Since TUMO first opened in Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) one year ago through the TUMOxAGBU partnership, over 1,000 local teens have passed through its doors to learn the latest in arts and tech. The birthday will be celebrated, fittingly, on Artsakh’s Independence Day on September 2 with open-air activities in the center of Stepanakert. The public event will include music, robotics and virtual reality games, and will feature the work of the TUMOians of Artsakh.

Over the last year, 22 workshops were organized at the center that taught students the fundamentals of filmmaking, web development, video game design and animation. In addition, there were seven learning labs where industry professionals from around the world taught subjects ranging from web design to music. These included noted American photographer Scout Tufankjian, robotics guru from Barcelona Josep Maria Fargas, Esquire Russia editor Grigor Atanesian, Italian war photographer Pier Paolo Cito, web specialists Samvel Chobanyan and Monte Hakobjanyan, French musician Sevana Tchakerian and graphic designer Sedrak Mkrtchyan. Those TUMO labs also hosted three Luys scholars who conducted their research and taught students.

The center also remained open during the military flare-up in April, providing a calm space for the teens, also turning into a resource center for journalists.

TUMO CEO Marie Lou Papazian finds it hard to contain her excitement over TUMO Stepanakert’s first birthday. “I’ve been asked, given the current circumstances, is this the right time to launch TUMO in Stepanakert? My answer is: now is the best time ever! These teens need every opportunity to experience normal daily lives, with great aspirations toward their own future and that of their homeland. Artsakh does not begin or end with the latest geopolitical developments. We believe it has a great future and we don't want to miss the opportunity to be part of it.”

TUMO Stepanakert manager Korioun Khatchadourian echoes her sentiment: “Reaching this milestone inspires so much hope. I’m proud of our team and our students and I’m very much looking forward to the new academic year.”