YEREVAN, JULY 20, NOYAN TAPAN. The event held in the UN Office of Armenia on July 19 was dedicated to the presentation of the first issue of a supplement to the "Mankapatanekan Azg" newspaper, which was prepared by children and young people aged between 10-17. This supplement to the newspaper is a product of a three-month intensive project by a group of 30 children and young people. These children took part in the essay competition beforehand, then underwent training on children's rights and journalism, which was organized by UNICEF and editorial board of "Azg" Daily. According to Emil Sahakian, the UNICEF Information and Communication Officer, this supplement is a unique venue for children and young people to express their thoughts and opinions concerning this or that issue. In his conviction, there are very few newspapers and journals for children in Armenia: "they can be counted on one's fingers and the existing ones are launched in an electronic variant." Hakob Avetikian, the editor-in-chief of "Azg" Daily, stated that the subjects located in the supplement express sincere observations and understandings of children concerning different issues troubling society. "I have seen such questions and observations among them that can be noticed, perhaps, only by children," Hakob Avetikian mentioned. The supplement to "Mankapatanekan Azg" newspaper will be published on a monthly basis. According to Emil Sahakian, the UNICEF Communication Officer, after the end of this nine-month program, a similar program is envisaged to be carried out in other regions.

---