Parish Social Ministries in Northern Armenia
Project Duration: 01.04.2022 – 31.03.2023
Beneficiaries: The target groups of the project are parish leaders and volunteers in 12 villages of Shirak region. The final beneficiaries of the project are the 75% of the total population of the 12 villages.
Location: Shirak Region-Panik, Lanjik, Arevik, Azatan, Mets Sepasar, Bavra, Ghazanchi, Sizavet and Saragyugh, Arpeni, Hovtun, Dzithankov villages
Goal:The goal of the project is to improve educational and socio-economic conditions in 12 Catholic villages in Northern Armenia by encouraging Catholic Social Teaching (CST) inspired behavior change in parish leaders in order to increase their capacity to promote Christian inspired volunteerism and to mobilize volunteers in their community to support self-determination and community development.
Objectives:
- Create new models of behavior in the targeted communities emphasizing CST and enabling a change in attitudes about community responsibility.
- Increase the capacity of local communities to work together for increased effectiveness.
- Contribute to improvement of social conditions in the targeted villages by encouraging PSM (Parish Social Ministry) and young groups to gain practical experience in project development and management
Description:
- The project will provide an opportunity to create parish social ministries through community mobilization, which will have the capacity to promote community development and self-determination, as well as increase the skills of local communities to work together.
- As a result of the project parish social and youth ministries created in the target rural communities will be involved in community development activities.
- By using participatory methods, a number of trainings will be organized for the members of the parish social and youth ministries, during which community mapping will be carried out. As a result of the trainings, participants will acquire knowledge and skills of leadership, project proposal writing, project management as well as grant management. Young people will have experience exchange visits and get to know available opportunities.
- Organizee annual parish festival.
- Establish youth ministries and center, providing active participation of youth in public life.
- Promote youth centers, ministries and provide the necessary set of tools.
- PSM groups will be eligible to apply for the mini grants announced by Armenian Caritas, and will have an opportunity to implement the projects selected by Armenian Caritas that are aimed to solve highlighted problems. The mini grant component makes the results of the PSM principles practical and tangible for the participants and the local community.
Pastors, already existing PSM members and volunteers will be involved in the project.
Partner: l’Oeuvre d’Orient association
Budget: 72 752 CHF
Project manager: Mkrtich Babayan