The international study visit in the field of youth work in Azerbaijan has ended.
“Bridge to the Future” Youth Public Union hosted the study visit in Azerbaijan within the project ”Discover the Caucasus – 10 Years after: Study visits exploring the youth sector in the Caucasus”. The project was funded by the German National Agency of the EU`s Erasmus+ programme and coordinated by the European Intercultural Forum e. V. (EIF). The project aims to foster transnational partnerships for youth-led community development driven by local and international youth stakeholders committed to a youth-centred approach to education, participation and cooperation. Within the study visit, between July 8-15, 2023, there were visits to various state and non-governmental organizations operating in the field of youth work in Baku and Ganja, and their experiences and activities were presented to participants of the visit. During the study visit, visits were carried out accordingly, to the Ministry of Youth and Sport of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan Youth Foundation, National Assembly of Youth Organizations of the Republic of Azerbaijan (NAYORA), ASAN Youth Organization, Ganja Youth House, as well as different non-governmental organizations operating in Baku and Ganja, presentations and panel discussions were held about the youth policy and youth work conducted in Azerbaijan. 28 young people from Azerbaijan, Turkey, Belarus, Bulgaria, Estonia, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Spain and Ukraine participated in the study visit. It should be noted that the National Assembly of Youth Organizations of the Republic of Azerbaijan (NAYORA) and Tourism Volunteers Organization provided technical support in the implementation of the project.
The organisation was represented in the PBA in Czech Republic.
Huseynkhan Hajizada, Chairman of “Bridge to the Future” Youth Public Union, participated in the international activity “Volunteering beyond borders – creating partnerships for European Solidarity Corps projects involving neighboring partner countries” in Prague, Czech Republic, on June 25-29, 2023. The Czech National Agency in cooperation with the partners of the Strategic Cooperation of National Agencies and SALTOs “Beyond Borders” is organising a Partnership-building activity (PBA) to foster volunteering projects and partnerships between Programme countries and neighbouring partner countries within the European Solidarity Corps. About 80 expert representatives from more than 24 countries and 65 organizations were represented in the partnership building activity.
“Bridge to the Future” Youth NGO implemented activities for rural youth.
The project named “The role of youth organizations in the development of rural youth”, implemented with the financial support of the Youth Fund of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the organization of the National Youth Council (NAYORA), continues. Within the project, on 20-21.08.2021, “Bridge to the Future” Youth Public Union visited Dashsalahli and Shikhli villages of district. During the visit, rural young people were informed about the organization’s activities, various useful trainings, workshops and simulation games were held for them to acquire practical skills. It should be noted that the main goal of organizing the project is to inform young people living in different rural regions of the country about the opportunities created for them and to support their development through youth organizations and their activities.
Seminars were conducted in Tovuz.
On December 11-12, 2021, seminars were organized for the rural youth by the Resource Center in Tovuz “ASAN HAYAT” Complex. The Resource Center operates within the project – “Youth resource centre for employability, entrepreneurship education and community development“ which is a capacity building project under the Partnership for Entrepreneurship strand. The project aims to strengthen the employability and economic capacity of young people through enhancing local youth structures in entrepreneurship education and in informing young people about educational learning opportunities in Ganja-Gazakh region of Azerbaijan. During the seminars, the young people from Tovuz region were given sessions on “Marketing in Entrepreneurship” on entrepreneurship education direction, and “Public participation of youth” on youth-led community development direction. The sessions were presented by the experts of the Resource Center. The sessions were conducted through non-formal education methods and covered about 20 young people from the region. It should be noted that the activities were carried out in cooperation with the ASAN Volunteer School.
The Youth Forum on Entrepreneurship and Community Development was held in Ganja.
On 12-13 July, 2021, “Bridge to the Future” Youth Public Union launched Youth Forum on Entrepreneurship and Community Development as an opening ceremony of Youth Resource Centre in Ganja, Azerbaijan. The Forum was organized in cooperation with the Ganja office of the Youth Development and Career Center and ASAN School within the Erasmus+ Key Action 2 capacity building project named “Youth resource centre for employability, entrepreneurship education and community development”. The two-day forum was attended by government officials, invited speakers from the public and private sectors. On the first day of the forum, Fakhri Agayev – Business Consultant and Professional Manager, Maleyka Alizade – Head of Ganja Regional Women’s Center, Mustafa Rafiyev – Founder of London CoffeeShop in Ganja, Ravan Jafarli – Head of Ganja SME, Ganja SME Friend – Nazrin Tagiyeva and UlviyyaMammadova – Head of the Department of Science and Foreign Relations of the Azerbaijan University of Technology had panel discussions with the participants. On the second day of the forum, Member of Azerbaijan Parliament – Mr. Mushfig Jafarov, director of the Ganja office of the Youth Development and Career Center Mr. Seymur Valiyev and director of the Ganja Youth House Mr. Amil Gurbanov as well as the project’s mentors-trainers Mrs. Sevinj Mammadova and Mr. Seymur Sadikhov and Mrs. Rashida Abdullayeva – the chief specialist of the projects department of the State Employment Agency, were present. At the end, the participants were presented by the partner organizations’ representatives under the title “Opportunities for Youth”. The Youth Resource Centre will be operating at Azerbaijan Technlogy University in Ganja based on the regular activities. The activities will be followed on the topics of entrepreneurship education and youth-led community development.