The National Leadership Institute

We are NLI

The National Leadership Institute (NLI), a scientific and cultural public organization, was founded in Yerevan in 2000. Since 2015, NLI has been running the five-day “Challenge” camp program for people with mobility impairments. The program was launched after participation in a similar camp in Riga in 2014.

The goal of the program is to help participants discover their true potential, strengthen their self-esteem, and overcome barriers in communicating with society.

The program is built around three main areas: physical, social, and spiritual. The agenda includes physiotherapy support, psychological counseling, discussions on social topics, conversations with a spiritual mentor, developmental and competitive interactive games with team members, and creative handicraft activities. The culmination of the camp is a surprise challenge for participants — to overcome an unusual trial that may at first seem impossible for people with mobility impairments.

The target group includes adults aged 18 or older with mobility impairments.

Results

Over the 9 years of the program’s implementation, more than 90 participants have had the opportunity to take part. Some of them later became involved in the program or in NLI as volunteers, assistants, or team members.