These days young members of the Youth Support Center NGO and “Himq” (Basis) Charitable Environmental NGO visited the Kashatagh region of Artsakh. The visit was part of the “Following the Traces of the Nation” initiative, reports Artsakhpress.

The guests collaborated with the “Haiapatum” NGO in Artsakh and organized a one-week camping event in the Vardut village of the Kashatagh region.

The event was supported by NKR Prime Minister Ara Harutyunyan, as well as representatives of the Department of Education and Youth of the administration of the NKR Kashatagh region.

The camping event brought together teens and youth between the ages of 12 and 18 from the Vardut village, as well as the Bazmatus, Shalua, Himnashen, Movsesashen, Vazgenashen, Artashavi, Norashenik, Vakunis and Vaghazin villages of the Kashatagh region. The teens and youth are guided by the principle of “irurkhet”, meaning “with each other”.

The ideas of the initiative are to help people in Artsakh’s villages acknowledge national songs, dances, heroes and games and apply them and help promote a healthy lifestyle. Considering this primary, the participants of the weeklong camping event followed the traces of the nation by playing national games, performing national songs and dances, participating in athletic events in the mornings and in the evenings and, of course, ending the day with a bonfire. There were also screenings of films devoted to Armenian national heroes.

The participants learned Armenian songs and dances with the help of the KAYT Traditional Dance Ensemble led by Gurgen Melkonyan, who didn’t spare any efforts to teach the participants.

According to the organizers of the camping event, national values are so powerful that during the song and dance lessons, the residents of Vardut would stop doing their chores to participate in the lessons.

This village is known for developed cattle-raising, but there is also a lot of construction of homes. Where there used to be 7 families in 2007, now there are 16 economies. According to principal of the school of Vardut village Raisa Baghikyan, there are gifted children who have made the village popular in Yerevan by participating in and winning various Olympiads and competitions. Baghikyan voiced hope that the construction of homes would be followed by the construction of cultural centers that would help revitalize the lives of not only children, but also other members of the community. Until then, the organizing of such events is important for the benefit of the community.