From July 21 to August 1, 2015, the activists of the Youth Department (Director – Valery Badalyan) of the Armenian Diocese in Georgia, Tamar Simonyan, Alina Baliozyan and David Kharazov participated in the Course for Leaders of Armenian Communities of the Diaspora held as part of the Summer School Program of the RA Ministry of Diaspora.

Many leaders and active members of the Armenian communities of the USA, Canada, Bulgaria, Russia and other countries took part in this course, which aimed at contributing to the functioning of Armenian community structures, raising the level of efficiency of programs promoting preservation of the Armenian identity, introducing new procedures for self-governance, localizing the programs of the RA Ministry of Diaspora within the Armenian communities and raising the level of readiness of community leaders.
During the whole period of this intense and interesting course the young participants received information on local opportunities, shared their success stories, and learned the peculiarities of rhetorical, oratory and behavioral skills. The representatives of the Armenian Diocese in Georgia presented the activities of the Armenian youth in Georgia, especially in Tbilisi, aimed at preserving the Armenian traces and national values, increasing historical and cultural awareness and spreading Armenian language among the youth.
This course gave an opportunity to explore historical fatherland. The participants were very excited to visit the Yerablur, Tsitsernakaberd and Geghard. They were also impressed by the tour to the Smbataberd, which included a ride on a bus first, then on a truck and finally 3 kilometers of walking. Standing on the top of the mountain, the young participants were inspired by the view of Armenia and its unique nature. During the courses they met with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, hero of the Artsakh War, Arkadi Ter-Tadevosyan, who was born in Tbilisi and with other public figures.
At the official closing ceremony, the Minister of Diaspora, Hranush Hakobyan mentioned how important the personal example of each community leader is in terms of gaining trust and confidence. When saying goodbye to each other, the young participants promised to keep in touch, come back next year and share their success stories on applying gained knowledge.