ABCD Innovation Center

16/04/2026

Through the Surviving in the Concrete Jungle project, ABCD Innovation Center is part of a European consortium exploring how urban spaces can become places of learning, participation, and change.

Across Germany, Poland, Italy, Georgia, and Armenia, we are working together to rethink outdoor education — moving beyond forests and mountains into the realities of the cities we live in every day.

🏙️ Cities are not just infrastructure.
They are spaces of inequality, opportunity, identity, and power.

03/04/2026

🌱 Closing the online training phase

Yesterday, we held our final online session for the change actors of the WE: Connect – Connect. Empower. Transform. project.

💬 The session, led by Kristine Mikhailidi, focused on the Do No Harm approach — a crucial framework for ensuring that development initiatives strengthen communities without reinforcing existing tensions.

Over the past weeks, participants have engaged in a series of interactive sessions, building their skills in project design, community mobilization, gender awareness, and conflict-sensitive approaches.

Now, it’s time for a short pause — giving space for participants to develop their project ideas.

📍 We will reconvene at the end of April for an in-person workshop, where these ideas will be further developed into concrete community initiatives, deepening the knowledge gained throughout the training phase.

Step by step, we move from learning to action.

This measure is implemented by ABCD Innovation Center within the framework of the Women Empowerment for Wellbeing (WoW) project commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

27/03/2026

🌱 Continuing the journey of change
Yesterday evening, we held our 3rd online training session with change actors from 8 consolidated communities within the WE: Connect – Connect. Empower. Transform. project.
💬 The session focused on “Gender Norms and Challenges in Armenia”, creating space for reflection, discussion, and shared learning.
In line with our approach, the session was interactive, open, and participant-driven, encouraging honest dialogue and diverse perspectives.
👏 The training was facilitated by Kristina Hovhannisyan, a well-known expert in the field.
Step by step, we continue building knowledge, confidence, and community leadership.

*This measure is implemented by ABCD Innovation Center within the framework of the Women Empowerment for Wellbeing (WoW) project commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.”

20/03/2026

🌱 Building change — one session at a time
This week, we held the second online training within the WE: Connect – Connect. Empower. Transform. project, implemented by ABCD Innovation Center with the support of GIZ.
💬 The session on Community Participation, Mobilization, and Development was facilitated by Vahe Darbinyan.
🕔 We meet every Thursday evening, making it easy for participants to join from anywhere — home, work, or even a café ☕ — because meaningful learning should be flexible and accessible.
With two more online sessions ahead, we will soon move to an offline meeting to co-create community initiatives promoting social inclusion and gender-sensitive approaches

*This measure is implemented by ABCD Innovation Center within the framework of the Women Empowerment for Wellbeing (WoW) project commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.”

13/03/2026

🌱 Empowering Local Change Actors – Training Phase Begins
This week we held the first online training session with the women change actors identified through the Connectors and Dividers Assessment within the WE: Connect – Connect. Empower. Transform. project.
The project is implemented by ABCD Innovation Center with the support of GIZ.
A total of 20 women from participating 8 communities will take part in a four-week online capacity-building programme, designed to strengthen their skills.
📚 The first session focused on Project Design, Planning, and Implementation, providing participants with practical tools to turn community ideas into structured and impactful initiatives.
👏 The training was facilitated by Stepan Shoyan.
Over the coming weeks, participants will continue building their knowledge through additional online sessions. In April, they will meet offline to apply their newly gained skills and collaboratively design community projects that promote social inclusion and gender-sensitive initiatives in their communities.
At ABCD Innovation Center, we believe that strong communities are built when local actors are empowered to lead change.
Power to the people.

*This measure is implemented by ABCD Innovation Center within the framework of the Women Empowerment for Wellbeing (WoW) project commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.”

23/02/2026

As part of the WE: Connect – Connect. Empower. Transform. project, ABCD Innovation Center conducted a Connectors & Dividers Assessment across eight consolidated communities in Tavush, Gegharkunik, Aragatsotn, and Armavir.

This month, we started validation meetings in these communities—Armavir, Talin, Aparan, Dilijan, Sevan, Vardenis, Noyemberyan, and Berd—presenting the assessment reports to community members for their feedback. This participatory process ensures that the findings reflect local perspectives and sets the stage for the next step: training 20–25 women from these communities to design projects that strengthen the social connectors identified in the assessment.

This is an important milestone in fostering inclusive community engagement and empowering women as agents of local development.

*This measure is implemented by ABCD Innovation Center within the framework of the Women Empowerment for Wellbeing (WoW) project commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.”

