DILIJAN COMMUNITY CENTER

Dilijan Community Center (DCC) was created on the basis of Dilijan Youth Center, which was founded in 2014. It started as a platform to engage students from UWC Dilijan College with the youth in Dilijan. Their mission is to enrich the lives of all individuals living and working in Dilijan by creating positive experiences in leisure, culture, and education.

Typical Volunteer Tasks: Volunteers engage in a diverse array of tasks, including conducting training sessions and seminars on topics such as communication, literacy, career development, interpersonal skills, resource management, technology use, environmental awareness, gender roles, psychology, international relations, intercultural understanding, and human rights. Additionally, they assist with social projects, working with youth, organizing events, and supporting them in implementing new initiatives based on their respective backgrounds and experiences.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CENTER

The Community Development Center is engaged in the identification of needs and opportunities for vulnerable groups in society and solving various social and educational problems. Their goal is to contribute to improving the living standards of disadvantaged families and people with special needs, to develop their knowledge and skills, as well as to stabilize their financial situation.

Typical Volunteer Tasks: Volunteers may mentor and provide guidance to children during various workshops and classes and assist in curriculum development for the courses to align with the needs and skill levels of the beneficiaries.

VANADZOR MEDICAL CENTER

Vanadzor Medical Center is the largest and only regional hospital in the Lori marz (region). Its facilities provide medical care in inpatient, outpatient, and ambulance services.

Typical Volunteer Tasks: Volunteers support a variety of essential tasks that enhance patient care and hospital operations. They provide assistance to patients, help with administrative duties like reception and data entry, and support clinical staff by organizing medical supplies and performing non-medical tasks, also shadowing the main doctor in their day-to-day responsibilities.

NorArar EDUCATION NGO

The NorArar Education Initiative is dedicated to enhancing educational opportunities and fostering civic engagement among youth. Established with a mission to address educational disparities and promote sustainable development, NorArar collaborates with various local and international partners to implement innovative educational programs and community projects. Their initiatives focus on improving literacy, providing professional development for educators, and supporting inclusive education for children and young adults.

Typical Volunteer Tasks: Volunteer tasks at the organization include assisting with fundraising, marketing, and social media management by tracking funding opportunities, writing grant applications, developing marketing content, updating social media platforms, and planning fundraising events. Volunteers may also work as video/audio to create and share promotional videos, support the Summer School by teaching and create engaging lessons. Additionally, strategic consultants can help redesign the NGO’s strategic plan, assist with communication strategies, and support leadership in decision-making.

YMCA SPITAK

YMCA Spitak is a youth-focused community organization promoting positive social change through education, advocacy, and direct service delivery that develops a healthy spirit, body, and mind. The goal is to empower young leaders and enhance their responsible and efficient engagement through providing them with learning and capacity building opportunities; fostering their personal and leadership skills development.

Typical volunteer tasks: Volunteers at YMCA Spitak engage in various tasks, including assisting with educational workshops and after-school programs, supporting day camps and outdoor camp activities, leading and organizing youth club activities (English, sports, arts & crafts), providing mentorship and fostering leadership development among young participants, and helping to organize and execute community engagement events and initiatives.

LORI INNOVATIVE KNOWLEDGE HUB

The purpose of creating the hub is to promote the development of the social entrepreneurship ecosystem in Lori region. Here it is possible to generate new ideas, acquire knowledge and apply it in practice, form teams; host courses, workshops, meetings, film screenings and events. The initiative is implemented within the framework of the EU4Youth Social Entrepreneurship Ecosystem (SEED) for Green Progress in Border Areas project, implemented with the support of the European Union by CENN in partnership with Green Lane NGO (Armenia) և KRDF (Georgia).

Typical Volunteer Tasks: Volunteers support their ongoing projects.

TUMANYAN LAW OFFICE

Tumanyan Law Office specializes in protecting employee rights in Armenia.

Typical Volunteer Tasks: Volunteers may support the staff with conducting research on labor laws, drafting legal documents, providing support for client consultations, or assisting with administrative tasks within the office.

