Tag: Armenia

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Rainbow Resilience

By Nelly — Planet One

This summer, from July 12th to 17th, we went on a transformative journey to the breathtaking Lori region of Armenia with 25 like-minded young individuals. Our time there was dedicated to nurturing self-care and cultivating resilience through practices that help us manage the daily stresses and growing anxieties about the future. Surrounded by the serene beauty of Lori forests, we focused on techniques to strengthen our inner well-being and face life’s challenges with renewed strength.

We went on a camp, called “Rainbow Resilience”. The camp has been organized by Armenian Progressive Youth and came into reality with huge support of Alternative Youth Center that has always provided safe space to Armenian queer youth and to Queerlab Armenia local youth initiative for realizing their small local events.

The camp aimed at creating a supportive, inclusive and safe(r) space for young LGBTIQ+ identifying young people living in Yerevan and 10 regions of Armenia to support their physical, mental, and emotional well-being while building connections and building community resilience.

The serene beauty of nature provided the perfect setting for us to unwind, relax, and reconnect with our inner selves. Our program featured a range of activities focused on mental and emotional well-being, including mindfulness practices, yoga, meditation, and relaxation exercises. We also explored various tools to support the mental health of LGBTIQ+ young people, emphasizing the crucial role we, as LGBTIQ+ activists, youth workers, and educators, can play in promoting mental health and well-being within our communities.

“Queer individuals living in patriarchal, traditional, and closed societies like Armenian society face numerous obstacles, including fear, insecurity, anxiety, and a high risk of abandonment and rejection. These challenges contribute to significant mental health burdens. A self-care camp offers a beautiful blend of elements: a supportive community of familiar and new faces, a serene environment away from the city, and the chance to connect with nature.”, says Anush, a social worker from Sexual Assault Crisis Center in Armenia.

Anush Gabrielyan from Sexual Assault Crisis Center in Armenia holds a workshop on healthy relationships

“During the camp, I learned anti-stress exercises, and gained valuable insights during the “Healthy Relationships” seminar, which helped me re-evaluate the importance of mutual support. The art therapy session impressed me the most. It was about connecting with oneself, understanding self-perception, and embracing self-love. I’m excited to continue exploring it on my own and would love to experience it again”, says Siranush, one of the participants.

“Being part of the self-care camp was a truly valuable experience for me as a youth worker. It deepened my understanding of mental health and provided me with important tools for working mindfully with the queer community”, adds Ruben, a youth worker from APY.

“In Armenia, there are very few safe and welcoming spaces for queer people or allies, so this camp was a rare opportunity for me to connect, work, and relax with others from my community who are also actively involved in the youth sector or activism in general”, continues Ghazar, another active youth worker.

“Self-care is a topic that we often overlook or push to the background. Therefore, it’s essential to explore different self-care practices through camps like this one. I really enjoyed the body theater and yoga sessions. Overall, the camp was well-organized and very productive”, tells Emma an independent drag artist.
Many youth organizations hesitate to openly embrace or include queer youth, often avoiding projects or events centered around LGBTIQ+ inclusion. This mindset needs to change. It’s crucial for youth workers in Armenia to receive training and be prepared to support and work with queer youth, fostering an inclusive environment for all.

We plan to continue our local initiatives after the camp, with activities like yoga and meditation. It’s truly wonderful to have the Alternative Youth Center as a welcoming and supportive space for queer youth and their activities. Such openly inclusive youth spaces are rare, or even none, and Alternative Youth Center stands out as a frontrunner in fostering a sense of belonging and acceptance.

The camp was a key component of a larger project supported and funded by the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe.

Known for their commitment to green initiatives across Europe, the foundation is an excellent resource for those with innovative ideas for climate-related projects. If you’re passionate about making a difference in environmental sustainability, this is a valuable avenue for securing funding and bringing your vision to life.

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Open Getar River in Yerevan!

