This was the voice of the YOUTH of the community:
On November 20th, the Youth Forum initiated by the Sevan Youth Club NGO took place. The goal of the forum was to bring together young people concerned about the life of the city, and not only the youth, to collectively identify the “thorny” sectors and issues within those sectors that are urgent for resolution and are crucial for the development of the community. It was a wonderful opportunity to work together, think together, and find solutions.
The forum was attended by public organizations operating in the community, young employees representing various institutions, community elders, the spiritual leader, students, schoolchildren, and simply wonderful active young people who are not indifferent to the future of their city and their own future.
After greetings from the Sevan Youth Club and the guests, a wonderful online tool for community-municipality communication, “Ch’Rubikon”, was introduced. There was also a discussion about the emerging active youth initiative group in the community, previous versions of youth policy, and opportunities in the sector. Through previously filled-out questionnaires, 5 sectors were identified as the most important and urgent ones, according to the participants: Youth, Culture, Tourism, Environment, and Education.
Participants were divided into 5 groups and held 15-minute discussions about each of the sectors, identifying the main issues and proposing actions for their resolution. At the end of the meeting, a draft version of the key issues and action plans for these 5 important sectors was gathered. The discussions revealed that there is a need for further meetings to focus on a single sector for more in-depth analysis, a broader strategic plan, and a policy to be developed.
At the end of the meeting, a community-based active youth initiative group was formed, which will be ready, determined, and responsive to future community challenges and will present the voice of the youth.
