Youth Innovation and Development Center

“Youth Innovation and Development Center” NGO was founded by experienced youth workers, who strive to create more opportunities for youngsters locally and internationally. THE AIM of the organisation is to stimulate young people’s and communities’ capacity building process by raising their awareness; improving their skills, which will contribute to the advancement of young people, provide personal and professional growth by promoting youth work, non-formal education, career development, discovering youth potential and encourage their active participation in community development both locally and internationally. To reach the above-mentioned goal, we have defined the following OBJECTIVES: ● To identify social, educational, cultural, economic, health issues that young people face and design sustainable solutions at local and international levels ● To plan and implement viable programs & measures in social, educational, cultural, health and economic spheres aimed at overcoming the existing problems related to the mentioned spheres among the youth and strengthening youth capacities ● To promote a culture of democracy, human rights protection, active citizenship and dissemination of youth leadership practices in local communities at national and international levels. ● To create an environment for young people for mutual communication, education & self-development, where they can have an opportunity to discover their potential and develop their skills. ● To organise training, meetings, exchange of experience aimed at developing young people's personal and social skills in cooperation with local and international organisations. ● To apply youth work & non-formal educational methods in promotion of active citizenship and youth sector development ● To raise young people awareness about existing educational opportunities both locally and internationally ● To promote innovative practices by using digital tools in educational, cultural, social fields ● To contribute to the preservation and dissemination of sustainable development goals among young people և create a favorable environment to promote sustainable development practices. All our activities are based on non–formal education and informal learning. ART: Together with our members and volunteers YIDC implements diverse local activities related to street art in Armenia and abroad. With the support of ERASMUS PLUS programme we work on Art projects by addressing diverse social and human rights issues through theatre, podcast, music, dance etc. We use art as a tool to address issues and empower young people to be active citizens in their communities. SPORTS AND OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES stand among our local and international activities. We use diverse games and sport activities based on healthy lifestyles for young people who later use their skills by sharing experiences with children and teenage groups in their communities. We organise sport activities for inclusion especially to integrate displaced people in the new community. Every month we organise free yoga events where people can join us and practice yoga. EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE: From 2020 we are actively working on projects with the topic of emotional intelligence to support young people and youth workers to understand their emotions and effectively use them in communicating with other people. TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION: The founder of YIDC has extensive experience teaching at Catalyst Academy, where he has empowered young people aged 8 to 18 by providing knowledge in computer science, public speaking, communication, and various soft skills. This focus on digital literacy and youth development has contributed to equipping the younger generation with essential skills for their future success. Additionally, as an IT professional, the founder initiates new educational programs within Catalyst Academy and in collaboration with IT companies. These programs focus on fostering innovation and creating learning opportunities in computer science and technology, aimed at bridging the gap between education and industry needs. TRAININGS: Our team is working on diverse training to support youth workers and educators to gain diverse skills. The themes of our training are migration, leadership, digital skills, environmental issues, ecology, social entrepreneurship etc. Our organisation provides humanitarian aid for IDPs from Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) who have been displaced during the war. Together with “Mek Yntanik” Foundation, we have supported around 200 displaced families in Armenia, around 600 children and youth with humanitarian aid and involvement in skills’ development projects. Our core team has a good connection with Armenian communities and organisations in Europe, USA and Middle East.