PRESS RELEASE
Children of Armenia Fund (COAF) – Yerevan Office
53-55 Pavstos Buzand Street, 0010
Yerevan, Republic of Armenia
Contact: Inessa Grigoryan
Tel: (+374 10) 522076; 562068
Fax: (+374 10) 522076
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
Children of Armenia Fund – New York Office
162 Fifth Avenue, Suite 900,
New York, NY 10010, USA
Contact: Samantha Wagar
Tel: 212 – 994 – 8234
Fax: 212 – 994 – 8299
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
Retraining the Next Generation of School Psychologists
Children of Armenia Fund Promotes
Child and Family Support Services in Armavir District of Armenia
January 20, 2010, Dalarik, Armavir District, Armenia * The Children of
Armenia Fund (COAF) announced today the completion of the most recent
addition to its program in Child and Family Support Services-a pilot
project designed to train future school psychologists in the villages
constituting COAF’s Model Cluster.
The eight participants from the village communities of Baghramian,
Dalarik, Karakert, Lernagog and Miasnikian received six months of
intensive training at COAF’s Child and Family Support Center in the
village community of Dalarik. Beyond the introductory lectures on the
principles and ethical foundations of school psychology, classes were
primarily conducted through interactive methods of learning and case
studies.
As Mr. Koryun Makaryan, Lernagog School Principal observed, "I attach
great importance to psychological services and look forward to the
trained psychologist’s work in our school, and to the early detection
and prevention of problems."
A major component of the training program centered on the theories and
research conducted in the area of developmental psychology. Various
approaches and the unique aspects of the psychologist’s work in primary,
middle and high schools were introduced, accompanied by educational
videos and documentaries.
Working with various community groups-teachers, parents, community youth
and volunteers-in education, health care and Child and Family Support
Services has always been a priority for COAF. Accordingly, the final
part of the course highlighted the importance of communication in the
teacher-student relationship and related issues: stress management in
children, foundations of good parenting and family counseling.
Susanna Asatryan, a trainee representing the village community of
Lernagog, was excited about being trained by one of the most skillful
experts in psychology in the country: "We knew so little when we came
here, but it’s different now. Thanks to COAF, we feel confident and
strong. A new world has opened up for us. We now have many opportunities
to be useful to our schoolchildren and our village population."
Certificates of course completion were awarded by Dr. Naira
Gharakhanyan, COAF Health and Social Programs Manager and Ms. Tamara
Harutyunyan, Expert Psychologist and COAF Trainer. When addressing the
trainees, Dr. Gharakhanyan noted that "COAF is always ready to initiate
and support any innovative idea that may be useful in rural communities.
We are just at the beginning of a new direction and this is a good
start." Ms. Harutyunyan, in turn, thanked the trainees for participating
in the course and for showing such interest and commitment for the
project.
On receiving her certificate, Hripsime Karapetyan, a local psychologist
from the village community of Karakert who has been operating in the
villages since 2007, added: "Certificates are important. But after all,
they’re just pieces of paper. The knowledge I acquired here is the most
precious thing I will take with me, and it will be with me forever. I
would like to use this opportunity to express my deep gratitude to COAF
for playing a significant role in shaping my personality, both as an
individual and as a professional who plans to work with children."
# # # # #
About COAF
The Children of Armenia Fund (COAF) is a non-profit organization,
founded in 2003, that aims to reduce poverty through the revitalization
of rural Armenia and the realization of projects that are instrumental
for the development of rural children and youth. With the introduction
of its novel approach to clustering in February 2006, COAF is currently
implementing the "Model Cluster" Comprehensive Rural Development Program
working in six villages in Baghramian Region of Armavir District. The
key components of COAF’s Model Cluster comprise community development
including Health, Social and Education Programs, as well as
Infrastructure Rehabilitation and Economic Development. For the past six
years, about 22,000 rural residents and over 4,600 children from Argina,
Dalarik, Lernagog, Karakert, Miasnikian and Shenik have benefited from
COAF’s continuous development efforts and improved schools,
kindergartens, health clinics, sport complexes, community and
psycho-social centers, capacity building trainings and workshops and
multi-faceted business development opportunities.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
