“If we live in a developing country like Armenia, we should help teenagers choose a profession that will benefit both them and their community – and break stereotypes along the way,” says Goharik Grigoryan. “You don’t have to be a man to become a pilot. If you dream about it and if, at that moment, a word or piece of advice is what a teenager needs – we must not hold back. My mission is to make changes in education in my own way.”
Goharik is one of the young people who participated in the EU4Youth programmeand received a sub-grant from the ‘Agate’ Rights Defence Centre for Women with Disabilities NGO.The sub-grant was implemented within the framework of the ‘Upskilling digital competences and career management skills of disadvantaged youth in Georgia, Armenia and Moldova’ project.
With the financial support of the European Union Agate awarded six sub-grants to five NGOs in Shirak, Lori and Tavush regions. The projects were designed to empower disadvantaged youth from Shirak, Lori, and Tavush regions by providing them with the essential digital skills and career guidance needed to thrive in today’s competitive job market. By fostering the potential of youth, the project partners not only invested in their future but also built stronger communities.
With the help of the grant, Goharik and her team have worked with around 50 teenagers in the Shirak region, many of whom have chosen professions aligned with their personality and interests. The EU4Youth grant was a crucial step that allowed the NGO to move from informal support to a systematic, well-planned approach by creating a detailed Career Orientation Guide – a key resource for empowering youth with knowledge and clarity about their future paths.
Lessons from life choices: helping young people to discover their mission
For Goharik Grigoryan, education has always been important – but choosing a profession was not an easy decision. She excelled at school, later studying at the French University in Armenia. At first, she chose marketing, believing it could connect different fields. But by her second year, she realised it wasn’t her true passion. “I began participating in different events and programmes and understood that I needed to move towards education management,” she noted.
As a Young European Ambassador, she visited villages across Armenia, meeting children, teenagers, and young people. The answers from rural teenagers to a simple question – “What do you want to become?” – worried her.
“Most said they didn’t know, or that they might go abroad to work with their relatives – especially with their fathers in Russia. That was an alarm for me: teenagers need to understand their strengths and weaknesses from school age, know their skills, and learn which professions fit their character and personality,” she said.
This was the starting point for the Professional Orientation Centre – a volunteer-driven NGO to help teenagers identify their future profession.
Each year, the centre forms a Youth Council of active and established young people who help shape strategy and connect the cCentre with professional mentors. Participants are recruited through online calls and fieldwork.
Young volunteers aged 14-18 and dedicated mentors have been at the heart of the programme’s implementation. “Our motivation is simple – you don’t have to know exactly what you want to become, but life is much easier when you know your mission,” said Goharik.
The centre’s activities are inclusive, working with young people with disabilities. “If you can’t walk, people often suggest you choose a digital profession. But if you love law, you can combine digital skills – even artificial intelligence – with law. You don’t have to become a graphic designer if that’s not your passion.”
How EU4Youth helped shape the career orientation guide and inspire change
The sub-grant from Agate NGO marked the first time that career orientation was recognised as important, initiating collaboration in this field in Armenia.
After receiving the grant, Goharik completed a career orientation training course. During the same period, she attended an international school on career guidance in France. She combined the knowledge and information gained from both trainings with the Armenian experience, actively collaborating with the Methodological Centre for Career Orientation of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, and obtained valuable insights into the state’s existing initiatives.
Through the sub-grant and based on the experience and knowledge gained, Goharik and her team developed the Career Orientation Guide – a practical tool that includes self-discovery and self-awareness tests, detailed information about professions, and a career planning section. The guide was reviewed by EU experts and enriched through consultations with Armenia’s Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, as well as expert advice from Shahané Beglaryan.
“This is a great example of cooperation between NGOs, the state, and donor organisations. We’re not replacing what the state does – we’re building on the existing foundation, with the support of donors,” Goharik explained.
During the programme, a series of key activities were carried out to support young participants in their career orientation journey:
- Recruitment of participants
- Development of the Career Orientation Guide
- Conducting self-assessment and career aptitude tests with participants
- Organising meetings with specialists and mentors for guidance and advice
- Holding informational sessions to raise awareness about career opportunities
- Visits to universities, TUMO Centre for Creative Technologies, and the Gyumri Technology Centre
- Assisting participants in developing personalised career plans, reflecting on what they have learned and their future goals
After creating the guide, the team was able to broaden their activities by visiting universities and schools throughout Armenia, using the guide as a key resource during workshops and consultations․
Insights from a personal journey of encouraging young people
“I started volunteering at the age of 14, and by 19 I already had a paid job, but I have never stopped being active,” said 24-year-old Goharik. She is confident that volunteer work and experience sharing play a crucial role among young people today. That is why she continuously participates in new projects and initiatives, often on a voluntary basis. Even after the grant ended, Goharik continued working with her team to introduce young people from different regions of Armenia to various professions and career guidance.
“For me, the most important part of all this has been the network and collaborations – connecting with different specialists, youth living in the regions, Armenian experts, and various grant-making organisations. For the participating youth, this was an opportunity to discover professions that we don’t often talk about. For example, there are people who love both international relations and economics but never consider becoming an international economist or realise that they can combine these interests. Through this, they experience self-discovery and build a network.”
Goharik’s main message to youth is to choose a field of work that creates a positive impact– promoting the development of the community, the country, and possibly the world.
The EU4Youth Phase III: Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship programme, funded by the European Union and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, is implemented by the Central Project Management Agency (CPVA) in the Eastern Partnership countries, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine. The programme aims to provide technical assistance to governmental and non-governmental organisations to tackle youth unemployment and improve employability.
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