When Youth Take the Lead in Community Development, Transformation Holds Greater Meaning

A Look Inside Community Development Projects by COAF’s Civic Education Program

A well-known Armenian proverb says, “Communities that stand together can face even the toughest obstacles.” COAF’s Civic Education Program puts this idea into action, showing how civic engagement makes a real difference.

To care for a community, one must first know the community and its people, understand its existing challenges, and understand the possible ways to take part in community life. This is the goal of the Civic Education Program, which in 2025 has already become a companion, mentor, horizon-expander, and boundary-breaker for more than 150 children across eight communities in Armavir Region: Nalbandyan, Shenik, Aygevan, Lenughi, Lernagog, Dalarik, Hatsik, and Myasnikyan.

From self-discovery to media literacy, from artificial intelligence to democracy, the program creates a space for young people to dream, take initiative, and drive change—beginning with personal growth and extending into their communities.

The most dynamic and hands-on phase of this journey comes at its conclusion: the community development projects. Here, students put their newly acquired knowledge and skills into practice while deepening their connection to the communities they call home.

Seeing once is better than hearing a thousand times, so here are several community projects carried out by participant groups — their first practical steps on the path toward community change.

Challenging Stereotypes in an Inclusive and Creative Way: Aygevan Village

The stories we grow up with often shape our ideas about roles and possibilities. Participants in the Civic Education Program in Aygevan are changing the rules of the game by placing brave, smart, and proactive girls at the heart of their own fairy tales.

Created by the participants for children ages 3–8, these stories carry important messages: roles within the family can be shared equally, and gender should never determine a person’s professional path. A girl can be an engineer or builder, just as a boy can be a pastry chef or hairdresser.

But that is not all. The illustrations for the stories were created by children from the local kindergarten and primary school, then transformed into lifelike characters using artificial intelligence. For the participants, this became a special experience in collaborating with the community’s educational institutions and using modern tools to bring ideas to life.

Valuing the Experiences of Older Community Members: Shenik Village

Our next stop is Shenik, one of COAF’s long-standing beneficiary communities, where years of programming have continuously helped young people develop their various skills. This time, for Shenik’s community development project, students shifted their focus by turning the spotlight toward the older generation. Recognizing the value of their memories and life experience, Civic Education Program participants collected their stories and memories and turned them into a unique newspaper infused with the spirit of Shenik.

The initiative also took on a playful extension. If you’ve ever played Alias and are ready for a greater challenge, Shenik Speech might be your next game. Developed by the participants, this board game invites players to test how well they know the local dialect of the Armavir region.

Healthy Residents, Healthy Community: Myasnikyan and Hatsik Villages

In today’s world, fast food and sedentary lifestyles often become part of everyday life. In such conditions, it is more important than ever to keep raising the topic of health and healthy living, especially among teenagers.

In Myasnikyan, students took a similar approach, developing a digital game called Healthy Living that invites players to test their knowledge of the core principles behind building healthy habits.

In neighboring Hatsik, attention was focused on another worrying issue: the use of energy drinks and tobacco among minors. As part of their community development project, participants visited shops near the school to raise awareness about the harmful effects of energy drinks and to support efforts to limit their sale to teenagers.

Artificial Intelligence as a Tool, Responsible Use as a Priority: Nalbandyan Village

Artificial intelligence is rapidly entering our lives, making many processes easier while also creating new challenges. Only a well-informed and critically thinking user can decide how and when to apply AI tools in ways that support their own development. That is why AI literacy is becoming a priority, and teenagers’ awareness and active involvement are an important part of it.

This is the goal of the Nalbandyan team’s community development project: a five-day awareness campaign on Snapchat, designed not only to inform teenagers, but also to turn them into active participants in the initiative. The campaign, however, did not remain limited to digital platforms. It also reached the community’s educational and cultural centers — the cultural house, library, school, and health post — emphasizing that AI does not replace people, but rather supports learning and the responsible use of information.

“I Discovered My Community and Learned to Love It in a New Way”

At its core, the program aims to reshape how participants see their communities, encouraging them to value their place within them, transform care into initiative, and take action for the good of the places they call home.