“I wish we could have a longer camp to do more self-awareness tests and participate in more mock interviews for jobs. This is so interesting and useful!”, said Sveta Ohanyan from Goris as their group of 18 students reflected on the first day of their online camp marking their successful graduation from the 2-year English Access Microscholarship Program (Access) funded by the U.S. government and implemented by PH International.
In August a total of 54 students from Chambarak, Goris and Yeghvard participated in 3-day online Access camps within which 11 remarkable native and foreign speakers shared their knowledge, wisdom and life skills with the students. They studied personality types, received advice on career development themes, learnt tools to spot social media manipulations, and discussed how to avoid negative stereotyping. The cross-cultural sessions led by 3 U.S. Peace Corps volunteers as well as guests from Japan and the Philippines living in Armenia, enriched the students’ cross-cultural awareness.
The students also met a prominent young Armenian social activist and alumnus of PHI’s former youth leadership program, learnt about debating as a vital competency for community activists and civil society, and practiced debated on themes selected through voting. The camps also included an interesting session and a simulation game on the U.S. presidential elections, facilitated by a U.S. PCV. Colleagues from the U.S. Embassy joined all camps, congratulating the students on their keen participation and successful graduation.
The Alumni Coordinator of the Embassy shared with them the different existing channels for alumni networking and information dissemination and encouraged them to actively participate in the global community of State Alumni. An online ceremony, concluded the program graduation camps as all students were awarded with Certificates of Achievement, signed by the U.S. Ambassador in Armenia and PHI leadership, thus honoring the 2 years of intensive learning and cooperation.
