It’s a three hour round-trip to Dilijan from Vazashen, Nergin Karmir Akhbiur, Aygepar, Sarigyugh, Berkaber, Baghanis, Paravagar, Movses, Chinari, Voskevan, Koti, Barekamavan or Voskevaz. Needless to say, the trip is not short, but thanks to the “Border Village Teens to TUMO” program, 70 teens have already become TUMOians within the last several months. The program, a joint initiative between TUMO, the Hayreniqi Darpasner (Gates to the Fatherland) NGO and Beeline Armenia, provides transportation for these teens, ensuring their attendance at TUMO Dilijan.

When the program launched six months ago, only 30 students were participating and the program was to conclude after three months. But plans soon changed and the number of students taking part in “Border Village Teens to TUMO” grew. Why? It became very clear to the coordinators just how much the students had changed because of this service. “They opened up and were more at ease. Also, they were comfortable making plans for the future because they knew where they were going to receive the knowledge and skills to make those plans happen. They’ve gone beyond the boundaries of their villages and have made friends with the teens in the neighboring villages,” explains Founder and President of the Hayreniqi Darpasner NGO, Arman Hayrapetyan.

Every Saturday, students from the villages visit TUMO Dilijan to familiarize themselves with the center’s focus areas, decide which direction to choose based on their interests, and progress through the intensive preliminary stages of independent learning with the help of the coaches.

TUMO Dilijan Manager Tatev Mantoyan shares her own insight based on the conversations she’s had with some of the center’s students. “Robotics is one of the most popular fields among TUMOians at all four centers, regardless of age or gender. The students who come to the center through the Hayreniqi Darpasner program are no exception. However, one thing I’ve noticed is that the teens from the border villages are especially interested in filmmaking, photography and digital media in general. One of the students even ran their village’s Facebook page. I think the reason they’re so interested in media is partly because they want to tell the world about their villages and to make them better. It’s very inspiring because it shows that besides being inquisitive, these teens are also responsible citizens.”

Recently, the “Einstein of Tsaghkavan,” a.k.a. Bagrat Petrosyan, joined this new group of TUMOians. Bagrat is known as an exceptionally intelligent teen in his hometown. In a local news piece reporting about him in January, Bagrat spoke about his dreams of attending TUMO. After reading this, the organizers of “Border Village Teens to TUMO” knew they couldn’t stand idly by. This month, Bagrat and the rest of the program’s participants have entered Robotics 1 and will be creating their first Lego robot. 

This isn’t the first TUMO project to bring cutting-edge technology to the youth in Armenia’s border villages. Every year, TUMO’s summer program, Camp TUMO, hosts dozens of teens that travel to Yerevan to participate in an intensive version of our educational program and make friends with fellow campers from around the world, one of which happens to be Bagrat. We can’t wait to see Bagrat and his friends this year!