On 13 July 2022, at the American University of Armenia (AUA) the first introductory meeting took place with the first group of the YMCA Scholarship Program participants and the YMCA Europe team. During the meeting each of the participants had a chance to present himself/herself and share their interest and motivation, knowledge and skills they could invest in the Program. The YMCA Europe team presented the framework within which the AUA YMCA Scholarship is going to function.

The Scholarship Program is one of the components of the YMCA Europe Generation Next regional initiative designed to enhance knowledge and skills amongst socially vulnerable young people and empowering them to lead a meaningful and independent life able to contribute to building up a strong civil society.

For this reason, a Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between YMCA Europe and the AUA to grant YMCA Scholarships to 10 AUA students for 2 academic years. It was agreed that the AUA conducts a scholarship candidate selection process ensuring the criterion of the social need-base and gender balance.

All the YMCA Scholarship holders are Undergraduate Senior or Graduate students. As part of the agreement, they will carry out annual internships for the Rootsmade platform established through the YMCA Europe Roots for Peace initiative, helping war-affected people stay resilient through successful social entrepreneurship and meaningful work.

Webpage: https://www.rootsmade.com/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rootsmade

Instagram: https://bit.ly/3uPQFAc 

The Rootsmade operating foundation will sign agreements with each of the selected YMCA Scholarship holders on their internship/community volunteer service at minimum of 80 hours per year, and based on their personal knowledge and skills, as well as on interest and motivation. The service fields include:

– video making/photography, including graphic design and editing;

– online e-commerce/marketing, including Social media;

– journalism/PR/web content development/story-telling;

– web and social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram) technical administration;

– project/start-up conceptualization, development, and solicitation.

The internship also includes support in event management during the YMCA Europe international event in Yerevan and volunteering during the Rootsmade charity fairs and other activities.