The school was initially meant to be a children's camp, a comfortable summer rest complex where children could also learn foreign languages, leadership basics, anthropology, ethnography, culture, religion and history. However, the primary approach changed in the process of the project elaboration. The Dilijan complex is currently functioning as a round-year facility. From September to June it will be used as a boarding school to 11-16-year-old 300 children turning into a camp during the three months of summer. The Swiss Village Camps Company, with an impressive (37 years) experience in summer camp management in Switzerland, Ireland, Great Britain, France, Austria and Canada, is responsible for the comfortable living conditions and high-level services. School management is carried out by another foreign company with rich private school management experience. The teaching staff is composed of experienced professionals as well.

The location is quite an informed-choice, too. At the initiative of Armenia 2020, McKinsey and Co, which is a world leading management consulting company, has carried out a tourism sector study for Armenia. Four priority tourism areas were specified. They are Yerevan, Yeghegnadzor with good chances to become a tourism centre in the South, Ejmiatsin, which is one of the Christianity centers of world, and Dilijan tending to become the main tourism center in the North.

The school was built here, in Dilijan, which is often called “Armenian Switzerland” for its rich nature. The findings of an additional study carried out by the Ameria Company were also used in choosing the future location.

Huge investments made (only construction expenses exceeded $10mln) are to ensure a unique environment for the youth, a place where they can combine their active rest with good education. There are all necessary conditions for it, including a comfortable school and residential buildings, many sporting facilities (open and closed pools, a football pitch, tennis courts, and a basketball hall) and a nice movie theatre. The mild cilmate and dense forests are not the sole values of Dilijan. It is easy to reach other resorts, Tsakhkadzor and Sevan, from Dilijan.

The Dilijan camp is a highly important project aiming to both solve the problems related to the opportunity for children to get education in good conditions and contribute to the nation's preservation especially by involving children from Diaspora.

The first Republican Cello Festival was organized by Yerazart in March-May 2008. The goal of the festival was to give cello music a second birth in Armenia. With Komitas quartet cellist Aram Talalyan as artistic director and Yerazart Armenia Office Director Arman Padaryan as organizing manager, concerts were held in a number of Armenian regions, as well as master classes were offered by leading specialists from Armenia, Great Britain, Iran, and Georgia. Participants included 8-18-year-old talented children, as well as those from the 2007 Yerazart concert tours, including Vardan Gasparyan who has already won his fame on international stages. In September 2008, as part of the Return Festival, he performed with well-known Armenian violinist Sergey Khachatryan and received a high appraisal. This is perhaps the best evidence of Vardan Gasparyan’s success as a musician, which is the result of YerazArt’s consistent efforts.

NCCA regular meeting chaired by RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan was organized in Tsaghkadzor on July 26-27, 2008. During several consecutive hours issues concerning NCCA proper functioning and operating were discussed in a constructive and intensive manner.
Founded by RA then Prime Minister Serge Sargsyan in November of 2007, NCCA is undertaking a vital role in identifying key sectors of Armenian economy. NCCA, the active members of which are Armenia 2020 board members Ruben Vardanyan, Noubar Afeyan, Andre Andonyan and Raffi Festekjian, should seek for most vital policy changing which will entail badly needed investments in Armenia.

“Student 2020” youth non-governmental organization with the support of American Armenian Aram Karakhanyan organized a visit to Vanadzor orphanage house on July 11-13. The aim of the visit was to establish frank contacts with the orphans and make their lives interesting. Different games, songs, English courses and film and cartoon watching were organized in various groups. The members of the team tried to display individual approach to each child of the orphanage house, to talk about their future plans, wishes and problems encouraging maximal use of their capacities in the process of shaping their own future.

On March 14, 2008 “Student 2020” club invites you to “Common Ground” at Tpagrichner 9, to watch a film called “Shindler’s List”. Based on a true story, SCHINDLER’S LIST is Steven Spielberg’s epic drama of World War II Holocaust survivors and the man who unexpectedly came to be their savior.
You can confirm your participation by writing to the following address tntarm@gmail.com or by calling 094 83 05 91

At the instance of RA Government, in December 2007 “Armenia 2020” project together with Economy and Values Research Center and the USAID-funded Competitive Armenian Private Sector Project submitted the RA Tourism Sector strategy concept paper to RA Government consideration. At this point, the strategy paper has stepped into the last stage of discussion and it is anticipated that it will be accepted as a guideline for further development of RA Tourism Sector.    

CREATE A DREAM, BELIEVE AND IT IS YOURS….!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

ARMENIA 2020 PROJECT TEAM

More than 350 delegates from around 9 CIS countries assembled at the conference of scientists and intellectuals in the capital city of Astana, Kazakhstan on November 11-13.
A delegation from Armenia also participated in the conference, one of the members of which was Armenia 2020 project director Artashes Kazakhetsyan.
During the two-day discussions a lot of topical issues were brought forth on the creation of an overarching cultural and creative atmosphere in the area of CIS countries.
It is not accidental that in these circumstances the issues concerning the future were given a high priority and as a promising example, during a series of panels were mentioned Armenia 2020 successful undertakings. It aroused the interest of the participants, and moreover, they put a special emphasis to the fact that the development of Armenia 2020 scenarios was an important step not only in the economic, but also in the cultural and intellectual areas in our region.     

“Armenia 2020” Project together with MLL Group and the members of Harvard Alumni Club of Armenia announced the first Armenian National Business Contest. The initiative was determined to grant the Armenian entrepreneurs the opportunity to present their long-term business plans to the International business community’s attention and in this way to contribute to entrepreneurship in Armenia by helping establish links between entrepreneursfor the contest underwent serious criticism on behalf of such well-known businessmen as the founder and CEO of Russia’s biggest investment bank “Troika Dialogue”, Ruben Vardanyan, CEO and Managing Partner of Flagship Ventures, Noubar Afeyan, members of Harvard Alumni Club of Armenia Arthur Mikayelyan, Gagik Yeghiazaryan, Gagik Sahakyan and others.
During the press conference held on October 22 the final results of the contest were summarized. The two best business plans were separately presented during the conference, each of which was later assessed according to several criteria- according to the business concept, to competitive advantages, to sales and marketing, etc. Each business plan presentation was followed by a flock of questions concerning the financial resources, productivity, patenting, and other matters. One of the two submitted business plans was with a slight difference recognized the best, which had been elaborated by Joseph Panasyan, professor in Yerevan State Engineering University and Babken Mnatsakanyan, alumnus of American University in Armenia.
The above mentioned winners will be given the opportunity to present their business plan at the “International Business Plan” annual contest initiated by the Entrepreneurs Club of Harvard University Business School. The contest, which is supposed to be held at the end of February, 2008, is attended by world-known entrepreneurs, investors and venture capitalists.
“Armenia 2020” project director Artashes Kazakhetsyan promised that “Armenia 2020” project will make sure that the initiative is held on continuous basis, and also cherished hopes that the contest will give Armenian innovators and entrepreneurs the chance to have a more active participation in annual contests, which in its turn will contribute to business environment and help Armenia become visible in the international business community.               

At students’ request, Armenia 2020 project director Artashes Kazakhetsyan today visited Eurasia University.
The aim of the visit was to merely present Armenia 2020 project to the students, but the one hour anticipated for the meeting was far too insufficient to answer the young economists’ and lawyers’ questions raised after the presentation. The students participated in the discussion on the future of our country with the greatest inspiration, and moreover, suggested their own support and backing in the process.  

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