Be diligent, dedicated and decent: ten years of youth work in Armenia

Tell us a little about yourself and your interests.

I am Razmik Mnatsakanyan from Oshakan. I am an economist by training, but it has been 10 years since youth work started to occupy a special and primary place in my life.

I have various other interests, from reading to travelling, from spending time with friends to mountains.

How did you decide to become a Young European Ambassador, what was your main motivation and what kind of skills have you acquired since joining the network?

At the beginning of 2020, I joined the ‘EU4Youth Alumni Network’. Some of the members of the network were Young European Ambassadors, including Ani, the YEA Armenia Coordinator, with whom we soon became good friends. The first meeting of the ‘EU4Youth Alumni Network’ was taking place in Tbilisi, where I got acquainted with other YEAs and since the scope of my interests corresponded with YEAs’ projects, I stated to be more interested in the network, applied and was chosen in September 2020.

Being a member of the network contributed to the expansion of my acquaintances, both in Armenia and abroad. The network gave me new friends, an opportunity to represent Armenia in the EU, as well as the EU in Armenia.

Which Erasmus+ programmes have you participated in and what advice would you give to anyone applying?

I have lost count of the number of programmes I participated in! I consider myself lucky, as being from a rural area, I was unaware of such opportunities, like so many others of my generation, and fortunately for me, at one stage of my life, I was surrounded by people, who showed me the door leading to these opportunities.

For several years now, I have been organising Erasmus+ youth exchange programmes and trainings for youth workers together with our organisation “Uniting Bridge” SNGO.

I advise everyone to see Erasmus, not as a chance to travel or earn money, but to change their lives, as it changed mine and many others’ lives. Moreover, I want to tell the applicants never to give up, believe that your turn will come.

What was your motivation to create the Euroclub Oshakan?

The motivation for creating the Euroclub was bringing the EU closer to my community, sharing EU opportunities with the young beneficiaries of our organisation and making the community of Ashtarak even better.

While creating the club we were thinking that these knowledgeable, skilled and adventurous young people are the future of Armenia, and in the Euroclub, we try to do everything to help those young people.

Describe the function of the club. What kind of difficulties did you face in opening the club?

Euroclub Oshakan is the first Euroclub in the Republic of Armenia, founded in December 2022 by YEAs, the EU Delegation to Armenia and the “Uniting Bridge” SNGO. It has faced a number of obstacles, particularly connected to the tensions and instability in the region. First, because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we delayed the opening of the club, then we regularly had to stop or modify the activities of the club as a result of tensions and conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

The Euroclub gathers together dozens of young people from Oshakan and neighbouring communities. In Euroclub Oshakan young people have the opportunity to develop their skills, expand their worldview and acquaintances, to learn about EU-Armenia relations and the EU in general. We are the EU delegates in Ashtarak and the Ashtarak delegates in the EU!

Last year, the Euroclub held more than 200 events, bringing together more than 2,000 young people.

AngloBridge English Conversation Clubs for 8-12 and 12-18 year olds, FrancoBridge French Conversation Club, BEE ACTive Active Citizenship Club, EuroBook Book Discussion Club, Photography Club, Healthy Lifestyle Club, “Popcorn Night” Film Club, Environmental Club, “EU is calling”, “Walk&Talk in Aragatsotn” and “EuroQuiz in Motion” programmes were implemented and are still being implemented in the Euroclub.

What are the issues in your community that you want to contribute to solving?

There are various issues in our community and in Armenia in general and I would be happy to make any contribution to the solution of those problems but right now, our organisation and I have put all our efforts into having a more youth-centred community and more community-oriented young people.

What would you like all young people in Armenia to know?

I would like everyone to know that they are capable, that they know what they want and how they can achieve their dreams. Don’t listen to anyone, step forward and follow the “3 D” rule, be:

1.    Diligent,

2.    Dedicated and

3.    Decent.

This interview is part of a collaboration between the Young European Ambassadors initiative and the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports of the Republic of Armenia, showcasing the success stories of Armenian YEAs. The interviews are published regularly on erit.am, and aim to highlight the influence of EU-funded projects in fostering community civic engagement.