Tuesday, 10 January 2006
Today the Board of Trustees of International All-Armenian Youth Center Foundation has held a meeting at the Office of Government, which was presided at by Chairman of Board of Trustees, Republic of Armenia Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan.
Having expressed his satisfaction with the work executed by the Foundation during 2005, the Prime Minister extended to the Foundation his best wishes for further success and more performing activity in the year to come. Mr. Andranik Margaryan said that with a view to ensuring a timely start-up and completion of the planned action, at this stage the board of trustees will be presented the program of activities for the year 2006 with the 2005 summary performance report to be tabled for discussion in the month of February.
Further on the Board of Trustees discussed and approved International All-Armenian Youth Center Foundation's 2006 program of activities and budget estimate. Also, discussed were questions relating to the youth center of Tsakhkadzor and other issues.
Before proceeding to the first agenda item, Foundation Executive Director Armen Sinanyan briefed those present on the main results of the work done by the Foundation over the past year and noted that all of the measures set out in the annual program had been completed. In particular, the Foundation had embraced the membership of the European Youth Centers Network international organization. The speaker mentioned that this was quite a dynamic accesion with an all-Armenian contest of software developers held last year and added that this forum was supposed to become a regular one. He further said that other joint events had been organized beyond the established program.
Also, the Executive Director reported that a number of key events were scheduled to be held next year, including the fourth panarmenian youth conference, an intercultural festival, two international projects referred to as "International Youth Activity and Cooperation" and "European Youth Policy: programs and structures."
The speaker noted that the chief objective behind the fourth panarmenian youth conference was to ensure the continuity of the work carried out during the previous three youth conferences organized at the youth center in Tsakhkadzor since 2002 and the enlargement of the scope of panarmenian youth cooperation. Among the chief objectives set forward, the speaker mentioned the strengthening of Armenia-Artsakh-Diaspora linkage, the support extended to the already operational youth organizations, the establishment of collaborative ties with other entities dealing with youth affairs, the promotion of panarmenian youth action plans and policies. It is also envisaged to ensure a more active, broader and tools-oriented involvement in the activities of this conference on the part of representatives from various communities of Diaspora. With reference to this question, Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan has instructed to submit in mid-2006 an analytical report on the outcome of all panarmenian youth conferences held so far, the activities performed to safeguard the Armenian identity throughout the diasporan communities by providing local youth with Armenian-oriented education, as well as on the efforts made to achieve a strengthened linkage with Homeland.
According to Mr. Armen Sinanyan, the All-Armenian Youth Center Foundation is going to hold the 2006 intercultural festival with the view of contributing to the integration into different worldwide processes of young people in both Armenia and abroad. The festival may be joined by students from abroad, representatives of youth organizations, as well as students of foreign and Armenian origin studying in different higher educational institutions of Armenia.
The Executive Director reported that the All-Armenian Youth Center Foundation intended to organize the "European Youth Policy: programs and structures" educational program in close cooperation with line non-governmental organizations in order to help Armenian associations get involved in the European youth policy developments.
Another educational program referred to as "International Youth Activity and Cooperation" will pursue the goal of assisting youth and student associations with the drafting and implementation of international programs and familiarizing the most active young people with up-to-date youth policy practices.
The speaker advised that the All-Armenian Youth Center Foundation's 2006 program of activities featured many other initiatives as well aimed at the promotion of international youth cooperation and national youth policies, including researches into different aspects of international and domestic endeavors, preparation of training sessions, seminars, roundtables for membership of governmental and non-governmental organizations, introduction of state-of-the-art information and communication technologies that will make it possible inter alia to further expand the existing panarmenian youth internet network, support of local non-governmental organizations, realization of various publications and preparation of video materials.
With reference to Tsakhkadzor Youth Center's operations, Mr. Sinayan focused in particular on the recently activated cooperation between Republic of Armenia Ministry of Culture and Youth Affairs and other public agencies.
