“Get Started”: An educational platform for young founders

How can we make education more interesting, increase student involvement and support community development at the same time?

Larisa decided to go to Yerevan from Vanadzor in order to launch a startup and find solutions to those issues. She enrolled in the “Get Started” educational program, run by Mediamax and the “Association of Armenian Online Media and Journalists” NGO in partnership with Viva-MTS. Larisa is confident that her aspirations will come true thanks to the foundational knowledge she gains from the new setting and the experience of prosperous startups.

The high school student decided to create themed quest rooms in Vanadzor, using interesting and attractive methods to ensure an interactive atmosphere and develop students’ intellectual potential. She is sure that the process combined with interesting entertainment and games will be effective and will contribute to the processing of information obtained from search engines, as well as the development of logic, critical thinking and teamwork skills.

“Education is the basis of a strong country. Therefore, whatever business or innovation I initiate in the future, I will start from the education sector. It seems that the problem is with teaching methods. Quest rooms will also help to integrate students more into the classroom processes. They make searching, receiving and analyzing information more interesting and motivating. The role of artificial intelligence is a relevant topic in today’s world. It is necessary to ensure that the human factor does not lose its importance. When I have questions, first I ask my dad. I use search engines when he is not around. Even then, it’s important to have the skills to analyze them. “Get Started” program will help me to use my acquired knowledge correctly, create quest rooms and contribute to the development of my community,” Larisa Hovhannisyan said.

The “Get Started” program which operates in two phases is an important platform for young startuppers. Through hands-on experience with successful businesses and mentor-led workshops, participants can evaluate the feasibility of starting a program. A competition is also planned as part of the educational program. Startup projects developed during workshops and recognized as the best at the end of the competition will receive monetary incentives.