TUMO Center for Creative Technologies is proud to announce a significant milestone in its mission to make its innovative educational program available to all teenagers in Armenia. As of the end of October, 2023, TUMO has successfully covered the entire region of Shirak, ensuring access to creative learning opportunities for all young individuals in the area.
TUMO’s expansion into Shirak marks a crucial step in the organization’s commitment to providing equal access to high-quality education throughout Armenia. The institution’s model, characterized by hands-on, self-paced, and technologically enriched learning, has already transformed the lives of thousands of Armenian teenagers. Now, this opportunity will extend even further, empowering more young minds to explore their creative potential.
The achievement has been made possible through the establishment of ten locations in the region: the TUMO Gyumri hub and the nine TUMO Boxes, strategically placed satellites locations in Akhuryan, Amasia, Artik, Ashotsk, Azatan, Hatsik, Maralik, Panik and Yerazgavors. Each location is equipped with state-of-the-art resources and staffed by dedicated educators. The boxes allow students in rural areas to more easily access the TUMO program which fosters creativity, critical thinking, and digital skills development among Armenia’s youth.
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15 year old Styopa Soghoyan from the village of Azatan has been attending TUMO for two years now. “Before there was a TUMO Box in Azatan, I would come all the way to TUMO Gyumri. But now, after being transferred to the Box, it’s easier to manage my time; I no longer need to get to Gyumri just to do my self-learning activities,” shared Styopa. He added that “before we had the Box in Azatan, we struggled to find transportation to get to our workshops in Gyumri; now that the buses take us to the center, we’re able to save a lot of time.”
TUMO CEO Marie Lou Papazian shared her thoughts on this achievement: “We are thrilled to have achieved this milestone in our TUMO Armenia mission. The expansion into Shirak exemplifies our unwavering commitment to fostering the next generation of innovators, thinkers, and creatives across the country. The next region we will cover in its entirety in Tavush.”
“This achievement would not have been possible without the collaboration and support of the the he JHM Foundation, the sponsor behind the restoration of the TUMO Gyumri building and it’s ongoing operation, in addition to the foundational donors of the TUMO Armenia campaign: the Yemenidjian and Akilian families and AGBU, as well as every individual contributor, our dedicated educators, and our partners who share TUMO’s vision. Together, they have helped us lay the foundation for a brighter future for the youth of Shirak and Armenia as a whole,” Papazian added.
Moving towards the northwest, we look to our next goal – the region of Tavush.
Access to TUMO in the Tavush region is currently provided by our Hub in Diljan, and four Boxes in Artsvaberd, Azatamut, Berd, and Ijevan. The next and final Box connected to Tavush will be in Tsovagyugh, in addition to a brand new hub in the town of Koghb. That will get us to our goal of making TUMO education fully accessible throughout the region by the end of this year.