20/01/2026

🌱 New Year. New Goals. New Opportunities.
January is the time when we set intentions for growth — personal, professional, and community-level. If you are enthusiastic and care about sustainable rural development, resilience, and wellbeing, this is an opportunity worth considering.
Together with our long-standing and trusted partner AMURT Portugal, we are happy to share a new Erasmus+ international training course taking place in May 2026 in Portugal,
If 2026 is the year you invest in your personal development, expand your international experience, and deepen your impact in youth and rural development — this training might be exactly what you’re looking for.
https://forms.gle/SYqiparewgtq6ch1A

10/12/2025

🌍 WE: Connect — Assessment Phase in Progress

Since October, the ABCD Innovation Center team has been working across 8 consolidated communities to carry out the first major phase of the WE: Connect – Connect. Empower. Transform. project:
the participatory community needs and connectors/dividers assessment.

Using a mix of focus group discussions, key informant interviews, community mapping sessions, and field observations, we are bringing together diverse voices — youth, women, active citizens, civil society groups, and municipal representatives — to understand:

✔️ What are the community’s shared strengths and aspirations?
✔️ What challenges and barriers shape everyday life?
✔️ Which connectors strengthen cohesion and which dividers need to be addressed?
✔️ Where local actors see opportunities for cooperation and empowerment?

This assessment is not just data collection — it is the foundation for inclusive, community-driven micro-initiatives that will be designed in early 2026.

We are grateful to every resident, partner, and stakeholder who has opened their doors, shared perspectives, and helped shape a collective vision for stronger, more resilient communities.

📅 The assessment phase will conclude by the end of December, with results informing the next steps of capacity building and project co-creation.

This measure is implemented by ABCD Innovation Center within the framework of the Women Empowerment for Wellbeing (WoW) project commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.”

01/12/2025

We’re excited to launch WE: Connect – Connect. Empower. Transform., a new ABCD initiative strengthening community resilience across Armenia.
The project brings together youth, women, civil society, and municipalities to identify shared challenges and co-create inclusive, community-led solutions. Through trainings, participatory assessments, and micro-initiatives, WE: Connect turns local voices into local action—fully aligned with our mission to empower people and communities.

This measure is implemented by ABCD Innovation Center within the framework of the Women Empowerment for Wellbeing (WoW) project commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.” GIZ Armenia

This measure is implemented by ABCD Innovation Center within the framework of the Women Empowerment for Wellbeing (WoW) project commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (G...

24/11/2025

As one of the implementing organizations in the Surviving in the Concrete Jungle Erasmus+ consortium, ABCD Innovation Center proudly participated in the first Exploring & Development Visit (EDV) held across Poland and Germany in October–November. Together with partners from Germany, Italy, Poland, and Georgia, we are co-designing innovative approaches that bring outdoor and adventure education into the context of urban environments.

This EDV brought together youth workers, educators, and rural development actors to explore how outdoor methodologies can help us better understand cities—not only as built spaces, but as social, political, and environmental ecosystems shaped by people, community structures, and access to resources.

What’s coming next:
All insights and methods from the EDVs will contribute to a digital, map-based toolkit co-created by consortium participants. This will support NGOs, youth workers, and educators working in both rural and urban contexts.

The second EDV will take place in Armenia & Georgia in 2026, where ABCD Innovation Center will host partners and continue shaping the project’s impact.

For us, this project aligns directly with our mission: empowering communities through innovative, participatory, and outdoor-based approaches that help people understand and shape the environments they live in.

27/10/2025

🌱 The European Rural Parliament 2025 in Scotland was more than a gathering — it was a reminder that rural Europe is vibrant, connected, and full of innovation.
For the ABCD Innovation Center, being part of this pan-European dialogue meant sharing Armenia’s perspective and learning from communities that turn local action into systemic change. From sustainable livelihoods and youth participation to new forms of governance, the conversations reinforced our belief that real transformation begins with people and their assets.
We return inspired — and even more determined to amplify rural voices, connect initiatives across borders, and continue building from the ground up. 💪
Power to the People.

21/10/2025

🌍 The 6th European Rural Parliament is officially open in Inverurie, Scotland!
Over 400 delegates from 43 countries have gathered to explore how rural communities can turn challenges into opportunities under the theme “Strength from Opportunity: Rural Community Solutions to Global Challenges.”
We’re proud to see ABCD Innovation Center represented among Europe’s leading voices shaping the future of rural development.
💬 Power to the People!