EQUAL RIGHT EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

Equal Right Equal Opportunity is dedicated to promoting the full rights of disabled people in Vanadzor and fostering their inclusiveness in social life.

Typical Volunteer Tasks: Volunteers are tasked with organizing activities specifically tailored for disabled individuals, aiming to create opportunities for social engagement and participation.

FULL LIFE NGO

Full Life is a charitable non-governmental organization with social direction. Full Life strives to protect the rights of people with disabilities and include them in social life. The mission of Full Life is to strengthen and ensure the fullest possible inclusion in educational, legal, medical, and social services for people with disabilities by providing advocacy services, organizing educational programs, and implementing awareness raising campaigns. The target groups they serve are people with disabilities, vulnerable families, and rural communities.

Typical Volunteer Tasks: Volunteers can assist in updating the organization’s website, teach web design skills to staff members, and help organize and implement inclusive summer camps for children with disabilities and socially vulnerable families. Additionally, volunteers can support administrative tasks and contribute to project design and implementation for community and NGO beneficiaries.

BOO MOUNTAIN BIKE PARK

Boo park NGO‘s tasks and goals are promoting mountain biking sport, mountain tourism, healthy lifestyle and developing mountain sports. The idea is to make Vanadzor one of the best touristic destinations in Armenia by engaging local youth, while also boosting sustainable socio-economic development in the community.

Typical Volunteer Tasks: Volunteers support the team in managing crowdfunding campaigns, developing marketing strategies, and maintaining a strong social media presence to engage diverse networks, including the diaspora and local and international partners. Additionally, volunteers create compelling videos and photography for marketing purposes.

CREOPIA

Creopia sees Vanadzor as an arts hub, it facilitates creative exploration for youth to generate social impact in their community. They apply film and other art mediums to shed light on social issues in Vanadzor and surrounding regions.

Typical Volunteer Tasks: Volunteers at Creopia contribute to a range of tasks, including grant writing, English proofreading, video editing, filming, and leading workshops.

Education Bridge Education Center 

Education Bridge Edu Center provides accessible and high-quality education. With a primary focus on language proficiency, the organization offers comprehensive courses in English (including TOEFL and IELTS preparation), German, French, Russian, and various academic subjects. Beyond traditional classes, Educational Bridge fosters a vibrant learning community through clubs, classes, essay contests, and a myriad of other competitions.

Typical Volunteer Tasks: From organizing engaging English clubs for children and teenagers to providing personalized foreign language tutoring, volunteers contribute significantly to the learning environment of the center. They also assist in office tasks, ensuring smooth operations, and actively participate in arranging educational debates and contests.

MUSEUM OF FINE ART

More than 1,700 interesting and recognized works of art adorn the three public exhibition floors of the Vanadzor Museum of Fine Arts. Visiting and temporary exhibits accompany the Museum’s permanent exhibitions, making frequent visits to the Museum interesting and educational for all.

Typical Volunteer Tasks: Volunteers at the museum contribute to various tasks, including translation of texts for guided tours, translation of annotations related to museum subjects, writing scientific articles, assisting in organizing museum activities, photographing museum staff, and participating in ongoing museum projects and tasks.

VANADZOR AMERICAN CORNER

The American Corner Vanadzor (ACV) is a partnership between the Public Affairs Office of the Embassy of the United States of America in Armenia and the Lori Regional (Marz) Library. The membership is free and open to the general public. Corner focuses mainly on educational, cultural and business issues connecting the two nations. Besides providing basic services, ACV organizes presentations, meetings, exhibitions, and video demonstrations. The collection includes books, pamphlets, and DVDs on America in English, Armenian, and Russian.

Typical Volunteer Tasks: Volunteers at ACV contribute to various activities, including weekly movie screenings, teenage and student engagements, language conversation clubs, and children’s programs. They also organize club meetings and lectures on American and English literature.

MY FOREST ARMENIA

«My Forest Armenia» environmental NGO was founded in 2019 by Andre Gumuchdjian, a Belgian-Armenian philanthropist and entrepreneur. Andre feels future generations should not be burdened to clean up previous generations’ pollution.

