Voices of Change: A Year in COAF’s English Access & English Education Programs

In 2025, COAF’s English Access and English education programs continued to expand their impact—supporting both students and educators across rural Armenia. Through immersive camps, graduation experiences, and professional engagement opportunities, these programs strengthened English proficiency while building leadership, civic awareness, and community connection among young people and the teachers who guide them.

Access Graduation Camps: From Learning to Action

In October 2025, COAF brought the English Access journey to a powerful close through a series of graduation camps titled “Voices of Change: Youth in Action.” These included week-long camps, one overnight camp, and multiple day camps, engaging 563 students from 31 communities across Armavir, Aragatsotn, Shirak, and Lori.

Designed as immersive learning environments, the camps blended interactive workshops, team-building activities, and community project-based learning over five days. Students strengthened essential 21st-century skills—including leadership, collaboration, communication, problem-solving, and civic awareness—while using English as a tool for expression and advocacy.

Youth Leadership and Civic Engagement at the Core

At the heart of the camps was a focus on active citizenship and youth leadership. Through keynote sessions and workshops, students explored their role in shaping their communities and learned how soft skills translate into real-world impact.

A central component of the experience was group community project development. Working in teams, students identified local challenges, designed actionable solutions, and presented their ideas through structured presentations and Q&A sessions—demonstrating creativity, critical thinking, and growing confidence in English.

Peer Learning and Inspiration

The camps also created space for peer learning and real-world inspiration. English Access alumni returned to share their educational journeys and international exchange experiences, offering students tangible examples of perseverance and possibility. Educators, trainers, and civic professionals further connected leadership, innovation, and technology—showing how modern tools, including AI, can be applied responsibly to community challenges.

Building Connections Across Communities

Beyond skills development, the camps fostered meaningful connections among students from different villages and regions. By working together and exchanging ideas, participants built cross-community networks with the potential to drive collaboration and long-term change. Each camp concluded with a graduation ceremony and certificate distribution, marking both completion and readiness to apply learning beyond the classroom.

English Programs in Lori: “English-Speaking Rural Schools”

Alongside the Access graduation camps, COAF implemented two intensive day camps under the “English-Speaking Rural Schools” initiative in Lori Marz. Held on October 23 and 24, 2025 at the Vanadzor Technology Center, the camps engaged over 300 students from 17 communities.

Through interactive sessions, team-building activities, and youth-led project examples, participants explored active citizenship, collaboration, and community engagement—learning practical strategies to turn ideas into action.

Looking Forward

Across COAF’s English Access and English education programs in 2025, participants gained more than language skills. Students and educators alike strengthened leadership capacity, confidence, and civic awareness—reinforcing the idea that English is not only a subject, but a tool for participation and impact.

As COAF looks ahead, these programs remain essential pathways for empowering rural communities—supporting young people and educators to connect, communicate, and lead meaningful change.

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