Makur Yerevan (Clean Armenia)
Helping support Makur Yerevan was a natural extension of YCSCA's mission to promote social responsibility and leadership amongst the youth. Student alumni of prior CYSCA-YCSCA exchange programs participated in a number of the monthly clean-ups. A CYSCA board member, Nancy Kalajian, had the chance to join one of the clean-ups while she was in Yerevan conducting a Conflict Resolution seminar. "It was fantastic," she said, "to see the energy of the groups, enjoying being part of a common cause, as they went about breaking down social stigmas and reaching beyond their circle of responsibility."
The project has caught on in Armenia. A volunteer, Leyla Krikor, helped organize a Makur Vanadzor (the Lori region's largest city) which drew over 50 volunteers for a clean-up last summer. In July, Makur Yerevan was adopted as a permanent project of Our City Our Home, a local civic participation project with the mission of renovating apartment entrances with the people who reside there. Our City Our Home is primarily focused on implementing sustainable development principles and health promotion within city/region management and within citizen/community behavior.