The National Scout Movement of Armenia brings Scouting to disadvantaged youth

In 2013, the National Scout Movement of Armenia (Hayastani Azgayin Scautakan Sharjum Kazmakerputiun) started a Messengers of Peace project aimed at promoting organizational development and involving disadvantaged youth into Scouting. The main objective of this life-changing project was to reach out to a category of socially disadvantaged Armenian youth by bringing them into the circle of Scouting. Since then, Armenian Scouts have been working closely with schools, orphanages and centers for socially disadvantaged children in different economically deprived communities, nationwide.

A trilateral Memorandum of Understanding was signed in February 2013 by the Minister of Education and Science, the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, alongside the National Scout Movement of Armenia, in order to strengthen their partnership and cooperation, especially in institutions under the auspices of these ministries.

So far, the project is being carried out in 10 institutions, engaging an average of 60 to 80 children per institution, and promoting activities such as hiking, leadership seminars, weekly activities, annual camps among other NSO-wide activities. As stressed by Telman Arakelyan, a 16-year-old boy from Gavar Orphanage, “Scouts became our older friends, they filled our boring routine with new interesting information, events, with their care. So, we are always waiting impatiently for their next activity”.