Dilijan in Armenia is a town in a heart of a national park. The forested town is home to numerous artists, composers, and filmmakers and features some traditional Armenian architecture. It was a perfect, relaxed surrounding for youth workers and educators to discuss very sensitive and sometimes painful topics.
In spring 2023 Armenian Progressive Youth NGO had invited 35 representatives of different youth organizations from all around Europe to explore gender-related concepts and analyse traditions, roles, and perceptions of gender. The training allowed participants to get competences and tools to support their fight against gender bias and inequality.
Luca was a participant from the Netherlands: “I learned a lot during the training sessions, and from individual conversations. I learned so much about the quality of life in different countries, and about how much we need to do to improve female rights and equality. Also, learned about my own needs as a neurodiverse, non-gendered individual, and how to stand up for myself. My experience in Armenia was impressive. I’m in love with the country itself, but I’ve had a short experience of how minorities could feel living here. When arriving at the location, I felt very welcomed and I fell in love with nature and the architecture.”
Nicolai Cuznetov from Moldova says that the project was very educational in many different aspects: “I gathered profound knowledge about gender equality. I also learned a large number of interesting and important techniques that will help me in the future. I became much more attentive to the issue of gender equality. I also loved Armenia since the people here are very hospitable. The landscapes in Armenia are breathtaking, great food, and fresh air, all this had a very positive effect on me.”
Anna is from Bulgaria and says that the topics included in the training course were extremely interesting and close to her heart: “The issue of inequality has a constant presence in our lives and it’s important to have safe spaces where you can share, learn and think of practical solutions. I had the opportunity to talk to many educators from different European countries, each one of them with different backgrounds and from different realities. I learned a lot not only as a person but as a youth worker as well. We were provided with very useful tools to tackle these hard issues through cooperation and understanding. I was truly inspired by the many young people I met and got to work with. Maybe the most important thing I learned is the importance of compassion. I fell in love even with the small part of Armenia I got to know. Dilijan is a beautiful city and I’m very happy that we could stay in that region, surrounded by nature. If I needed to describe my experience in Armenia overall it would be amazed by the people. Everyone was extremely kind and helpful which meant a lot to me.”
Fighting for gender equality and inclusion is one of the core directions Armenian Progressive Youth works on. They empower young people and youth workers through non-formal education to speak up for themselves and fight for their rights. The training was implemented in collaboration with Jongeren voor Uitwisseling en Begrip (JUB) from the Netherlands and funded under the Key Action 1 of the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union.
