The New Camp Model of New Armenia
2018-08-13
Arayik Harutyunyan, the RA Minister of Education and Science, and Narine Aghabalyan, the Minister of Education, Science and Sport of the Republic of Artsakh, participated in the opening ceremony of the youth camp, which took place in Patara, a village in the Askeran region of the Artsakh Republic.
In his welcoming speech, Arayik Harutyunyan, the RA Minister of Education and Science, emphasized that the new camp model of New Armenia was being realized with joint efforts, one of the goals being the close contact between the youths of Armenia and Artsakh. “We make our homeland stronger by recognizing each other. The patriotic motives to defend and preserve nature become stronger when we acknowledge our nature. The new joint camp project is aimed at providing close contact between the youths of Armenia and Artsakh, by organizing different sports activities, teaching a variety of military skills, learning to live outdoors in tents in the wild, mastering to overcome difficult situations together, getting to know artists and masterminds, and having fun in the summer months. This model will be effective in the coming years, and the number of mutual visits between Artsakh and Armenian schoolchildren will increase year by year, "said Arayik Harutyunyan and continued, "When we suspended the funding of the Yerkrapah Camp, we were accused that military-patriotic camps were important for a country that is in a state of war. The new camp model is the answer to those criticisms. In our camps, we will train dignified, courageous and patriotic youngsters."
In congratulating the schoolchildren on the opening ceremony of the camp, the Minister of Education, Science and Sport of the Republic of Artsakh, Narine Agabelyan, first of all thanked the RA Minister of Education and Science for the initiative and support and expressed confidence that in the coming days children will have an opportunity to get acquainted not only with wonders of nature of Artsakh but also with numerous historical and cultural monuments in the village. She continued, "It is in the woods of Patara that 30 years ago our first self-defense detachments were formed, which then became the subdivisions of the Defense Army and ensured our victory in the war imposed on us. The meaning, the purpose of that struggle was to have a single, united homeland. It is true that during the fight two Armenian republics were proclaimed, but we are one, and all our efforts will be aimed at the realization of the idea of having a united homeland. Today's camp is one of its manifestations.”
The Velvet Quartet welcomed the campers and the guests with their performances, then traditional competitive games were organized, and the best groups were cheered on by the organizers of the event. The young Artsakh boxers did a show performance. The first day at the camp ended with a national dance master class.
80 youngsters from Armenia and Artsakh will spend their holidays in a camp organized by the joint efforts of the Ministries of Education and Science of the two Armenian Republics. The camp will run until August 19. Sports and cultural events, visits to historical and cultural sites, meeting and lectures will all be part of the newly established camp of schoolchildren.
