Past Projects
During the 20 years of activity, the projects we implemented are:
Sunday schools
PStudio
Lantern
Film Camp
Film Club
Marriage Course
Sunday schools
This program was launched in 2001. With the establishment of a Sunday school in the Saghmosavan community of the Aragatsotn diocese. Along with the increase in the number of volunteers of the NIH, Sunday schools were opened first in Ohanavan, Karbi, Mughni, and in 2010. from September, also in the Ushi community. Five active Sunday schools were attended by 200 or more school-age children. In Aragatsotn Diocese, the program ended in 2013. In March, summing up S. With the celebration of Easter.
On September 14, 2014, with the blessing and permission of the Ararat Patriarchal Diocese, the "Sunday Schools" program organized by the National Leadership Institute was launched in the above-mentioned diocese. The program is implemented in Dalar village of Ararat Marz, however, if possible, it can be implemented in other communities in the future.
The main goal of the "Sunday Schools" program is to educate schoolchildren in Armenian and Christian education, to connect them to the Mother Church, and to help them understand and participate in St. Liturgies and church rituals. In addition to spiritual classes, groups are organized for students in the one-day school, which contribute to the spiritual education and upbringing of children, as well as to the discovery and development of their gifts from an early age.
Outgoing pilgrimages are also organized for Sunday school students. They usually have a specific spiritual topic of discussion and are filled with effective teamwork, intellectual games, and entertainment.
The Sunday School program ended in 2016.
PStudio
Praise Studio (Pstudio) is an Art Ministry led by a team of young artists and lay leaders, graduates of the National Leadership Institute (NLI). Pstudio artists faithfully serve in the Armenian Apostolic Church toward its revival and restoration of the Armenian Christian heritage. PStudio mission is to foster spiritual awakening and growth among young artists in Armenia toward God-pleasing artistic creativity and building an art community grounded in the truth of the Scripture and Christian spiritual values.
During 5 years there were more than 40 young artists at the PStudio involved in its academic and/or creative projects. Cultural Evenings were evangelistic meetings for young adults led by PStudio team to communicate the Gospel messages through various expressions of arts (drama, music, painting, movies, panel discussions, etc).
The Praise Studio program ended in 2010.
Lantern
2011 since October, another program was born at the National Leadership Institute, "Lantern" (Christian education in orphanages and special schools), which was initially implemented in the orphanage named after Marie Izmirlyan in Yerevan. Children up to the age of 14 lived in this orphanage, some of whom also had various physical problems. After sending them to other orphanages and changing the status of the orphanage in November 2012, the program was implemented in special school No. 14 for visually impaired children named after Nikoghayos Tigranyan in Yerevan.
The project aimed to support the acquisition of spiritual knowledge by the students of orphanages and special schools, the rooting, and the development of thinking and lifestyle in accordance with the Christian spirit and value system. Through all this, we strengthened the connection with the Armenian Apostolic Church. After the spiritual lessons, children had the opportunity to participate in groups of various natures, which contributed to the formation of individual abilities of children and the discovery of gifts. In addition to working with students, discussions on various Christian topics were also organized for employees and educators.
Pilgrimages and visits to historical and cultural places were organized within the framework of the project.
At the end of this three-year program, it is expected that the children considered themselves God's creation, served as an example to others with their Christian behavior, regularly participated in church services, valued their lives as true Christians, were freed from a number of psychological complexes, felt like full members of society and were involved in some spiritual and social activities.
The Lantern program ended in 2014.
Film Camp
In 2013 - 2014 NLI jointly implemented the Film Camp program with the Inside|Out Global organization.
The main components of the program were:
• The spiritual values of each student based on the Biblical worldview,
• Individual stories,
• Premieres of student films and additional achievements,
• Offering students other creative opportunities.
The program was outbound /c. Gyumri/ and lasted two weeks. It started on Sunday evening and ended on Saturday evening with the big Film Premiere day. The program combined instruction in the fundamentals of filmmaking with hands-on shooting. The various activities, as well as the stories of the organizers, were used to emphasize the beauty and uniqueness of personal stories and to encourage participants to share their personal stories.
Every year 14 young people aged 15-20 participated in the program. The participants were divided into two groups, which were called production companies. Each "production company" created its own film, based on the story of one of the participants or on the composition of several stories. The participants themselves wrote the scripts, conducted the filming, and acted in their own films. At the end of the program, both films were shown to parents, friends, and guests at the Film Premiere event.
Film Camp Program ended in 2014.
Film Club
Since 2014, the "Film Club" program has been implemented in cooperation with the American Inside/Out Global organization and the National Leadership Institute.
The goal of the project is to create a studio to help young people express their creative ideas and feelings through films and other videos. The group created a place where the participants can freely express themselves, share their stories and present Armenia today with its social, economic, and political problems while looking at these problems through their own prism and based on personal experiences and feelings. The studio has created an environment for educational and creative ideas.
Young people aged 16-24 participated in the program every year. Classes were held 2 times a week. The number of participants is a maximum of 12 people, who are selected through a special competition, to which they submit a CV and one piece of work.
During the program, young people learn:
- film production (roles and tasks),
- how to write and develop a screenplay,
- working with the camera,
- lighting,
- voice and sound recording,
- editing,
- Film viewing, discussion, and analysis (100 full-length and 50 short films are watched).
As a result of the project, 1 short film and 1 social clip were shot every year, as a result of the participants' efforts and their own ideas. These films participated in various screenings and festivals. In addition, during the program, young people participate in filming other films and projects and met with modern filmmakers of various professions.
The Film Club program ended in 2017.
Marriage Course
The marriage course began in London in 1996 and the materials were first published in 2001.
The National Leadership Institute has been implementing this program since 2005. This course is for married couples. regardless of whether they have been together for one year or sixty-one years, whether they are on good terms or in an atmosphere of discord. The practical methods in this course are applicable to everyone.
The course consists of 7 parts, which conclude with the Marriage Course Party. There is also an optional topic called "How to deal with breakups". this is for those serving in the armed forces or those who are involuntarily separated.
Each class begins with lunch. After the meal, the leaders welcome the guests, give instructions and briefly summarize the previous lesson. Then the live lesson or videotape demonstration begins.
During each lesson, there are breaks for pairs to discuss the questions that have arisen.
The "Marriage Course" program ended in 2007.