AGHVERAN, Armenia — From February 13-15, the American University of Armenia (AUA) Acopian Center for the Environment delivered a three-day intensive workshop for members of the UNICEF and Ministry of Environment Climate Change Youth Advisory Board. The training was organized within the framework of UNICEF and the RA Ministry of Environment’s “Empowering youth and communities in Armenia for a better future” program, co-funded by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA).
The Climate Change Youth Advisory Board, established in June 2025, comprises 18 young people aged 16-24 from across Armenia. To date, members of the Board have effectively advocated to reflect and include children’s and young people’s needs in the national law on climate policy, led the successful organization of local conference of youth (LCOY) in Yerevan ahead of COP30, resulting in a bold and representative statement from Armenia’s adolescents and young people, as well as met with the Minister of Environment to discuss how to prioritize youth engagement ahead of and during COP17 on biodiversity.
The workshop aimed at deepening the understanding of the participating youth leaders on the science behind environmental issues, as well as the political and communication dimensions of environmental policies. Five training modules were dedicated to climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental pollution (air, water, and soil), focusing on the science, policy, advocacy, and communication aspects of these challenges.
“The curriculum was intensive but also highly interactive and simulation-based,” said Haykanush Martirosyan, project coordinator for the workshop at the AUA Acopian Center. Following an overview of climate science by AUA Acopian Center expert Astghine Pasoyan, junior researcher Narek Ohanyan (BSDS ’26) led the participants in a ”Climate Café,” during which they rotated through thematic stations focused on youth, nature, poverty, gender, and energy. Through rapid dialogue, participants explored the multidimensional nature of climate change and identified practical, cross-sectoral responses. The session concluded with a serious game in which participants managed a fictional city facing climate-related disasters.
AUA Acopian Center expert and assistant professor Dr. Arsen Gasparyan was joined by junior researcher Lia Kalforian to introduce key concepts related to biodiversity and ecosystems, major threats, and conservation approaches. These included area-based conservation, species protection, and monitoring frameworks under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Participants then engaged in a thematic debate on large-scale tree planting, critically assessing whether it constitutes a true win-win solution for climate mitigation and biodiversity conservation, or whether poorly designed initiatives risk harming ecosystems. The group also discussed the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP), which will be held in Yerevan in October 2026. The session concluded with an outdoor BioBlitz, during which participants used online citizen science tools to identify the variety of species within a 100-meter radius of the training site. In just one hour, they were able to make about 80 observations and identify 28 species.
Alen Gasparian Amirkhanian, AUA Acopian Center director, and researcher Taleen Mahseredjian conducted a module on environmental pollution, focusing separately on air, water, and soil pollution. Participants were divided into teams, with each team assigned a pollution type and a location facing a critical challenge as a result. Team members took on different roles, including national government officials, local government representatives, scientists, civil society representatives, and transboundary stakeholders. The intensive discussions that followed illustrated the complexity of environmental governance, as well as opportunities for cooperation, potential conflicts, and ways to address them.
AUA Acopian Center expert Hovhannes Harutyunyan and junior researcher Zhaneta Hovsepyan (BAPG ’25) addressed environmental policy development and advocacy. Through stakeholder mapping, simulations, and role-based exercises, participants explored how policies are developed at local and national levels, why implementation often fails, and how youth can engage strategically before decisions are finalized.
Sessions on public awareness, communication, and community engagement, presented by the Center expert Mane Madoyan and junior researcher Ani Paltajyan (BAEC ’28), introduced communication theory, youth participation models, and practical tools for designing effective awareness campaigns. By the end of the day, workshop participants had collaboratively drafted mini public awareness action plans.
Over the coming month, the curriculum of the workshop will be developed into online modules, so that more young people can benefit from the scientific knowledge, discussion questions, and serious games. They can use these resources in their own activities and communities to deepen fact-based, inclusive discussions on environmental and sustainability challenges.
The AUA Acopian Center for the Environment, a research center of the American University of Armenia, promotes the protection and restoration of the natural environment through research, education, and community outreach, with focus areas including sustainable natural resource management, biodiversity conservation, sustainable energy, and environmental governance.
