In May-December 2016,  DVV International Armenia together with partners (Armenian-CIVITAS and Sisian Adult Education Center) implemented the "Project Citizen: Promoting Approaches of Modern Civic Education at Armenian Middle And High Schools" project. The goal of the project was to introduce  “Project Citizen" community learning model to 29 Social Studies teachers of secondary schools from different communities of Syunik Region. Using the method as  an incentive for ensuring student participation in community life was another key objective.

  In the initial project stages introductory meetings were held with the MoES National Institute of Education regional centers in Goris and Kapan as well as teachers and heads of schools of the region. 

The method itself was introduced through a 3-day training course in August 2016 that covered such as Public Policy, Responsibility, Leadership and Participation, Power and Authority to name a few.

Each of the participating schools with the trained teacher had formed their teams of learners at the beginning of the project, which varied from 10 to 20 students in each group. These groups worked on identifying and addressing different community problems guided by their teacher and using the CITIZEN method. (September and October 2016).  

Around 370 school students were involved in this stage of the project. Indirectly the project impact reached 25 community authorities, local institutions and other bodies operating in the focus communities. 

Small grants:  Small grants were awarded  to the best projects presented by the student groups. The projects should have contained public service component, should have been realistic and with reasonable budget. 20 groups sent their projects and the jury formed by 3 partner organizations selected only 11 for support under the project. 

Study visit to Hannover, Germany: On December 12-17, 2016 a group of 20 people (10 students, 5 teachers, 4 organisers, 1 interpreter) traveled to the city of Hannover in Germany for a study visit. The teachers were selected on the basis of essays on the topic “Learning of community issues contributes to the formation of values and strengthens interdisciplinary ties” which all the teachers involved in the project sent to the organizers. For the selection of the students an exam was organized, and the best 10 out of 362 were chosen for the study visit.

In Hannover the participants of the study visit were hosted by “Stephansstift” Adult Education Center. The group had the opportunity to meet with Hannover Mayor, the representative of the city department for youth, the district mayor of Kleefeld-Buchholz, representatives of the Lower Saxony Parliament and young politicians and learnt about Germany’s political system as well as programs that aimed at promoting young people’s engagement in public policy.    The participants also had a meeting with young volunteers of the “Politik zum Anfassen e.V.” NGO and learned about their educational programs designed to teach adults and youth about the governmental system in Lower Saxony and urban management system in Hannover as well as give them a chance to participate in the political life and decision-making process in their region/ city through a variety of games.