Under conditions of blockade, the youth of Artsakh will have the opportunity to participate in the CaseKey business competition for the first time

This year, 30 young people from Artsakh will have the opportunity to participate in the CaseKey Business Case Competition. Leading up to the competition, which will take place in November, these youth will participate in a six-month online course. Armenia’s leading specialists and coaches will provide them with knowledge on effective solutions for local and international business cases.

The project to involve Artsakh youth in the CaseKey competition is a joint initiative of the “We Are Our Mountains” territorial development agency and “Nation In Action” organization, which implements the competition.

On June 15, at Stepanakert’s “Our Mountains” center, CaseKey competition co-founders Hovhannes Yeritsyan and Arshak Karapetyan presented the features of the competition to the participants from Artsakh via video call and held the first training session with them.

The purpose of the CaseKey competition is to develop analytical, innovative thinking, and non-standard problem-solving skills. The competition is being held in Armenia for the third year. Despite the blockade of Artsakh by Azerbaijan, young people from Artsakh have the opportunity to participate in the competition for the first time this year.

“The need for non-standard solutions to the problems of business and the country in general was especially felt in Artsakh under the conditions of the blockade. We realized that we must add such a program to our educational initiatives. We are confident that “CaseKey” will not only be personally useful to the youth of Artsakh, but also become a unique investment in the country’s public life in the long term,” said Sona Hovhannisyan, head of educational initiatives of the “We Are Our Mountains” agency.

CaseKey co-founder Karapetyan noted that they had the intention to hold the competition in Artsakh in previous years but were unable to do so due to technical problems. Of course, difficulties exist now as well, in light of the blockade of Artsakh by Azerbaijan, but that was the very reason why they decided to carry out the program — to demonstrate that the blockade cannot hinder the realization of these goals. “In general, it is not common practice to hold such courses and competitions online, because the coaches work individually with each of the participants. But the situation in Artsakh was unique, and so we provided all the necessary infrastructure to be able to involve Artsakh in our work,” said Karapetyan.

Narine Aghabalyan, coordinator of educational and cultural programs of the “We Are Our Mountains” agency, noted that the agency and its co-founder Ruben Vardanyan are consistent in creating new educational opportunities for children and youth in Artsakh, especially in this reality, as Azerbaijan’s blockade of Artsakh has violated the fundamental freedoms and rights of the citizens of the Republic of Artsakh, including the right to education. “We work with different partners. In May, the “Matena” International School’s leadership program was held, and recently, the “Geghagitak” educational program was launched, within which framework camp, educational, and sports projects will be implemented for the children of Artsakh. We have also created an opportunity for Artsakh youth to join the Casekey competition. It is noteworthy that the children of Artsakh participate in this program for the first time under the conditions of the blockade. Through such initiatives, we impart new knowledge and develop novel capabilities. Today’s situation requires non-standard solutions, including in the economy, in the business sector, and we hope that through such courses we will be able to create a solid foundation to face new challenges,” said Aghabalyan.

The “We Are Our Mountains” territorial development agency undertakes and implements development projects in Artsakh and Syunik in cooperation with the governments of the Republic of Artsakh and the Republic of Armenia, as well as other local, international, and private organizations. The “We Are Our Mountains” territorial development agency was founded by Ruben Vardanyan and his colleagues.