EU NEIGHBOURS. EU4Youth SKYE clubs in Armenia have been supporting children displaced by the recent fighting in Nagorno Karabakh, spending time with them and helping them to integrate with their host communities.
More than 25,000 people have been displaced as a result of the war in Nagorno Karabakh between 27 September and 9 November and have moved temporarily or permanently to Armenia. They moved to different marzes of Armenia, including Ararat.
Since many children were not able to go to school or kindergarten, Ararat SKYE Club members decided to help them to integrate them into the new environment. The local municipality supported the SKYE club with information about the displaced families, including age and needs of the children, and a youth-led project was soon developed by the club members.
Once or twice a week, SKYE club members meet with the children, play with them, discuss books and paintings. For teenagers they organise board and learning games. During the meetings, they also organise sessions using SKYE club curricula. The project has not only offered quality time to the children, but also provided stress release.
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Following the positive example of the Ararat SKYE Club, other SKYE Clubs in the project have also organised recreational and fun activities for the children of displaced families.
SKYE (Skills and Knowledge for Youth Economic Empowerment) clubs give an opportunity to young people aged 16 to 25 to learn and take care of their community together. They are designed to run on an 18-month cycle, and provide practical and customised support for groups of 10 to 25 young people. The SKYE clubs in Armenia have been set up within the framework of the EU4Youth – SAY YES Skills for Jobs project, which is funded by the European Union and aims to contribute to jobs and self-employment among young women and men aged between 15 and 35 in Armenia and Georgia.
