August the 12th, a Generation Next charity expo took place in downtown Gyumri. This charming city currently is hosting the Pan-Armenian Games. The event was the exposure component of the ogling Embroidery Summer School, and was organized in close cooperation with Gyumri Municipality Department of Culture and Youth.

The works of 25 artisans were presented, including wide range of embroidery. All the craftspeople enrolled are those, who took refuge in Armenia from the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Karabakh.

More than a dozen of young people, both selected participants of the Summer School, and YMCA Scholarship holders at American University of Armenia (AUA) supported the event as volunteers. Starting from late evening of August the 11th till early morning of August the 13th they were involved in organizing the transfer of the group from Yerevan to Gyumri and v.v., setting up the expo site, and helping the artisans with presenting their works to thousands of locals and tourists visiting the expo, and many more. But apart from the hard work they also became part of the celebrations dedicated to the International Youth Day, happening all around.

Also, during the day an induction meeting was held with the new batch of the AUA YMCA Scholarship holders. YMCA Europe Generation Next staff, Rootsmade volunteers and AUA YMCA Scholarship previous batch representatives helped them to understand the nitty-gritties of their internship ahead, grasp the value and the vision behind it, get motivated on the opportunities the scholarship and the YMCA offer them. Future plans and steps were discussed and agreed.

All in all, the International Youth Day 2023 was a remarkable happening in the life of the Generation Next. The YMCA expo was covered by Radio Liberty, and is on the official Facebook page of the Gyumri Municipality.