The people of Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) are going through difficult times, as they lost their homes. Being blockaded for 10 months and facing another war brought them to a completely new reality, where they became refugees. Young people of YMCA Artsakh were very active in social work during the blockade and the wartime. Young people who never had a chance for a careless youth days. Supporting their communities, both YMCA Artsakh leader David Melkumyan and the volunteers were doing their best to be useful to their society in this challenging time.
Despite all the difficulties, on July 24-30, YMCA Artsakh implemented the “Camp for Peace” with the funding of the “Camp Europe” project of YMCA Europe Roots for Peace.
This year, YMCA Artsakh brought together 97 young people from different regions of Artsakh (among them were many displaced persons and war survivors) and became the logical continuation of the previous 5 camps, which were organized in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022. Leaders from Artsakh were included in the working and organizers’ group.
The main components of the camp were:
Support for wound healing
Artsakh young people experienced war, some of them lost their homes and became refugees, and many of them lost their relatives and family members. Today, Artsakh is under siege, and young people have once again found themselves in a difficult situation. Some are deprived of the opportunity to see their relatives, and many have faced the difficulties of the blockade: empty shops, long queues for bread, no medical and hygienic supplies. The status and future of Artsakh are uncertain, that’s why young people continue to feel in danger. The post-war stress was compounded by the blockade, in addition to all that, a tense situation was always maintained in the area.
Educational part (courses and master classes)
YMCA is where you acquire soft skills and knowledge. During the week, participants learned much about first aid, teamwork, leadership skills, and more.
Tensing and cultural component
At the YMCA, the development of campers is essential, especially the development of creative thinking. Dancing, singing and theatre groups did their best to make the entertainment part of the camp as usual.
Sports events
The sports routine was full, a number of sports games were organised, and a volleyball championship between the home teams is worth mentioning.
“I want to mention new acquaintances, getting out of my comfort zone and, of course, discovering myself. During the 3 years of camp that I took part in, we all became good friends. New and different personalities were added to our big family this year. We learned a lot from each other, we understood that youth has an important role in society. Everyone had a great time at camp. This year, for the first time, my friend and I also tried ourselves in the role of organizational staff assistant, we will definitely need that responsible and interesting experience in the future. Finally, I want to thank YMCA Artsakh for this wonderful experience. In besieged Artsakh, in our daily life full of problems, we had 7 happy and peaceful days in one of the cosy places of Artsakh, Patara village. We needed that one week to reevaluate ourselves, to understand and try to contribute to the problems facing the motherland” Isabella Sargsyan, YMCA Artsakh volunteer.
