We are glad to tell you about a successful synergy of two projects at Kolba Lab, the European Union funded “Future today. Empowering women, youth and children for deepening democracy in Armenia,” and Slovak Transformation Fund / City Experimental Fund. As a result of that successful cooperation within the framework of CaseKey 2022, the #GenZers4Impact problem-solving series started in Stepanavan on 12 June, aiming to involve young people in the process of solving real problems on the example of Stepanavan.
The participants of the micro case, around 100 young people aged 18-25, had a full day of meetings with the city authorities, visiting various infrastructures in Stepanavan, meeting with the representatives of active youth in town, and, of course, enjoying the wonderful nature of Lori region. They also had a chance to visit Stepan Shahumyan house-museum in the town. The participants were challenged to come up with strategic solutions for Stepanavan’s development within 72 hours.
On 18 June, in Yerevan, seven teams shared their proposals with the jury, which consisted of one of the main beneficiaries, the Mayor of Stepanavan, as well as other representatives from the municipality. As a result, two teams with the best solutions were selected. Supernova’s strategy was based on attracting talent, green innovation and a breathing community, based on the international practice and initial conditions in Stepanavan. The Nimeta team focused its strategic development on the idea of creating a smart IT city, bringing business and talent to the city, intellectual inflow and exchange programs for youth. It was also discussed how to keep the attracted talents (co-working spaces, entertainment for youth etc).
We hope that these innovative ideas will become reality and will foster Stepanavan’s strategic development.
