the young people. Sixty volunteers aged 14 to 30, joined the initiative. Under the guidance of 12 mentors, they developed practical skills in community engagement, teamwork and communication, as well as project planning, creative problem-solving and social responsibility. As their confidence grew, the ideas started to surge. Across several villages, young people launched almost 70  initiatives, touching almost every aspect of community life. 

Some focused on education, organising tutoring sessions for younger pupils, helping them with homework, and building interest in learning and reading, through projects like ‘Books as a Driving Force of Education’. Others focused on environmental actions, cleaning riverbanks, planting trees and promoting recycling through initiatives such as ‘Second Life for Waste’. Cultural projects organised traditional dance performances, choir activities and craft workshops, while the ‘Cultural Bridge with a Volunteer from France’ helped discover local sights. Many initiatives addressed social needs, ranging from classroom renovations to awareness campaigns on health, safety and children’s rights.

There was also a remarkable act of solidarity: residents of the Gegharkunik village collected clothes and essential supplies for a large family displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh.

But the real impact lies in the ripple effect of their efforts: the initial 60 volunteers sparked the involvement of over 500 youngsters into meaningful community actions. 

The unexpected reward

Each initiative was documented in short videos and shared online, where they gained recognition through public voting and expert evaluation. Yet for the NGO the best award was the fact that many initiatives have taken root, some becoming community traditions.  

In Gegharkunik, for instance, volunteer Nare Avetisyan and her team turned recycled paper into eco-pens with messages promoting volunteerism. She plans to expand her activity this year. In the same village, Davit Gishchyan’s school flower garden keeps growing, and new planting is already underway. Narek Gasparyan launched peer-to-peer discussions on the dangers of smoking, bringing older and younger students together in conversations that are still ongoing. In Sarukhan, volunteer Rita Danoyan assists elderly residents with the use of payment terminals installed in local shops. A youth centre, established at Sarukhan School No. 1, has plans to organise a summer camp.

“Many young people continue volunteering,” says the head of the NGO. “It shows that our activities achieved more than immediate results – they fostered a lasting culture of volunteerism and active citizenship.”

What began with a small museum corner in a classroom and newly planted trees in a schoolyard has grown into something much larger: a culture of participation. Residents – once cautious about volunteers’ ideas – gradually became supporters, suggesting ideas, joining events and contributing to community cooperation. Rosa emphasises: “The culture of volunteerism must be encouraged in Armenia. Initiatives like this contribute to empowering young people, fostering responsibility and building stronger connections between individuals and their communities.” And perhaps the most important lesson is that a community change always starts with a small action, carried by people who believe that their efforts matter.

Authors: Volha Prokharava, Kristine Hovhannisyan

“The profession of a nurse is not just a job, it’s a calling,” says Gohar, a dedicated nurse who has cared for her community in rural Armenia for many years. To her patients, she is not only a health-care professional – she is also a friend and a confidant.

“I chose to become a nurse because I had always wanted to help people and ease their pain,” Gohar shares with a gentle smile. “This work takes more than skill. It takes patience, care and a great love for people.”

Gohar serves 3 villages with a combined population of about 4400. In these rural communities, nurses like her look after thousands of lives, stories and destinies. Together, they are the lifeblood of local health care.

Her day starts early, often before sunrise, with phone calls and visits from patients. Some seek medical advice, others simply need reassurance. “Sometimes,” she says softly, “people just want to be heard and understood.”

Gohar believes that primary health care is the first and most important link in the health-care system – a bridge between the community and the wider health network. “Everything begins with that first connection,” she explains.

“A caring approach prevents complications and builds trust. When the first link is strong, the whole community becomes healthier and more resilient.”

Making connections

To strengthen that first link, the Ministry of Health of Armenia and WHO, alongside the European Union (EU), are working together to build a more robust foundation for primary health care – the cornerstone of universal health coverage and a healthier Armenia.

This collaboration is part of the EU-funded project “Health Resilience in the Eastern Partnership,” a multiyear collaboration with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Enlargement and the Eastern Neighbourhood to promote health system resilience in the 5 countries in the Eastern Partnership, including Armenia.

The project lays the foundations for quality, affordable care for everyone everywhere in Armenia through a review of regulations and licensing of health workforce, leadership training for policy-makers, health labour market analysis, workforce forecast and planning, as well as a review of workforce migration and retention policies.

The Ministry of Health of Armenia, World Health Organization, and the European Union are working together to strengthen Primary Health Care — the foundation of Universal Health Coverage and a healthier Armenia.

Behind every reform are real people. Like the doctor who knows every patient by name, who is part of the community, working in the community, for the community — providing trusted care, early diagnosis, and continuity that keeps families healthy.

Through improved regulations and licensing, leadership development, workforce planning, and policies on migration and retention, this partnership is helping ensure quality, affordable health care for everyone, everywhere in Armenia.

A doctor not only treats patients, but listens to them and supports building trust, promotes early diagnosis, ensures continuous care of everyone in the community they serve, working with and for the community.

The Ministry of Health of Armenia, World Health Organization, and the European Union are working together to strengthen Primary Health Care — the foundation of Universal Health Coverage and a healthier Armenia.

Through improved regulations and licensing, leadership development, workforce planning, and policies on migration and retention, this partnership is helping ensure quality, affordable health care for everyone, everywhere in Armenia.

