“Nor Luyce”
Mentoring Center for Youth 2011-2012 Gyumri
Nor Luyce believes that girls from orphanages and low income families can be self-sufficient and successful young women. Nor Luyce provides teenage girls from orphanages and low-income families with one on one mentoring which gives each girl a role model. Along with the mentoring relationship the girls have a chance to (1) participate in skill building training; (2) make career plans; (3) enjoy the company of their peers and ultimately; (4) live selfsufficiently.
“Many things can wait, the child cannot. Now is the time his bones are being formed, his mind is being developed. To him, we cannot say tomorrow; his name is today.� Gabriella Mistral
“Nor Luyce”, is a newly established mentoring center for youth, founded in 2009, by father and son Richard and Ara Chackerian. The aim of Nor Luyce is to help children from orphanages and low income backgrounds by providing them social interaction with responsible adults in the Gyumri, Armenia, community. Just getting together is enjoyable both for the adults and for the children. It doesn’t require a special occasion, just spending a few hours every month together, sharing even small things. The fact that the children are being paid attention means a lot to them. One doesn’t have to do a lot, just a little bit of attention, a little bit love and one can leave your good influence deep in the soul of a child. The adults who volunteer to spend time with children are called “mentors” and the children with whom mentors spend time are called “mentees.” The word “mentor” comes from the epic poem “The Odyssey”. Mentor was the name of a family friend of Odysseus, to whom he entrusted the care of his young son when he left to fight the Trojan War. Nowadays young people have to cope with many personal and social pressures. Getting emotional support and from mentors will help the children overcome the problems and challenges they face. Sometimes just listening will help them. We don't forget that we may be one of the few adults in the youth's life who listens. Arpine (mentee): “This is the best project I have ever taken part in; it is my beloved project. Whenever I come to the office I feel better. I feel happy. It helps me to become wiser, to be more responsible. I am active only in this project and I always look forward to my individual and group meetings. It is like an air that I was searching for.” Lusine (Arpine’s mentor): “Nor Luyce is an exceptional opportunity for the young because it helps them to find their own way, to think own their own, to meet new people and get rid of complexes. Due to Nor Luyce they get out of their monotonous life forgetting the difficulties of everyday life».
2011-2012 Brief Description of Main Activities Individual Meetings The 2011-2012 program started on October 1, while meetings between individual mentors and mentees started on October 20. During the eight months of the mentoring period there were 148 individual meetings, or 18-19 individual meetings per month. During the meetings mentors and mentees worked together on various issues including: academic achievement problem solving ability short-term and long-term goals career preparation through job shadows and other engagements self-esteem cultural values such as music and art negative behaviors such as gang involvement, early sexual behaviors and drug use. The figure on the right provides the overall evaluation of seven mentor/ mentee pairs for the training period.
Quality of the individual meetings 2012 Pair 1
Pair 2
Pair 3
Pair 4
Pair 5
Pair 6
Pair 7
98.25 93.25
92.6
87.5 82.5
82.5
82.5
February - April 2012
To have a mentor is blessing in a life and I am blessed as I have a wonderful mentor. Thank you.
Group meetings Along with the individual meetings there are monthly group meetings. These meetings differ from each other in their format and theme. Each meeting has a different speaker and professional representing different areas. The group meetings are mainly educational, cultural and fun, but even fun meetings involve education. We involve both fun and useful things in one place. From October 2011 to May 2012 there were 10 group meetings:
Halloween
Gender equality and violence
Christmas
Human/personal values
The importance of having a success
My style/ appearance
Healthy living
Socialization phases
Sex education
Organs of human beings
On August 22 a cultural event titled “Italy” was organized. The event was organized in Italian Consulate in Gyumri. The aim of the event was to provide the mentees with cultural development
and
to
experience
something new. They met with Italian Honorary Consul Antonio Montalto,
who welcomed them at his Consulate and was touched that girls paid attention and showed interest in learning about his culture and traditions. The event provided every one with a chance to have a virtual tour to Italy and enjoy Italian culture for a short period of time.
The summer program was closed with a big exhibition titled “Dream and Reality”. The process of this event was very fun and full of different activities. The mentees were very busy; they were at the office three days per week. For the mentees there were English language classes, meetings with a sociologist, mask making classes and clubs of fable picturing. As a result of these activities “Dream and Reality” exhibition was installed in the Aesthetic Center of Gyumri. In the exhibition the masks and the fable books made by the mentees were presented. There also were two different kinds of pictures. Half of the pictures were black and white and the other half were in color. The black and white pictures presented the daily life of the orphanage girls, while the colored variant showed the dreams and wishes of the girls.
Evaluation of the group meetings
2011-2012 Group Meeting Evaluation
In this diagram it is shown the raise in the participation number from
Presence in percents 2011
Presence in percents 2012
64% to 82 % while the quality of the
Evaluation of meetings 2011
Evaluation of meetings 2012
meeting is high 99% and all the
99% 82% 64%
99%
participants liked the way the meetings were organized.
We cooperate with the following organizations and individuals:
1. “Fritsiov Nnasen” orphanage in Gyumri 2. Terchoonyan Home orphanage 3. Gyumri Social Educational Center 4. U.S. Peace Corps 5. Depi Hayq/Birthright Armenia Foundation 6. Gyumri Aesthetic Center 7. The A.D. Sakharov Armenian Human Rights Center, Gyumri Branch 8. “Jayr” NGO 9. KASA Swiss Humanitarian Foundation 10. Stepanavan Youth Center/ “GLOW” camp 11. Women Association with Higher Education NGO 12. Employment Center Director, A. Adamyan 13. Gyumri State Pedagogical University Professors 14. Gyumri Branch of Yerevan Art Academy professors 15. Medical College professors 16. Jinishyan Foundation volunteer Hasmik Tonapetyan 17. Shirak Regional Office of Human Rights Defender Center staff 18. Gyumri Informational Technology Center 19. “Ajakits” NGO
BOARD OF DIRECTOR Ricard Chackerian, President Ara Chackerian Bella Karapetyan Directors
MANAGEMENT TEAM Shoghik Mikayelyan
Executive Director
Tamara Mkrtchyan
Mentor/Mentee Match Coordinator
Mariam Grigoryan Marine Israyelyan Anoush Martirosyan Shoghik Mikayelyan Tamara Mkrtchyan Gohar Hovhannisyan Hasmik Hovhannisyan
MENTEES Srbuhi Aslanyan Christine Aslanyan Margarit Bernetsyan
IN-KIND SUPPORTERS Gohar Hovhannisyan “Dream & Reality” Exhibition
Mask making tutors Christine Hamazaspyan Svetlana Hovhannisyan Diana Makhsoyan Picture Designers Astghik Savdalyan Ani Avetisyan Photographer Hrach Azatyan English Language Intern Anna Mkhitaryan English Language Class Volunteer Eveline Babaroudi
MENTORS Avagyan Ani
Marine Yangyan Armenuhi Karapetyan Ruzanna Hakobyan Sofik Hakobyan Sona Ghazaryan Hasmik Pijoyan Arpine Termenjyan Shogher Piloyan
Volunteers Syuzi Muradyan Narine Hovhannisyan Anush Ghazaryan
GYUMRI, ARMENIA Ghorghanyan #238 Gyumri, Armenia 3105 +374 55017219 www.norluyce.com