A community development program initiated by the student NGO of Pambak-Daranak secondary school launched on Tuesday, May 24.

The student NGO was founded in the framework of the Entrepreneurial and Civic Activism program, choosing the renovation of the school’s assembly hall as a most urgent project. In March, the Junior Achievement of Armenia allocated AMD 150 000 to the student NGO for the realization of the program.

On March 15, during the ceremony of providing grants from the Junior Achievements of Armenia to 12 student NGO’s included in the program, VivaCell-MTS General Manager Ralph Yirikian who was invited by the organizers to participate in the ceremony, announced that 12 student NGOs will be donated 100 thousand drams each from the Yirikian family for the implementation of the program. The sum provided was used to carry out the renovation works: painting the walls, buying curtains and renovating the floor.

“Entrepreneurship requires knowledge and experience which can be acquired through hard work and constant efforts,” Yirikian said.

“Taking the first steps in entrepreneurship at an early age, even with a small budget, paves the way for serious endeavors in the future. As an entrepreneur, I appreciate that the students have made a concerted effort to draft a business plan, with the valuable experience to be quite useful in the future, considering the Armenian business environment specifics.”

In the first part of the Entrepreneurial and Civic Activism program, the students had the opportunity to learn about the basics of entrepreneurship, to found a commercial organization and put the theoretical knowledge into practice. They carried out market research and, based on the customer demand, decided to start a production of Gavari Pakhlava (Pakhlava of Gavar) sweets. The students gave out recipes as a marketing tool to attract customers. They also offered kitchen towels and aprons that housewives may need while baking pakhlava. Along with acquiring entrepreneurship and finance skills, the students learned about the principles of Corporate Social Responsibility and elaborated a strategy for their organization. As an expression of corporate responsibility, the young entrepreneurs allocated AMD 10 000 from their profit to the assembly hall renovation program.

In the second part of the program, the students restructured their organization from profit to nonprofit and started the realization of the community development project. The president of the student NGO Armine Dashyan hailed the choice: “The assembly hall was in such a poor condition that it was unable to host events. Now that repair works have been implemented, the children are looking forward to organizing events in the renovated hall.”

The Entrepreneurial and Civic Activism program organized in over 150 Armenian schools is aimed at instilling among the youth of vulnerable communities the belief in their own capabilities and in a bright future.

The program seeks to ensure economic literacy, also teaching the principles of market economy and providing entrepreneurial and financial skills. The program also focuses on fostering the innovative and creative skills of the participants as well as teaching the basics of corporate social responsibility. At the end of the program, the participants will have a good understanding of the principles of civic activism and civic society.