Global Shapers Yerevan Hub Annual Report 2012
11dfg1
The Founding Curator’s opening remark I am extremely happy to announce that we have established Yerevan Hub of the Global Shapers Community, an initiative of World Economic Forum. Honored to write the foreword of the first annual report, I would most of all like to thank all our shapers, partners, mentors and volunteers who invest their time and resources for changing our community to the better. Not only do our shapers initiate positive change for different groups of our community, but also they are the impersonation of that change. All inspired by the motto of WEF: improving the state of the world‌ Yerevan Hub was established in July of 2012 and after 12 months we were able to gather a great team of 10 shapers - 10 individuals with diverse backgrounds, with complementing strengths and perspectives who did not know each other, yet came together to build an efficacious relationship and work together to tackle different problems of our society. The results of those efforts are 4 projects successfully implemented during the first 12 month of existence, an energetic team ready to embark on new initiatives, and effective partnerships. It is always very encouraging to know that there are good people and organizations ready to support bright ideas and we always welcome like-minded people to cooperation. Unfortunately there are still so many problems that our citizens encounter every day. Something that was clear to us from the very beginning is our desire to see more smiles on the streets. That is part of our dream and we have few goals that would help that dream come true. Our team believes that we could make those positive changes. Our projects are in different areas of social life that is backed up with the diversity of the shapers and partners that carry on those projects. We do understand that we should make Yerevan a better place on the Earth that can further be transformed into other cities and improve life quality all around the world. Heading into 2013, I would like to highlight that it has truly been my pleasure and joy to work with every one member of Yerevan Hub in a healthy and balanced atmosphere of professionalism and fun. I am really blessed to get to know all our members and make friends with them. Their strong sense of initiative, solidarity and cohesion has given the Hub the ability to develop new project ideas and successfully implement them. As a Hub we would also like to express our gratitude to the World Economic Forum and peer Hubs for their continuing support, encouragement and goodwill. Kind regards, Hovhannes Toroyan Founding Curator (2012-2013), Yerevan Hub
2
Table of Contents
Overview .............................................................................. 4 Cooperation layers and Recruitment ..................................... 4 Shapers at Work ................................................................... 5 Yerevan Hub Shapers ............................................................ 6 Past Projects ....................................................................... 11 On-going Projects ............................................................... 12 Yerevan Hub’s Partners ....................................................... 13 Yerevan Hub & Media ......................................................... 14 Get in touch… ..................................................................... 15
3
Our Hub Overview Global Shapers Community is an initiative of World Economic Forum (hereinafter WEF) that has the idea to put together young leaders who work under the motto “Improving the state of the world”. It is a network of city based hubs where members have rather freedom to address local issues and then scale those up and make them global. Yerevan Hub of Global Shapers Community was established in July 2012. By 1 July 2013, the hub had 10 shapers having great aspiration to be the change in their own communities. All coming from various backgrounds Shapers were able to establish a TEAM and tackle different issues of the local community collectively and with high efficiency. Yerevan Shapers believe that the best way to bring change in the society is empowering the Community by targeting the most vulnerable groups. Education and entrepreneurship in their broader senses have been seen as great tools for empowerment. Yerevan Hub projects are addressed at empowering different groups of society through educational and entrepreneurial projects.
Cooperation layers and Recruitment Our people are the decisive assets for making the Hub successful. From the very beginning we decided to form four layers of cooperation with the Yerevan Hub. First layer would be “Mentors” that is currently comprised of 7 very reputable individuals that have shown excellence in their field and proved high stand of morale, as well as have experience in working with the youth. We also expect that our most successful alumni will be part of the Mentor group in the future. Second important circle of cooperation is with “Partners”, a group of individuals and legal entities that have supported the Hub in organizing various activities. Another important cooperation circle would be “Volunteers” that have agreed to donate their time in support to the shapers and are called for help for specific projects, if necessary. And of course the last but obviously the most engaged would be “Shapers” themselves. First three shapers were advised by the founding curator and recruited after a short interview and screening, others have gone through a professional recruitment process, where Mentors have served as selection committee for face to face interviews. Since the establishment 4 rounds of recruitments were held, and more than 100 qualified applications were received. Only 1 out of 4 interviewed candidates was shortlisted for an interview and ¼ of the interviewed were selected to join the Hub.
