Nurturing Voting Culture in Armenia
Promoting public diplomacy, fostering public-private partnerships across sectors, and encouraging efficient networking and collaboration among Armenian regions to advance the country’s economic reform are among the prime goals of the USAID-funded Community Connections (CC) Armenia program.
Sona Manucharyan and Ani Hakobyan were among the participants of the CC “Young Voters Participation in Electoral Processes” practical internship program in 2007, spending 22 days in Iowa, USA during their exchange. The two young women work for Youth for Achievements (YFA), an Armenian educational NGO promoting democracy among the country’s future generation.
Through the extensive CC program, participants met with key figures of the Iowa Secretary of State’s Office, State Capitol, Legislative Service Agency, Institute of Character Development, Iowa State Bar Association, other state bodies and NGOs, where they learned about the Iowa government and state electoral process, as well acquired skills in developing youth initiatives tailored to increase youth awareness and stimulate their participation in elections. Manucharyan and Hakobyan especially highlighted their interactive strategic communications workshop at Diverse Innovative Solutions, which focused on audience demographic analysis, effective outreach strategies, and public speaking, and allowed the participants conduct mock interviews to help them improve their media skills.
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Sona Manucharyan and Ani Hakobyan participated in the CC “Young Voters Participation in Electoral Processes” program in the US, sharing their experience and knowledge with over 1,000 Armenian youth upon their return home
Photo Credit: Project Harmony |
The CC Program equipped the women with a clear vision and ideas on how to enhance their current projects at YFA upon their return. As part of YFA’s Youth for Elections project, the young women reached out to thousand Armenian youth in three cities and implemented a number of projects involving seminars on elections and election procedures, debates and public speaking contests. Furthermore, Manucharyan and Hakobyan organized “Democracy is a Debate,” a four-day summer camp for 60 students, to enhance youth understanding of their roles and responsibilities as citizens and the values of democracy through debate and active civic participation in Armenia’s democratic reform.
"The CC program helped us understand the U.S. election system and draw parallels with that of Armenia. We were able to share knowledge and experience and acquire new skills while gaining more faith in our own capacities. Some of the alumni joined in teams and united efforts for implementation of future projects. The Program also helped us bring in the good practices of the U.S. election procedure, such as provision of access to people with physical disabilities,” the young women note.
They also appreciated the cultural component of the CC program, including their host family stays, which helped them learn about American values and traditions. Manucharyan still keeps in touch with her host family and speaks warmly of their cultural exchange: “The people of Iowa were very hospitable, kind-hearted and social. This was a good opportunity to compare Armenian and American families, and tell them about our country and culture in return. We brought back unforgettable memories, lots of new ideas and an inspiration to transfer them from just vision to reality.”
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