The international fellow at Caucasus Research Resource Center - Armenia is conducting a survey on the activities of Armenian NGOs and their connection with their beneficiaries.

The views and opinions of the people working in the NGO community are invaluable to help understand and improve the community.

The author deeply appreciates your support and asks you to fill out the brief survey HERE.

 If you have any questions for the survey's author, Gabriel Armas-Cardona. He can be reached at gabriel@crrc.am .

Within the Framework of “Equal Opportunities for National Minorities and Disadvantaged Groups in Realizing Cultural Rights: Richness through Diversity” program, on April 26th 2013, the Civic Development and Partnership Foundation and “NGO Center” Civil Society Development NGO organized a round-table discussion on the topic of “The role of culture initiatives in the development processes in Armenia and Ukraine”.

The objective of the event was to discuss the cultural initiatives and programs implemented by numerous organizations in Armenia and Ukraine, as well as, to present the state policies of those respective countries towards the empowerment of national minorities, the preservation of cultural heritage and the community cultural development initiatives that are being employed. More importantly, the debate highlighted the potential possibility of cooperation between the organizations operating in both countries.

The round-table discussion was carried out with the participation of the representatives of the Ukrainian “GURT Resource Center”, the head of the department of internal affairs of the Kiev region, the representatives of Ukrainian communities and organizations, representatives of the RA’s administration and government bodies, local and international organizations, as well as representatives of the various communities encompassed within the initiative.

During the event, the organizers presented the “Equal Opportunities for National Minorities and Disadvantaged Groups in Realizing Cultural Rights: Richness through Diversity” program’s mission, objectives, implemented policies and the future plans set fort for execution.

Afterwards, Republic of Armenia’s state representatives presented the implemented government policies for the purpose of preserving the cultural heritage of national minorities. It was noted that, apart from the government grants provided to the organizations of the national minorities, the government is also aiding the national minorities in the publication of newspapers and books in their own language, broadcast of TV and radio programs, as well as, helping them organize cultural events by providing a space for a National Minority Cultural Center in Yerevan.

The representatives of the NGOs working in the field of protecting the rights of national minorities presented their perspectives regarding their mission, the aid they have received and the challenges and problems that are still existent. During the discussion, participants voiced out the necessity for organizational capacity building and the paramount importance of a more engaged involvement in the lives of the local communities across all regions.

Onwards, the representatives of the communities expressed their gratitude for the support they have received through the implementation of the program, especially through the capacity building initiative program. Moreover, the representatives voiced out their concerns regarding the depreciating infrastructure of cultural establishments across various regions, and the lack of support and attention from Yerevan based organizations towards the remote and distant communities across the country.

Finally, the representatives of the Ukrainian communities shared their impressions of the Armenian communities they had visited, highlighting the importance of direct contact in exchanging experiences, ideas and establishing further cooperation, while at the same time expressing their joy of getting acquainted with the country (Armenia) and its people.

The event was concluded with warm atmosphere, with the expectation of further cooperation and future meetings with one another.

About Training

The training is addressed to the heads and representative of youth branches of national minority NGOs (up to two persons from each organization) who would like to improve their knowledge and skills in organizational development.

The training covers the following topics:

• Basics of Organizational Development
• Project Design and Implementation
• Financial Sustainability Planning
• Social Entrepreneurship
• Fundraising
• Community Development

Certificates of participation will be awarded to the participants of the training.

Duration and Place

The training will be held on May 31-June 1, June 6-8 (5 days in total), from 10.00 to 17.00 in Yerevan.

The training will be held in Armenian with simultaneous Armenian-Russian interpretation.. Those participants who would need Russian interpretation are requested to make a note in the Application Form. Coffee and lunch will be provided.

Application Procedure

Please fill in the Application Form and send to training@cdpf.am or deliver in hard copy to OSCE Office in Yerevan located at Sundukyan 64/1, Yerevan, by May 20, 2013.

The Applications of youth branch representatives of organizations should be accompanied with a support letter from the head of organization.

The places are limited, thus, in case of large number of applications, preference will be given to earlier and complete Applications. All the applicants will notified about confirmation of their participation as well as information about training venue by May 29.

Should you have any questions, please contact OSCE Office in Yerevan, phone number 229610/11/12/13/14, ext. 5452 (Ms. Inna Yeranosyan).

The RA’s Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs has announced that there will be a grant acquisition possibility for NGOs in the third quarter of 2013; the grant application and participation can take place through online submissions.

The grant application must be submitted online, using an “A”, “B”, “C”, “D”, project plan proposal format and is correspondent to the nature of your project plan.

The Application deadline is on May 31st, 2013.

The starting date of your program should be set no sooner than 50 days after the application submission deadline.

If there is a breach of the application deadline or the starting date of the program, the program proposal will be considered annulled and any grant allocations will be withdrawn.

For further information, follow the following link: www.eritasard.am

Civic Development and Partnership Foundation (CDPF) and Association for Democracy Support and Human Rights (DEMAS) offer an exclusive opportunity for Armenian regional non-commercial non-state organizations to improve their knowledge and skills in Project and Financial Management and to get acquainted with international experience in this area through participation in a free two-day training on NGO Sustainability: Project and Financial Management.

About Training

The training covers the following topics:

• Project management, application process, programme cycle
• Financial management (fundraising, budget planning)
• Finishing the project (monitoring, audit, evaluation)

The training will be conducted in an interactive manner, including discussions, brainstorming, and exercises. The training will be delivered by Sabina Dvořakova, DEMAS Executive Director and Maryna Puzdrova, DEMAS Project Manager/ Policy Officer.

The language of the training is English, consecutive translation to Armenian is provided.

Location and Dates

The duration of the training is two days: May 21, from 10.00 to 17.00, May 22, from 10.00 to 16.00. The training will be held at Civic Development and Partnership Foundation (CDPF) office, at 11/5 Proshyan Street, Yerevan.

Application Procedure

The participation in the training is free: the selection of participants will be conducted on competitive basis. The training is primarily targeted at regional civil society organizations, though Yerevan-based organizations may apply to be considered in case if seats are available. The transportation fee for regional participants is provided by organizers (only public transportation fee will be covered). There is no reimbursement provided for overnight stay.

To apply for the participation in the training please fill in the application form (in Armenian) and send to training@cdpf.am by May 13, 2013. The applicants will be notified on the selection results by May 17, 2013.