Today, the TUMO Center for Creative Technologies announced its new, portable programming initiative, TUMO in a Box, which takes the TUMO curriculum to villages, towns and cities across Armenia. Teens will start the TUMO program in TUMO Boxes ⁠— fully equipped portable learning centers ⁠— installed in their communities, then continue on with workshops and learning labs at TUMO Dilijan in Tavush Province. At today’s launch, TUMO signed a memorandum of understanding with the Tavush Regional Administration to provide transportation for students between the city of Berd, where the program will launch, and Dilijan. 

The project was presented by TUMO CEO Marie Lou Papazian, Amundi-ACBA CEO Jean Mazedjian, Tavush Province Governor Hayk Chobanyan and the Deputy Director of the Central Bank of Armenia Nerses Yeritsyan. Attendees included Arayik Harutyunyan, RA Minister of Education, Culture and Sports, Hakob Arshakyan, RA Minister of High-Tech Industry, Governors of the Tavush and Ararat regions, representatives from the National Assembly and partner organizations.

TUMO in a Box is an easy and affordable way to connect teens who don’t live in proximity to a TUMO center with our cutting edge educational program in technology and design. The first TUMO Box will be installed in the city of Berd, located in the northeastern province of Tavush, in partnership with Amundi-ACBA Asset Management and the Hayg Foundation.

“When Amundi-ACBA decided to invest in developing a corporate social responsibility culture, we chose education and culture as the main areas. As a result, we found TUMO as our partner, because its work concentrates on the youth and helps it integrate in the world new technologies,” mentioned Hovik Mazejian, director of Amundi-ACBA. 

Through this initiative, the TUMO Dilijan center, founded in partnership with the Central Bank of Armenia, will expand its mission, becoming not only a hub for education, but also a public space. The center has been renovated and modernized to accommodate more students, meetings, events and coworking space. The building will have a cinema, workshop rooms and self-learning stations.

“We think that this is one of the most successful steps toward expanding TUMO’s mission in Armenia’s provinces. When private companies and philanthropists team up with the government in order to provide better education, we can expect the best results. We’re planning to adopt this format in other provinces of Armenia and Artsakh, and thus expand our Gyumri and Stepanakert centers, as well as ones to be built in Koghb and Masis. We hope that we’ll find partners in every province,” said Marie Lou Papazian.

The first TUMO Box will open its doors to 160 students in Berd in September 2019.