While young people in Armenia played a crucial role in the Velvet Revolution of 2018, today many of them suffer from the country’s political and economic instability and the impacts of the territorial conflicts in the region. The youth’s aspirations towards a positive future and expanded economic opportunities in Armenia have dwindled. Against this background and in a climate where the discourse around political and security issues is highly politicised, young people should be encouraged to discuss their visions of Armenia in an open and non-politicised manner. What are the concerns, aspirations and values of Armenia’s youth?

This project aims at fostering a future-oriented dialogue among young people in the border regions of Syunik and Shirak, in the capital Yerevan, as well as with young people from displaced communities from Nagorno-Karabakh. A total of four workshops will be held, which shall provide forums for continuous joint reflection on political participation, governance, security and safety, relations with the European Union, social inclusion and other topics relevant to the youth in Armenia. The project will culminate in a cross-regional event during which selected participants of the four workshops can come together and discuss their vision of an Armenia which provides them with opportunities and a future. This will foster mutual understanding among youth from different backgrounds and thus, contribute to alleviating disillusion and division in Armenia.

This project is implemented by the Max Planck Foundation in collaboration with the Yerevan-based Caucasus Institute and with the generous financial support provided by the German Federal Foreign Ministry as part of the programme “Expanding Cooperation with Civil Society in the Eastern Partnership Countries and Russia”.

01 May 2024 – 31 December 2024

Kathrin Maria Scherr

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Phone: +49 (0)6221 91404 34
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