“If I built a robot one day”: Mariam Khachatryan 16 January 2022 By Nane Vardanyan Photo by: Knar Babayan 2 min read A 17-year-old girl from Marts village of Lori, passionate about physics and math, says she might build a robot one day. Meet Mariam Khachatryan, one of the oldest “inhabitants” of our COAF SMART…
5 questions with Artashes from Alaverdi 12 December 2021 By Nane Vardanyan Photos by: Arnos Martirosyan 2 min read The Holidays are the perfect time to gather with our family and friends and have conversations which we often didn’t have time for during the year. These days we sat down with COAF SMART Center student…
The hidden energy of Vanadzor and one of its youngest artists 3 December 2021 By Nane Vardanyan 2 min read “There is a hidden potential and immense energy in Vanadzor (the third-largest city of Armenia),” believes 19-year-old Levon Harutyunyan, a former student of Lori’s COAF SMART Center. The energy is within urban artists who play…
Similar and unique: Torosyan brothers from Alaverdi 29 October 2021 By Nane Vardanyan Photos by: Knar Babayan 2 min read They do everything in twos․ People occasionally stop and stare at them. Teachers routinely mix up who said what. Meet one of the famous duos of the COAF SMART Center, identical twins Hayk and Hrachik…
An Armenian student’s journey of starting university in Yerevan 3 September 2021 By Nane Vardanyan 3 min read The new academic year presumes many rural Armenian youths moving to Yerevan, Gyumri, or Vanadzor (the cities where most state universities are located) to start university in their preferred professional field. Aghunik Shambaryan, a COAF SMART student…
Yoga: a sport, a lifestyle, or both? 2 July 2021 By Nane Vardanyan Photos by: Knar Babayan 3 min read In the post-pandemic world, many appreciate the things that helped not slip into a sedentary lifestyle. Yoga was certainly one of them. A decade ago, this sport was associated with many myths and stereotypes in…
The Gabrielyan quartet of COAF SMART Center 25 June 2021 By Nane Vardanyan Photos by: Knar Babayan 3 min read “Thanks to the SMART Center, we didn’t leave the village,” says Ariga Melkonyan, a mother of four, whose all kids attend the COAF SMART Center. “We often thought of leaving the village as we could…
Celebrating the 3 year anniversary of COAF SMART Center 27 May 2021 By Nane Vardanyan 4 min read May 27, 2021, marked three years since the COAF SMART Center opened its doors in front of the youth and adults of the Lori region. 1096 days ago, Lori lived a renaissance spiritually, culturally, architecturally. The groundbreaking…
Meet Artak Mnatsakanyan or, as many know him, Rayter Art, a COAF SMART Center student from Odzun, a mountainous village with extraterrestrial beauty. The fresh air that fills you with inspiration and nature that encourages you to dream big…
“SMART has been the school of my dreams” – Rudik Gharibyan, the first SMART Citizen, who finished the SMART Citizenship curriculum this week, summarizes his two-year journey at the COAF SMART Center and is getting ready to go to the army today.
The COAF SMART Center, well-known by many as our business card, is home to over 1500 youngsters and adults from 27 communities of the Lori region. It is an innovative hub that unites people from dozens of villages that not only benefit from over 20 programs and services but also bring their culture, history, and unique perspectives with themselves.
Amid the pandemic, marches for social issues in the world, and the war on the border of Artsakh and Azerbaijan that started hours ago near the country we are writing this story from, things are happening worth sharing with you.
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