Unlocking the Power of Crowdfunding with Moldovan Municipalities
Ten municipalities in Moldova joined a crowdfunding training programme to gain skills in creating and running effective crowdfunding campaigns for local projects. When one thinks […]
Stepanavan, in northern Armenia, boasts picturesque landscapes and lush greenery. Just over 100 kilometers from the capital, it is a quiet destination, away from the bustling urban centers, and whose rich historical heritage and warm community have earned it a reputation as a welcoming valley hotspot.
But despite its undeniable beauty and cultural allure, Stepanavan has been grappling with depopulation. The town is experiencing rapid aging, with residents aged between 18 and 29 making up less than 15% of the permanent population. The gradual decline in the town’s population, especially among younger generations, is mainly a result of the appeal of larger cities and economic opportunities elsewhere.
So Stepanavan has embarked on a path of urban transformation to address the underlying causes of outmigration. It is among five cities, part of the City Experiment Fund (CEF), a regional initiative at UNDP Europe and Central Asia supported by the Slovak Ministry of Finance, that are embedding innovative methods in the design and delivery of city-level programmes and shifting to systems thinking in approaching urban challenges.
In partnership with the Agirre Lehendakaria Centre and CHÔRA, CEF is working hand in hand with the local municipality and Armenian communities to provide the essential tools and resources needed to develop innovative solutions in response to depopulation. The objective of retaining and attracting youth is no small task, especially for rural towns. But one year into applying a portfolio approach, it is fitting to take a look at how Stepanavan has fared thus far.
To address depopulation, the solution lies in fostering a robust economic ecosystem that enhances people’s quality of life. In the field of rural development, urban experts have identified several critical focus areas and strategic approaches aimed at revitalizing depopulated rural communities and promoting sustainable growth. These approaches encompass but are not limited to:
In the aftermath of 2020, Stepanavan found itself confronting a dual crisis, marked by economic and security uncertainties. It became clear that conventional municipal management methods were no longer sufficient, prompting Stepanavan to adopt innovative approaches to confront its challenges. Acknowledging the necessity for a comprehensive and systemic approach, the town’s leaders and community members enthusiastically joined forces to formulate a strategic roadmap for progress and sustainability.
As one of the pioneering cities in the region to embrace systems thinking, Stepanavan’s adoption of the portfolio approach underscored the significance of social listening and community engagement in crafting a tailored set of options precisely aligned with the town’s unique needs. By meticulously mapping out key stakeholders involved in civic transformation efforts and, more crucially, involving all relevant parties in a profound listening exercise, they explored the specific problem areas within the municipal context. In collaboration with more than 200 prominent stakeholders, including nonprofits, the public and private sectors, and community members, they identified the roadmap’s intent and delved deep into the challenges and opportunities lying ahead for this picturesque community center.
While the initial intent was to draw in young people from larger cities, the profound process of active listening revealed a more pressing demand within the community: the need for a thriving environment for both residence and employment in order to bolster both attraction and retention. Furthermore, the youth of Stepanavan pinpointed the scarcity of educational and job prospects, along with the absence of recreational and entertainment spaces, as the primary factors driving them to leave the region. At the same time, local businesses, nonprofits, educational institutions, and cultural heritage centers identified the latent resources that could potentially be harnessed to foster a dynamic Stepanavan.
Stepanavan aspired to learn how to develop a plan for consistently attracting and retaining talent from within and outside the mountainous town. This also meant transforming Stepanavan’s image from merely being “a place of rest” to becoming “a place to live and contribute”. The overall portfolio design co-created by and for Stepanavan outlined workable goals that aimed to boost green job skill development. These goals included the engagement of local nonprofits in talent attraction and retention initiatives, the support of STEM education, particularly for children, the establishment of a certified Aviation and IT Training Center, the promotion of additional recreational and cultural events, and the creation of new digital tools to create a new municipal identity.
The Stepanavan portfolio journey has achieved remarkable strides through its implemented options. Some noteworthy achievements in the pursuit of attracting and retaining youth includes establishing lively spaces for youth entertainment, the successful coordination of an open-air cinema event, the hosting of a flower festival that celebrated nature’s beauty in Stepanavan, and the construction of a new sports courtyard to boost wellbeing with the assistance of the UNDP Crowdfunding Academy.
One of the central achievements of the portfolio approach has been the establishment of the Aviation and IT Learning Center, a collaborative effort involving the municipality, a local nonprofit, and the Crisis Management Academy. The center’s agri-drone classes have created valuable opportunities for skills development among the province’s youth, preparing them for green transition jobs. The center has already had a tangible impact, with numerous graduates successfully finding employment within the sector after completing their training sessions.
In another implemented option, the Stepanavan public library underwent a significant transformation and introduced a new Youth Learning Hub. Focused on talent retention, a dedicated team organized a diverse range of enriching events, including career orientation sessions, dynamic discussion bootcamps, and programming and design classes.
The portfolio process in Stepanavan has yielded invaluable insights, revealing a newfound awareness among key stakeholders of their crucial role in shaping the municipality’s transformative path. This realization represents a significant milestone as the Stepanavan municipality, in close collaboration with other stakeholders, has taken the initiative to implement the co-designed strategic options independently of further UNDP involvement. As the journey unfolds, the collective efforts of Stepanavan’s stakeholders are proving to have far-reaching and positive implications for the municipality’s future. A local network of changemakers is now actively exploring additional innovative approaches not only to retain local talent but also to attract new talent to the town.
Furthermore, Stepanavan is in the process of institutionalizing the transformation by integrating the portfolio approach into the municipality’s strategic decision-making process. This is being achieved through collaborating with key stakeholders and partners to co-design living strategy documents to lead Stepanavan into the evolving future. The newly established Resilient Stepanavan Fund is taking its first steps to mobilize alternative finance for ongoing efforts aimed at revitalizing the town’s vibrancy.
Finally, by having the safe space for interaction, creation, learning and fun, the network of active youth of Stepanavan has been gradually expanding as demonstrated by engagement of more than 200 young people into non-formal education activities, community work, humanitarian support and social integration activities by commitment to take initiative, respond to crisis, become the change agents to craft a resilient Stepanavan.
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