Typical Volunteer Tasks: Volunteers take part in tree planting and seedling raising initiatives, as well as soil cultivation.

TERRACOTTA STUDIO VANADZOR

Terracotta Art Studio offers arts and crafts education for individuals of all ages. With a focus on painting, ceramics, and sewing, the studio provides master classes in pottery, painting, traditional Armenian doll-making, and more. Beyond education, Terracotta is a hub of creativity, fostering a love for the arts and encouraging experimentation with various materials and techniques.

Typical Volunteer Tasks: Volunteers provide assistance and support during the art classes. Additionally, volunteers may assist with English translations and presentations as needed.

APOLLON LAB

Apollon Lab is the leading certified partner of 1C-Bitrix in Armenia, specializing in the localization, implementation, and maintenance of 1C-Bitrix software products. Additionally, the organization offers services in small business automation tools, web design, website development, system integration, and corporate identity development.

Typical Volunteer Tasks: Volunteers engage in various tasks related to computer training, IT, software development, and web design.

VANADZOR TECHNOLOGY CENTER (VTC)

Vanadzor Technology Center (VTC) was established by the Enterprise Incubator Foundation with the support of the Government of Armenia and the World Bank. The mission of the Center is to turn Vanadzor into a regional and international high-tech center by creating a dynamic environment of opportunities and services that will promote job creation, support talented youth and organizations ultimately contributing to the sustainable development of the region.

Typical Volunteer Tasks: Volunteers at VTC engage in a variety of tasks to support its mission, including office administration, research, fieldwork, teaching, and writing/editing. Qualified volunteers with relevant backgrounds have the opportunity to organize trainings in fields such as programming, engineering, languages, physics, and more. Volunteers may additionally take on project management, organizational tasks, conduct research, and assist with translations, among other assignments.

SHAKARYAN’S RUNCHO

Shakaryan’s Runcho stands as a premier ranch and hotel experience located in Dsegh, Armenia. With a focus on providing top-notch tourism, hospitality, and entertainment services, the Rancho offers its guests an unforgettable experience.

Typical Volunteer Tasks: Volunteers at Shakaryan’s Runcho contribute to the team by assisting staff members in enhancing their English-speaking skills, and support their efforts in effectively introducing the ranch to foreign visitors in a professional manner. Additionally, volunteers lend a hand with daily tasks ensuring smooth operation of the Rancho.

LORI TOURISM MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATION

“Lori Region Tourism Management Office” NGO was founded in 2020 by representatives of the tourism sector of Lori region. It aims to develop the region as a tourist destination through management, coordination and promotion of tourism resources in Lori region.

Typical Volunteer Tasks: Volunteers support the center with photography and storytelling to showcase the region’s attractions, conduct visits to tourist businesses, assist with office and administrative tasks, in addition to writing, translating, and editing content, engaging in fieldwork, and managing social media platforms.

NATIONAL AESTHETIC CENTER

The Aesthetic Center is a hub for developing the creative abilities of youth, improving their capabilities, and providing ample opportunities for imaginative thinking and creation. Students aged 3 to 16 participate in a variety of educational clubs including painting, tapestry, rug and carpet making, piano, vocal, traditional and modern dancing, and national singing. Actively engaged in the city’s cultural scene, the center’s students have also achieved recognition in local, national, and international competitions.

Typical Volunteer Tasks: Volunteers work with young children focusing on teaching ethics, conducting interactive games, and tutoring them foundational knowledge for school. By contributing to the formation of aesthetic education in children, volunteers enrich children’s learning experiences and support their holistic development.

SPITAK EXPERIMENTAL GARDEN/GREEN HOUSE

Spitak Green House specializes in greenhouse construction, vegetable seedling cultivation, and the cultivation of both traditional and non-traditional crops. Additionally, the organization offers agrotourism experiences for visitors.

Typical Volunteer Tasks: Volunteers at Spitak Experimental Garden/Green House engage in various tasks to support its operations. This may include assisting in greenhouse construction, caring for vegetable seedlings, tending to crops, and contributing to the development of agrotourism activities.