YSU delegation joins PROVE workshop at Caucasus University in Tbilisi

To ensure the program's effectiveness and enhance student engagement, five second-year bachelor's students were competitively selected from YSU Faculties of Philosophy and Psychology, European Languages and Communication, and the Pedagogy and Education Development Center. The delegation was accompanied by Serob Khachatryan, Assistant Professor at the Chair of History, Theory and Logic of Philosophy, and Lusine Hayrapetyan, Associate Professor at the Chair of Pedagogy. According to the accompanying lecturers, the intensive three-day workshop combined theoretical and practical sessions with hands-on components designed to develop students' critical thinking and make the program highly engaging for participants.

During the workshop, participants explored methodologies for implementing transformative changes in communities and universities. Syuzanna Avagyan, a second-year student at the Faculty of European Languages and Communication, emphasized the program's impact, saying: "We gained a detailed understanding of the methods and tools for fostering positive changes in communities and universities." 

Students also studied the VaKE and Service-Learning methodologies, which enable a deeper understanding of education's role in societal development.

"These methodologies helped develop critical thinking, collaborative skills and a sense of responsibility. As a result, my perceptions of social issues and effective ways of addressing them have changed," said YSU student Arina Melkonyan.

The practical sessions of the three-day workshop focused on improving students' teamwork and collaboration skills. Participants worked in different groups on collaborative projects and discussed various value-based dilemmas and community challenges. According to Ines, a bachelor's student at the Faculty of Philosophy and Psychology, the workshop provided a valuable opportunity to strengthen critical and analytical thinking.

"During group discussions, we engaged with diverse perspectives and worked together to find solutions, which helped us express ourselves more freely and confidently," the student noted.

The workshop concluded with teams developing their own projects and receiving professional guidance from international experts Sieglinde Weyringer, Chief Coordinator of the AVaKE program, and Tamar Mosiashvili, program expert.

For student Milena Harutyunyan, the workshop marked her first large-scale experience in an international environment.

"The meeting made me more confident and helped me understand the importance of young people's active participation in addressing community issues. The professional guidance was especially impressive and inspiring," she said.

Anna Sargsyan, a student in the "Social Pedagogy" bachelor's program at the Pedagogy and Education Development Center, emphasized that "the program greatly contributed to my self-awareness and the development of my personal and professional skills, allowing me to approach social issues from a broader and deeper perspective." 

The program helped students develop leadership and professional skills and marked another step in YSU's internationalization and in strengthening ties with regional educational institutions.