Federation of Youth Clubs of Armenia (FYCA) hosted the representatives of Icelandic youth organization “Samfes Youth Work Iceland” from January 17 to 20 in the frames of “Erasmus+” programme supported by the EU. The Icelandic youth organization is a sister organization of FYCA, though it was the first time that the youth workers came to Armenia with a study visit.
The project lasted for three days by covering various informative discussion meetings and sessions of exchange of experiences with representatives of local active NGOs. In addition, FYCA, together with its youth clubs, presented its activities implemented in the youth field so far to Samfes Youth Work Iceland. The organization also highlighted the importance of non-formal education, youth motivation, and spoke about the opportunities leading to professional growth.
“As youth workers in Iceland, we work with migrants and troubled youth, hence it is crucial for us to find new methods and tools to continue working with this target group. From time to time, we organize various group activities, and we also want to learn the practice of other European countries of this field and share our own experiences, knowledge and skills with others as well. The biggest youth organization in Armenia which is also the member organization of the European Confederation of Youth Clubs (ECYC) has a big experience in this field, therefore, we try to gain as much information as we can about the NGO field in Armenia”- says the head of Icelandic youth workers’ team Kari Sigurdsson.
According to the FYCA’s president Atom Mkhitaryan, these kinds of informative and exchange projects are beneficial for both sides in the context of improving the key competences of organizations. Moreover, the president also highlighted the importance of suchlike projects in expanding international cooperation. Our partnership with ECYC has a 15-years-long story during which numerous Armenian young people had the opportunity to develop their knowledge and skills by participating in international youth exchange programmes.
The Study visit comprised of 21 youth workers from Iceland and as well as representatives of FYCA’s youth clubs from regions.