4
Shapers at Work Yerevan shapers have one mandatory meeting per month, but the process of working together and helping members of our community has been so much fun that in reality we meet at least three times per month for the entire evening to update on ongoing projects and discuss the up-coming ones. Standard projects usually go through 5 phases of realization: idea generation, research, action plan preparation, actual implementation and reporting. First of all Shapers present their vision of sharp issues that should be solved from their own field of expertise and interest. Some of the ideas also come from media or interaction with different leaders. Once the pool of ideas is formulated, they are being discussed at a meeting and prioritized based on collective decision of all shapers. The second stage of project design would be exploring the situation around the ideas that were ranked the first, and a short description is presented to the whole group in the upcoming meeting. Based on the findings of ‘investigation’ of the problem, a project leader is selected and that Shaper is therefore responsible for preparing a detailed action plan with specific responsibilities and deadlines. We then go into implementation phase where the project is actually brought to reality. Obviously interim reporting per the action plan implementation stages and actual outcome versus anticipated results helps the team to keep track on the flow of the project and ensure high efficiency for all efforts that Shapers put in. Depending on the project shapers also meet in smaller groups when needed. This is a fun process where every single member of our team enjoys his/her time and also has some fun. Occasionally we meet to socialize, have a party or spend a nice weekend in the countryside.
5
Yerevan Hub Shapers
Hovhannes Toroyan Founding Curator/Curator Hovhannes Toroyan is Head of Research and Strategy at Ameria Group of companies. Hovhannes has a PhD in Simulation of Economy and also teaches in Yerevan State University. He has been board member of AMUN, President of European Students Association at Binghamton University, founding member of Young Economist Group and has number of awards for academic excellence and leadership. Hovhannes has previously initiated and participated in various projects in support to children in orphanages. Among his main areas of interest are social injustice and education.
Sona Mirzoyan Communication Manager Sona Mirzoyan has earned Master's Degree in Linguistics majoring in English and Spanish languages from Yerevan State Linguistic University, and Master of Science Degree in Business Administration from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden. In 2012 she participated in the Global Village for Future Leaders of Business and Industry Program. She is a U.S. Department of State sponsored FLEX (Future Leaders Exchange) and Lehigh University alumna, also a Country (Armenia) Chapter Director of GV Network. Currently, Sona effectively combines work with the EU Twinning Project in Armenia for the RA Ministry of Agriculture, entrepreneurship and social service. She strongly believes that the first step in improving the state of the world starts with our everyday actions and behavior. Being confident that small acts of kindness go a long way in making this world a better place, she encourages and motivates everyone to make a difference through small, individual, selfless actions that will eventually add up to massive changes. "Dare to Dream, Care to Try, Share to Inspire...''
6
Hovhannes Khachatryan Treasurer Hovhannes Khachatryan graduated from Yerevan State University as an Economist at the age of 19. From 2002 to 2008 he worked at the Statistics Department the Central Bank of Armenia, holding different position. In 2008 Hovhannes moved to Ameriabank and currently heads Asset, Liability and Capital Management division. He is an alumnus of School for Young Leaders. Among many other courses and trainings Hovhannes has participated in Momentum Program on Negotiations organized by Mercy Corps and Conflict Management Group of Harvard University should be highlighted. He was one of co-organizers of Thinking Group providing trainings in Yerevan, regions of Armenia as well as to Armenian Diaspora (Aleppo). Hovhannes is married and has a daughter and a son.
Meri Poghosyan Meri Poghosyan started her professional career with Habitat for Humanity where, as Resource Development Manager, she raised funds, designed projects and advocated for low income families living in dire housing conditions. Meri earned a Master of Public Policy Degree and International Development Certificate from Duke University where she completed her Master’s research on the impact of BRAC’S “Targeting the Ultra Poor” project in Bangladesh. She went to work as research analyst in Uganda to assess BRAC program impacts in education, health, finance, agriculture and enterprise development. After returning to her home country, Meri joined UNICEF as Education Officer. She is currently managing programs and initiatives focusing on access of the children with disabilities to education, a special school transformation, monitoring and tracking out of school children and revising special education needs assessment.
