“Connecting Cultures for Positive Change” is a cooperative project of Stepanavan Youth Center and InterEchange (France). This project aimed to provide a platform to youth from developed and developing European countries to work together using art and culture as tools to promote intercultural learning; extend mutual understanding, respect and tolerance; increase European awareness; exchange of culture and experience, as well as develop partnership between Armenian and French people. This project provided a unique possibility for Emilie Alland to volunteer at Stepanavan Youth Center for eight months building bridges among two nations.

The Contact Making Seminar “Youth across Europe - New partnerships for a common future” is organized by the Youth Association Droni (Georgia) for potential partners from YOUTH Program countries and Eastern Europe and Caucasus countries. The objectives were to bring together organizations working with young people in order to create new project ideas, get to know organizations from different part of Europe, build new partnerships, and create atmosphere of common understanding between people representing different cultures, working styles.

Second annual international youth project related to water resources was organized in Stepanavan by Stepanavan Youth Center. Participants were about 40 young people (18-25 year old) from Latvia, Armenia, Georgia and Italy.

The aim of the meeting was to exchange knowledge on a varied number of topics related to the world's most important natural resource - water. While the international news is filled with news on oil and other fossils becoming scarce, little do we realize that there is no life without clean water.

All countries participating in this project have different issues related to water resources in their countries. The youth not only focused on their national problems, but also discussed topics such as the effects of global warming and climate change. Study visits were organized to the hydrological station and environmental impact monitoring center in Vanadzor, to wetlands near the river Debed and the river Dzoraget. A community project was organized by participants during their stay in Stepanavan. Participants prepared posters related to water resources both educational ones and focusing on various issues and spread them in Stepanavan with the goal to bring attention of local population to issues related to water resources.

Stepanavan Youth Center brought together 36 young people from six different European countries: Armenia, Georgia, Estonia, Russia, Italy and Slovakia. The exchange “Diversity is our strength” aimed to connect youth from various European countries to share cultural heritage through dances, music, arts and crafts, national cuisine providing a platform for improvement of mutual understanding based on mutual respect, tolerance and dialogue between the various cultures. The unique opportunity was given to youth to experience the culture and traditions of different countries through active involvement - workshops of national arts and crafts (making pictures from straw, embroidering, working with wood, etc.) were organized, participants learnt folk songs and dances of all participating countries, cooked national food together, as well as discussed the important and impact of culture in everyday life. The participants from various countries had a chance to get acquainted with Armenian culture - enjoying Armenian dances of local dancing group “Ani Dance Show”, visiting historical sights in Lori region, and organizing exhibition for local artists.

The project initiated by International Initiatives for Cooperation (Bulgaria) in frame of the European Program “All Equal, All Different” brought together young people from Bulgaria and Armenia with the aim to exchange experience in youth work among regional youth organizations of both countries. The project encouraged discussions about the use of the Youth Charter, part III and good practices of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in regard to this charter. Five members from SYC (Arsen Simonyan, Karine Matinyan, Edgar Yedigaryan, Tigran Grigoryan and Ruzanna Simonyan) participated in the event representing the issues and achievments of the Armenian youth in social sector.