By Alisa Harutyunyan — Alternative Youth Center

“I’m trying to find myself, and I realized that one of the ways to do that is to understand the place where I live and the issues it faces. Activism around issues of Getar River helped me a lot in this regard,” says Anna Karapetyan.

On April 25th, 2024, visual artist Anna-Lea Kopperi together with the members of the Alternative Youth Center held an environmental art happening titled Open Getar River!. The participants walked along the visible and invisible Getar River, inviting the residents of Yerevan to think about the importance of having a river flowing through their city and drawing their attention to the problems of pollution of the river.

Anna is one of the young people who participated in this project, contributing from organizational work to implementation. She was born and grew up in Yerevan but had not heard about Getar’s problems before. Getar, one of the two rivers flowing through Yerevan, was being polluted and litterred for decades. In the 2000s, instead of cleaning it of sewage and garbage, the government decided to close it in tunnels and cover it with asphalted streets and parking lots. The parts of the river that are still open, are badly polluted. This is an important environmental problem not only for the residents living in the areas adjacent to Getar but for all the citizens of Yerevan.

During the walking action, young people wore cloth hats in the shape of fish and held in their hands fishes made of white cloth. This symbol was chosen as a tribute to the fact that years ago the river was full of fish while now rats dominate its ecosystem. For Anna, walking in masks was the most powerful aspect of the action; it kind of emphasized that it doesn’t matter who we are – what’s important is to raise the issue.

“My parents were born in Yerevan, too, but they did not know about Getar’s issues. By participating in this project, I showed my parents what an important idea I was fighting for. I learned a lot and can better inform my friends and relatives now,” Anna notes. “Anyone living in Yerevan should know about the Getar River, as it is one of the most significant elements of our city. And we need to turn it back to a clean and openly flowing river.”

Written by Alisa Harutyunyan, a young member of Alternative Youth Center in Yerevan, Armenia

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Lusine and Lia’s Journey to Inspire Environmental Change in Armenia

By Alternative Youth Center — Yerevan, Armenia

Lusine, aged 19, and Lia, aged 20, crossed paths last March at the Alternative Youth Center in Yerevan.

Lusine, passionate about nature and animals, sought out Alternative to share her voice with and contribute to meaningful climate and environmental work. 

Lia’s interest in environmental issues ignited three years ago when she encountered ISSD, a social business in Armenia dedicated to recycling and raising awareness about plastic waste. Inspired, Lia delved deeper into environmental education, eager to spread knowledge and inspire action among her peers.

Their meeting at the Alternative Youth Center was coincidental. Both shared a keen desire to engage and mobilize young people to prioritize planetary well-being. At Alternative, they found not just a platform to express themselves but also a supportive community of like-minded individuals.

From this shared passion, their initiative, Green Mind, was born. Through social media platforms like Instagram, Telegram, and Facebook, they disseminate information ranging from facts to films, all aimed at nurturing greener mindsets. Despite the challenges of motivating Armenian youth amidst regional conflicts and security concerns, Lusine and Lia remain steadfast in their commitment to environmental activism.

In addition to their online efforts, Lusine and Lia are launching a series of workshops in March 2024 across universities in Yerevan and community centers in Armavir. They’ll focus on critical issues like water pollution and preservation, the environmental impact of fast fashion, and animal agriculture. Their awareness of these interconnected issues was heightened during their membership training at Alternative, fueling their determination to educate others. One striking example is how animal farming affects the environment, along with the poor conditions in which the animals live. This knowledge has become essential for them to share with others.

Both Lusine and Lia were actively engaged in Alternative’s workshops and events, culminating in their participation in a youth exchange in Stockholm in December 2023. There, they found inspiration in meeting fellow activists and participating in their first climate march.

If Lusine and Lia’s journey resonates with you, consider joining a Planet One Makerspace in your city and becoming part of the climate movement! With makerspaces in six countries across Europe and Africa, Planet One offers a global community dedicated to environmental action.

Story provided by Alternative Youth Center, Yerevan