7
Hovhannes Aghajanyan Hovhannes Aghajanyan is a hardworking young professional focused on the field of Information Technology and Web Marketing . Studying full-time master's degree in IT Management at Yerevan State University, Hovhannes has studied leadership at School for Young Leaders, Political science and Human Rights at National Democratic Institute. Being a Project Manager at X-TECH Creative Studio with 2 year of experience in corporate development, product development, web, game and mobile development, Co-Founder and Product manager at Social StartUp CityBugs.am, Hovhannes is also Web Marketing Specialist at Ameriabank CJSC. He spends his free time on innovation and crowd sourcing projects. He sincerely believes that IT, Social Media and Non-profit organizations can CHANGE THE WORLD.
Olya Yordanyan Olya Yordanyan is a lecturer of European Governance at the Centre for European Studies, Yerevan State University, and a freelancer for the North Caucasus at the BBC Monitoring. Olya holds Graduate Certificate in Public Policy and Administration from Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University. In addition, she has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in International Relations from Yerevan State University, and bachelor’s degree in Musical Arts from Yerevan State Conservatory after Komitas. Her main hobbies are opera, reading and debating.
8
Anna Khachatryan Anna Khachatryan is Executive Assistant to the CEO in Energize Global Services and Gallery Systems. She is also Project Coordinator in “Millennium Communities� Development Foundation. She has graduated from Russian-Armenian (Slavonic) University and has a diploma in International Relations. She has worked as a volunteer in different NGOs and was involved in several projects for children from boarding schools and socially vulnerable families.
Arthur Pokrikyan Interesting and enthusiastic person, who wants to make a positive impact on the Society. He was born in the city of Gavar and after leaving school moved to Yerevan to enter the Department of Economics at Yerevan State University. Arthur received his Master's Degree in Finance and Banking from the same university. During those years he was actively involved in social life, and was honored to be the President of AIESEC in Armenia for the 2012/2013 term. Currently, he is working for Orange Armenia as Billing and Credit Control Consultant. He has a huge volunteering experience in different projects, that's why the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs of the Republic of Armenia trusted him to be one of the Experts of the Online Grants Evaluation System at www.cragrer.am. He has also taken part in different international and local conferences both as a delegate and facilitator. Arthur loves studying global issues, global and local business opportunities, exploring cultures, swimming, volleyball, Sudoku, debates, cinema, reading articles etc. Some of his favorite quotes:- Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will. - Mahatma Gandhi- Try not to become a man of success but a man of value. - Albert Einstein.
9
Armenuhi Arakelyan Armenuhi Arakelyan has graduated from Yerevan State University, faculty of Economics and obtained an MBA degree from American University of Armenia. She has a professional expertise as an analyst, previously having worked in the fields of business consulting in market research and analysis. Currently, Armenuhi is working in a leading local microfinance company as Portfolio Analyst. Armenuhi is an optimistic, hardworking person, a perfectionist and achiever in life. Helping to shape a better community in her country, she strongly believes that with joint efforts the Youth can change the world for the better and with hard work, right goals and a little luck each and every initiative undertaken will have success. All of us are able to make changes and difference in this world.
