 |
Ms. Karine Grigoryan, the founder of the AGATE Center, conducts leadership training for women with special needs in Gyumri, Shirak Region of Armenia. |
A Center for Women with Special Needs Established in Shirak Marz
An internship opportunity with Kultur Aktiv gave Mr. Grigoryan both project management experience and self-confidence to establish an NGO.
In March 2007, Karine Grigoryan participated in the Youth NGO Internship Program in Germany. Ms. Grigoryan was a volunteer and interpreter for the “Meghvik NGO” in Gyumri when she was offered the internship at Kultur Aktiv German NGO, which is a small organization supporting local artists and enabling cultural exchange with neighboring countries. Kultur Aktiv also creates volunteer opportunities for youth.
During the four-week internship, Ms. Grigoryan was involved in the activities of the Kultur Aktiv project-team for the Southern Caucasus. Ms. Grigoryan worked on almost all phases of the project, from brainstorming and proposal writing to finishing documentation on completed projects. This allowed thoughtful insight into how Kultur Aktiv achieves its mission. As conducting training programs for unemployed youth in Germany is one of the activities of Kultur Aktiv, Ms. Grigoryan was also able to compare youth unemployment in Germany and Armenia, and how high unemployment rates of young people in Dresden and Gyumri can be solved by coming up with new approaches. During the stay in Germany, Ms. Grigoryan also participated in a two-day seminar on project-management for NGOs, and further developed her English skills, as knowledge of English was a requirement to participate in this internship so the interns could communicate with the NGO representatives easily without an interpreter’s help.
Ms. Grigoryan wrote a project proposal for Kultur Aktiv which was successfully awarded funding. This gave Ms. Grigoryan confidence that she has the ability to write proposals and win projects. This new confidence, partnered with her organizational skills, has led her to provide opportunities for disabled persons in Gyumri to further integrate them into community activities.
Having a disability herself, Ms. Grigoryan recognizes the problems people with disabilities face. In October 2007, she established an NGO, AGATE Center for Women with Special Needs, to improve the quality of life of disabled girls and women, protect their rights, promote their participation as full citizens, raise their public and civic activism, and encourage them to live independent lives by creating learning opportunities for them and providing psychological and legal consultations. The NGO activities include organizing training for disabled women in the following areas: career orientation, leadership, parenting, SME development, electoral processes, project design and management, working with media, and change of attitudes and behaviors. The NGO also provides physical rehabilitation therapy opportunities to women with disabilities.
Knowledge of English helps Ms. Grigoryan find international partners and participate in networks addressing similar problems.
Publication Date: 2008-09-12
| |
