On August 10-24, 2018, the Ministry of Diaspora of the Republic of Armenia implemented the “Step towards Home” educational program for Diaspora Armenian youth aged 13-21. More than 400 Armenians took part in the program from Armenian communities of 26 countries around the world. It was an unprecedented event when the Ministry of Diaspora adopted so many young people at the same time.
The Youth Department of the Armenian Diocese in Georgia (Director – Valeri Badalyan) traditionally took part in the “Step towards Home” program of the Ministry of Diaspora for Diaspora Armenian youth. 101 young people (from Akhalkalaki, Ninotsminda, Tsalka, Marneuli, Bolnisi regions as well as from Rustavi and Tbilisi cities) were included in the program. As a result of the appropriate and properly carried out preparatory and organizational work, the groups representing the Armenian Diocese in Georgia were distinguished with high discipline, knowledge of ethnographic culture and exemplary behavior.
The involvement of the participants in the program was implemented with the fatherly blessings of the Primate of the Armenian Diocese in Georgia, His Grace Bishop Vazgen Mirzakhanyan, as well as due to the supervision, explanatory work done for the participants and their parents as well as the meetings organized and carried out by Valeri Badalyan, director of the Youth Department of the Armenian Diocese in Georgia; Nina Seropova, Youth programs coordinator; Armenuhi Petrosyan, secretary of the Samtskhe – Javakheti and Tsalka’s General Prelacy; Zhora Snkhchyan, head of the “Rafael Javakh” Center in Ninotsminda.
The organizers accompanied the participants to Yerevan and after the visit returned to home with the group.  
Young Armenians from Georgia, aged 13-21, were hosted for two weeks in Armenian families and took part in program’s camp stage held in Tsakhkadzor.
For their responsibility and exemplary behavior of the group, the program managers of the Georgian group – Nika Ghazaryan, Rozita Hambaryan and Roma Vardanyan were highly appreciated by the program’s directorate.
Among the participants of the “Step towards Home” program implemented by the Ministry of Diaspora was Larisa Gharslyan, who was hosted at the home of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Larisa three years studied and graduated from the “Rafael Javakh” Educational, Cultural and Youth Center (Ninotsminda) of the Armenian Diocese in Georgia.
The participants of the program returned with unforgettable impressions and numerous new acquaintances, bringing with them warm memories from the days spent in Armenia.
The Armenian Diocese in Georgia conveys its blessings and appreciations to the Ministry of Diaspora of the Republic of Armenia and its personnel for including in the program Armenian young people from Georgia.
The love towards the Diaspora Armenian young people demonstrated in the Motherland, acquaintance with the history of Armenia, national culture, public life spiritual and family traditions, new friends and established friendly relations gave them a sense of patriotism with new strength.