The Office of the High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs announces the launch of the Diaspora Youth Ambassador Program, with the generous support of the Jinishian Memorial Foundation. The program aims to create a dynamic network of Armenian youth, who will have the opportunity to become Diaspora youth representatives of the homeland in their respective communities around the world.

The program will target 25 youth, 22 to 35 years old, from the Armenian communities of the Diaspora for a period of one year, during which two weeks will be spent in Armenia.

The successful candidates will have the opportunity to come to Armenia for two weeks from September 26 till October 9 and participate in a series of lectures, workshops and meetings to increase their knowledge about the most pressing political, social and economic issues in Armenia, as well as to gain a deeper understanding about community engagement, participation and advocacy.

The program will be a blend of theoretical and practical work and will be conducted in Armenian. It will also include excursions to historical, cultural and memorial sites, as well as visits to educational, scientific and tech institutions in Armenia. The youth will have the opportunity to participate in social and cultural events, as well as in various volunteering opportunities available during the time of visit. At the end of the two-weeks training period in Armenia, the youth will also participate in a “Youth Forum”, during which they will collectively draft a youth policy paper to set the framework for sustainable cooperation between the communities of the Diaspora and the homeland.

Upon their return to their respective communities of the Diaspora, the youth will be engaged in producing  media content for local and international outlets, and will plan and implement community meetings and repatriation talks with the members of the Armenian Diaspora communities.

Successful candidates will incur the cost of tickets from and to their country of origin as well as purchase a two-week travel insurance. The program will fully cover the following costs for each program participant:

• accommodation during  the two-weeks stay in Armenia;
• three meals a day during the stay in Armenia;
• entrance fees to museum, cultural and social events;
• all in-country transportation costs.

After the two-weeks program in Armenia, the candidates will return to their communities in the Diaspora to plan and implement media advocacy campaigns and will actively organize community meetings and repatriation talks with the members of the Diaspora communities. The selected youth will have the opportunity to become Youth Armenian Diaspora Ambassadors, who will represent the Office in existing forums, youth groups and professional networks, serving as a link between the communities and the homeland. They will actively maintain a youth network through an appropriate electronic platform, which will retain the engagement of the selected participants throughout the program.

The participants of the program will be selected based on the following selection criteria.

Program applicants should:

• be 22-35 years old youth of Armenian origin;
• living in the Diaspora for at least 5 years;
• should be active and representative members of the Armenian community in the Diaspora;
• should possess a good understanding of Armenian;
• are committed to contribute to the advancement of Armenian interests worldwide and to work towards the reinforcement of Armenia-Diaspora relations;
• experience in media content production is desirable.

Applications are open starting June 1, 2021. The submission deadline is June 25, 2021, at 00:00 – Yerevan time. Only shortlisted candidates will be invited for interviews during the month of July prior to the final selection to the program.