“Yntaniq on Wheels”

On August 25, the “Yntaniq” Children and Youth Creative Center of Gyumri under the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Armenia launched an educational program entitled “Yntaniq on Wheels” for teachers and teenagers from rural communities of Shirak Province.

The program aimed to emphasize the role of extracurricular education, provide professional development courses for teachers working in the fields of traditional arts and crafts in rural communities of Shirak Province, support the professional orientation and skills development of rural teenagers, and organize practical classes in the communities led by the Center’s students and teachers, giving participants an opportunity to create independently and assess their own abilities.

During the first stage of the program, from August 25 to 29, 18 teachers from rural communities participated in professional development training at the “Yntaniq” Center. During the training, the teachers explored methods of conducting community research and identifying needs, identified ways to promote community development and connect teenagers with their communities through extracurricular educational programs, and discussed professional educational programs and new teaching methods.

From September 1 to 5, during the second stage of the program, the Center’s students and instructors, together with the trained teachers, organized practical classes for rural teenagers in 10 communities: Torosgyugh, Gokhovit, Haykavan, Voskehask, Jajur, Marmashen, Jradzor, Vahramaberd, Tsoghamarg, and Musayelyan.

During the practical classes, the teenagers discovered that the only path to knowledge is learning and putting the knowledge they acquire to purposeful use.

Community leaders and school principals emphasized the importance of implementing such programs in rural communities and expressed their admiration and gratitude to the Center’s staff, noting that cooperation between the “Yntaniq” Center and rural communities would become a bridge connecting those committed to educating the younger generation with a strong national identity.

The results were encouraging. All participants were once again convinced of the truth of the saying: “Learn a craft; do not be delicate—the craft you master becomes a golden bracelet on your arm.”

S. Hakobyan