Are you young and eager to lead eco-change in your small community, but unsure where to begin? You’re not alone. Anna, Lusine and twenty young people from villages in Aragatsotn region of Armenia shared a common ambition: to make their communities a better place to live − whether by tackling illegal dumping, championing recycling among peers or organizing local clean-ups. Thanks to guidance from ‘Uniting Bridge’ Social NGO, a local organization supported by the European Union and Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, their ideas are now turning into real action. The organization equips rural youth with practical skills and participatory tools, giving them a voice in local decision-making and transforming ambition into tangible change.

In rural communities across Aragatsotn region of Armenia, young people are often the first to point to daily environmental problems: poorly managed waste, informal dumping sites on village outskirts, limited recycling or water contamination. Many note the absence of green public spaces, a gap between environmental regulations and their practical application. Yet their concerns rarely translate into action. 

“Young people often don’t understand how environmental decisions are made at the municipal level or how they can formally engage local authorities. Meanwhile, institutions lack youth-centered approaches to ensure participation is systematic rather than occasional,” – explains Evelina Arakelyan, Vice President of ‘Uniting Bridge’ Social NGO. Geographical isolation and a shortage of youth leadership role models exacerbate the issue. “Many young people are eager to participate in community life, but they lack practical skills, confidence and accessible tools to do so”, − she adds.

From concerns to competencies

Since 2014, Uniting Bridge − first as a grassroots youth initiative and since 2019 as a youth NGO − has spent more than a decade to create civic, educational and leadership opportunities for young people living beyond the capital of Armenia. Based in Oshakan village of the Ashtarak enlarged community, the NGO works with surrounding rural settlements, engaging local youth, schools and municipal authorities. 

Their initiative CreARTive School for Rural Youth Eco-Leadership, co-funded by the EU and the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung,  addresses the identified gap. Rather than a one-off training, it offers a structured learning model combining civic education, environmental governance and creative advocacy. 20 young people, strongly interested in environmental issues and community engagement, joined the CreARTive School in 2026 to learn more about environmental self-governance and decision-making, citizen participation and eco-activism.

“Our sessions blended theory with young people’s own experiences of living in rural communities”, – says Razmik Mnatsakanyan, the NGO’s head. Indeed, one of the participants’ most memorable moments was a simulation of a municipal council meeting, where they debated budget priorities and environmental measures affecting their own villages. For many, it was the first time local governance felt tangible.

Discussions on civic activism often began with skepticism: “If we raise an issue, will anything actually change?”. When trainers introduced strategic advocacy tools, stakeholder mapping and community engagement methods, the conversations shifted from doubt and mistrust to problem-solving thinking. 

Perhaps the most profound transformation happened during sessions on eco-leadership and personal responsibility. Through guided reflections, participants moved from seeing environmental protection as solely the government’s responsibility to recognizing their own capacity to influence behaviors, raise awareness and initiate small-scale change. 

When learning meets practice

Training did not remain theoretical. New knowledge was shortly translated into concrete advocacy products – short eco-storytelling videos and an interactive board game. The videos focus on real issues in Ashtarak, Talin and Aparan enlarged communities – from improper waste management to recycling and responsible consumption, highlighting practical eco-solutions for peers. The board game, designed around real-life scenarios from community life, challenges players to make sustainable decisions and community-level solutions. 

“Designing an educational eco-game was especially inspiring, – shares Anna Aleksanyan (21), a trainee from Ohanavan village, – “It transformed our learning into a practical tool that sparks awareness and real conversations about protecting the environment.” 

Outside the classroom, participants become Green Ambassadors, organizing and leading eco-advocacy initiatives across rural settlements in Aragatsotn. They run sessions in schools, youth centers and community spaces, presenting eco-storytelling videos, facilitating the board game and leading discussions on waste management, pollution and responsible consumption. “These initiatives build confidence and leadership, transforming trainees into active facilitators and advocates”, – emphasizes Razmik Mnatsakanyan.

Bridging learning, skills and real governance, five most active trainees continued with internships at the Municipality of Ashtarak. There, they observed how municipal departments operate, how decisions are prepared and implemented and how issues – such as waste management and community planning – are handled in reality. Lusine Manukyan (21) shares: “I learned to analyze community resources and how they can be distributed and managed effectively. This experience gave me valuable professional exposure.”

A lasting shift

“Probably the most significant achievement has been the mindset change, when youth moved from passive concern to proactive action,” – underlines NGO’s head. – “Youth now approach environmental challenges with initiative and ownership, not waiting for adults or institutions to act”. This is very true for Lusine, who – inspired by the NGO’s activities – started her own tree-planting initiative in Bazmaghbyur village, which has become a joyful spring tradition involving friends, students, and local residents. “I now see myself as an active citizen who can contribute to positive change”, – says the girl. 

Sustainability is embedded into the CreARTive School model. Its curriculum, training modules and board game are replicable for other rural communities. Meanwhile, the Green Ambassadors network ensures that youth-led eco-actions continue independently.

Uniting Bridge is one of hundreds of civil society organizations across Armenia working to empower young citizens. Through initiatives such as EU4Youth or Youth in Action, the EU’s youth policy supports their efforts – strengthening organizations’ work, developing professional skills in the regions and encouraging civil society participation in youth policymaking – in line with Armenia’s recent legal reforms on youth development. If you’re ready to drive change, they can help make it happen.

Authors: Volha Prokharava, Kristine Hovhannisyan