“For the participants, this course was a source of motivation to be active in the community. They got acquainted with the website of the local self-government body of their community, the opportunities, tried to apply online for community problems,” said Lianna Abazyan, a teacher at the Lernapat community school in Lori region. Lianna heads the “Voice of Youth” NGO, and participating in the “Youth Participation in Policymaking processes” training course, was given the opportunity to design and implement the Small Grants for “Your Right” project, within the framework of “DATA. Data for Accountable and Transparent Action” program.
“Your Right” program, which brought together about 16 young people, aims to inform the residents of Lernapat community about their rights in the decision-making process at the local level. The first one-day course, conducted by Vahe Khachikyan, examined the forms of participation of local residents in the field of local self-government, the structure, functions of local self-government, and the existing ways of applying to local self-governments on community issues (online and offline).
Through the practical work, theoretical knowledge and capacity were strengthened, and they were able to send inquiries about some community issues using the online tools of the community local government website. Advocacy and leadership training courses with youth participation will be provided next, as well as, community awareness initiatives will be organized.
“DATA: Data for Accountable and Transparent Action” program is implemented with the support of DATA Consortium (Eurasia Partnership Foundation, SOCIES Expertise Center, Bun TV Foundation, Youth Cooperation Center of Dilijan NGO, SOSE Women’s Issues NGO) in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)).
