OSCE-supported Youth Camp for national minorities opens today in Armenia

TSAKHKADZOR, Kotayq region of Armenia, 20 October 2014 – A one-week Youth Camp for national minorities, supported by the OSCE Office, opens today, 20 October 2014, in Tsakhkadzor, Kotayq region of Armenia.

The Youth Camp is implemented by the World Independent Youth Union. The Camp will bring together 35 young people, aged 10 to 19 years old, with diverse ethnic backgrounds.

“The camp will offer young people from different national minority communities residing in Armenia the chance to learn about human rights, increase their participation in volunteer programs and develop networking skills for the benefit of their communities residing in Armenia”, said Radka Rubilina, Human Rights Programme Officer, OSCE Office in Yerevan.

The participants will learn about different cultures through the prism of human rights. The Camp will offer a platform for the exchange of ideas and experiences on using the internet as a tool for human rights education as well as teaching how to implement an effective media campaign.

Tatev Margaryan, Project Manager at the World Independent Youth Union NGO, added: ”The camp stands for equality, dignity, human rights and diversity. It promotes intercultural dialogue and co-operation between young people which crosses ethnic, religious, linguistic, cultural and national divides in Armenia”.

The camp is based on the principle and practice of non-formal education and will include workshops, familiarization with cultures of participant communities and thematic film evenings.