OSCE Office organizes summer camp for Armenian children

KAPAN, Armenia, 27 August 2008 - Some 80 disabled and socially disadvantaged children from Armenia's Syunik province are taking part in a summer camp on "Learning to Live Together" in Kapan, the provincial capital.

The 10-day camp, which ends this week, was organized by the OSCE Programme Implementation Presence in Syunik, which is part of the OSCE Office in Yerevan. The Canadian-owned Deno Gold Mining Company co-sponsored the camp.

"This camp follows a similar event last year, organized together with UNESCO," said Garik Chilingaryan, Project Co-ordinator of the OSCE Programme Implementation Presence. "By having a corporate sponsor this year, we promote the building of bridges between business and society. Such connections form a basis for public-private partnerships that can promote economic and social development."

At the camp, the children learned about the outdoors and the environment. The camp aimed to foster independence, self-esteem and social and life skills, as well as create equal opportunities for vulnerable groups and support their integration.

An interactive training programme introduced this year helped the participants, ranging in age from 8 to 13, develop basic leadership skills and learn how to identify, analyze and solve problems. At the end of the camp, the children will develop small project proposals for their communities. Some proposals will be selected for implementation, with support from Deno Gold.

Camp participant Hasmik Kostandyan, 10, said:

"I was happy to discuss the problems of our community and felt important that I can make a difference by introducing my solution and offering my assistance. I would like to make something good for the community."

The camp website www.syunik.am/summercamp created last year will be updated to include this year's activities.