On Oct. 20-12, ten juveniles from the ZANG Program’s regional Community Justice Centers, along with their mentors selected from PH’s partner universities and the local communities, participated in an intensive social media training event in InterNews office, Yerevan. The training was designed and led by a team of young people, teenagers who are alumni of PH’s other youth programs – YouthLAB (Leadership Across Borders) Program, DOTCOM Program , most of whom are also currently acting as mentors for their regional peers within the PLAY (Promoting Leadership among Armenian Youth) Project funded through the U.S. Alumni Engagement and Innovation Fund’s 2012 Annual Grants Competition.

On August 25-27, within its ZANG Legal Socialization program, the Armenian office of PHI organized a training on victim-offender mediation/restorative conferencing for 30 participants of its 10 Community Justice Centers (CJC), a representative from the Social-Psychological unit of the Ministry of Justice and the psychologist from the Abovyan Penitentiary. Lori Baker, a specialist holding an MA degree on mediation and with years of experience on mediating and managing a Vermont-based CJC herself, was hired from the U.S. to design the training module and facilitate the training in Armenia.

On October 11, 2012 in cooperation with the Armenian Police and the “Family and Community” NGO in Metsamor, PH International opened the second CJC in Armavir region, with this extending the number of operating CJCs in Armenia to 11.

Mariam Martirosyan, Country Director of PH's Armenia office was interviewed by Lragir.AM online newsletter .

The ZANG Program continues to successfully establish links with new organizations and cooperate with them. One of the recent events was a good proof of collaboration between the ZANG Program, the Cross of Armenian Unity (CAU), an NGO hosting the Community Justice Center in Echmiadzin of Armavir region and the Alumni Council of Armenia of CABIR (Capacity Building in International Relations), an initiative sponsored by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and implemented by the Executive Education Department of the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies.

The close and intensive cooperation between Georgian Legal Socialization Program (GLSP) and ZANG Armenian Legal Socialization Program (ALSP) strengthens and continues on daily bases.
Throughout June 6-8, 2012 a team of Armenian specialists from ZANG Armenian Legal Socialization Program, including the program staff and 1 representative from 10 CJCs (Community Justice Center) currently functioning in Armenia visited their counterparts working within the Legal Socialization Program in Georgia. The cross-country program aimed at introducing the Armenian group with the Diversion and Mediation state program implemented in Georgia for juvenile offenders. The program included meetings with different professionals from Georgia who were all ready and eager to share their experiences, methods and mechanisms employed, the successes and lessons learnt.

On May 17, 2012, the PH International within the ZANG Armenia Legal Socialization Program (ALSP) partnering with RA Police and UNICEF initiated the opening of the 10th Community Justice Center in Ejmiatsin. More details are available in the website of the Cross of Armenian Unity, the NGO, hosting the CJC.

The cooperation of ZANG program and UNICEF often brings exceptional and unexpected results. This time these two partners joint their efforts for making possible another unique project – creation of one-minute videos by juveniles.

During April 9-13 period sixteen teenagers from seven regions of Armenia have come together in Yerevan for one-week-workshop as part of the OneMinutesJr . This training is a part of wider project to end torture and ill treatment of children, supported by the European Union in partnership with UNICEF. The aim of the project was to write, film and produce movies that tell about the experiences the juveniles had while conflicting with the law. Though the assignment seemed simple, still it required not only creative approach and original ideas, but also accuracy and an ability to present everything in one minute only.

On March 6, 2012, the ZANG Armenia Legal Socialization Program (ALSP), funded by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), and implemented by Project Harmony International (PHI), partnering with the Alternative Sanctions and Probation Division of the Criminal-Executive Department (RA Ministry of Justice), organized a cultural-educational event for 25 Armenian youth in conflict with the law who are currently under the supervision of the above-mentioned Division.

Throughout Nov. 01-04 2011, ZANG Program staff Hripsime Amirkhanyan, who is also an active member of the RA Public Monitoring Group over Special Schools, formed by the RA Ministry of Education and Science, participated in a unique training conducted by the Youth Human Rights Group representatives operating in Kyrgyzstan.