10
Projects Past Projects “Global Economic Prospects and Role of Emerging Markets” Panel Discussion
Yerevan Hub and one of its partners Ameria Group of Companies, a leading financial group in Armenia, organized and held a panel discussion on “Global Economic Prospects and Role of Emerging Markets.” Robert von Rekowski, Vice-president of Emerging Markets Strategy for Fidelity Investments, and at the same time Independent Member of the Board of Directors of Ameriabank CJSC, Nerses Yeritsyan, Deputy Chairman of Central Bank of Armenia, and Thomas Lubeck, Regional Manager of South Caucasus, IFC, delivered speeches and discussed various related topics. Date: 22 April 2013 Shapers Engaged: H. Toroyan; H. Khachatryan “No Melanoma” - Awareness Campaign
Yerevan Hub in cooperation with Armenian Association of Oncology and Hematology, Pan Armenian media holding and BOBS club initiated “No Melanoma” campaign focused on raising awareness on melanoma, a type of skin cancer. The campaign aimed at recognizing May 11 as “International Melanoma Day”. From 11 to 31 May awarenessraising events, including free diagnoses, lectures and a thematic party were organized. Date: 11-31 May 2013 Shapers Engaged: all
11
“Taiwanese-Armenian Medical Conference” & “Taiwanese-Armenian Business Forum”
Yerevan Hub had the honor to work with Armenian Association of Oncology and Hematology to organize the first Taiwanese-Armenian Medical Conference and Taiwanese-Armenian Business Forum in Yerevan. Two shapers of Yerevan Hub acted as moderators for the session entitled “Armenia as an emerging market” at the Business Forum. Date: 24-26 May 2013 Shapers Engaged: H.Toroyan, S. Mirzoyan
On-going Projects TUMOrrow: Empowering Teenagers In May 2013 Yerevan Hub launched the TUMOrrow project in partnership with UNICEF, World Vision and TUMO Centre for Creative Technologies. Within the project 20 teenagers from low-income families and night care school get an opportunity to study Animation, Multimedia, Game Development, Web Development and Digital Media at TUMO Centre, acquiring technical, artistic and professional skills as well. Within the project students also attended TedxKids event in Yerevan, held on 1 June 2013. In future, we intend to extend the scope of the project and engage students with disabilities and hearing impairments, as well as periodically organize various educational trainings and motivational events for the participants. Shapers engaged: H.Toroyan, H. Khachatryan, S. Mirzoyan, M. Poghosyan, H. Aghajanyan, O.Yordnayan Date: May to present
12
Yerevan Hub’s Partners We appreciate partnership with the organizations, which share our values and are willing to have their input in our projects. Yerevan Hub successfully cooperates with leading companies, Armenian branches of International Organization and NGOs, including but not limited to:
UNICEF Armenia Projects Engaged: TUMOrrow
TUMO Centre for Creative Technologies Projects Engaged: TUMOrrow
Ameria group Projects Engaged: “Global Economic Prospects and Role of Emerging Markets” panel discussion
World Vision Armenia Projects Engaged: TUMOrrow
Armenian Association of Hematology and Oncology Projects Engaged: “No Melanoma” awareness campaign “Taiwanese-Armenian 1st Medical Conference” and “Taiwanese-Armenian 1st Business Forum”
Pan-Armenian Media Holding Projects Engaged: “No Melanoma” awareness campaign
13
Yerevan Hub’s Visibility Yerevan Hub & Media The activities of Yerevan Hub and the most of its project have been properly covered by local media, including popular channels and online newspapers. In particular, in July Civilnet TV reported on the Hub in general, focusing on one of its main projects, TUMOrrow. Project Media "Global Economic http://panorama.am/en/ Prospects and Role of Emerging Markets” panel discussion http://www.globalshapers.org/
“Taiwanese-Armenian http://www.ysmu.am Medical Conference” & “Taiwanese-Armenian Business Forum” http://www.globalshapers.org/
“No Melanoma” Armenia TV Awareness Campaign http://www.globalshapers.org/
Link http://www.panorama. am/en/economy/2013/ 04/23/paneldiscussion/?sw92/v http://www.globalshap ers.org/news/paneldiscussion%E2%80%9Cglobaleconomic-prospectsand-role-emergingmarkets%E2%80%9D-0 http://www.ysmu.am/ en/home/858-taiwan http://www.globalshap ers.org/news/yerevanhub-shapers-take-parttaiwan-armenian-1stmedical-conferenceconjunction-taiwan http://www.youtube.c om/watch?feature=pla yer_embedded&v=cT0 mLs0_rkg http://www.globalshap ers.org/news/globalshapers-communityyerevan-hub-launchesno-melanomaawareness-campaign
14
TUMOrrow
Civilnet TV
http://www.youtube.c om/watch?v=XOgJBH3y kps&feature=youtu.be
http://www.globalshapers.org/ http://www.globalshap ers.org/projects/globalshapers-communityyerevan-hubempowers-armenianteenagers
http://www.globalsha pers.org/news/tumorro w-project-kids-takepart-tedxkids-yerevanevent
Get in touch‌ Our Facebook page was created in March 2013 and is a major source of communicating and sharing information with all interested parties. We encourage everyone to follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Global.Shapers.Yerevan You can always find more information about Yerevan Hub at the official webpage of global shapers: http://www.globalshapers.org/hubs/yerevan
15