Civic Activism as a Novel Component of Armenian Civil Society

9.7. Activists’ Perception of NGOs (NGOs’ Responses)
According to some responses from NGO members, the public differentiates between members of
activist groups, who are just active, and those who are active due to their occupation, namely
NGO members. Some NGO members complain that while working at an NGO is their job, they
are also active, and thus, they should be regarded differently from other, informal activists with
no occupation. Such distinctions, resulting in different perceptions by the public, are unfair.
Some NGO members confess that activists’ perceptions of NGOs must be negative
because organisations are not there when activists need them. The activists take the lead in
voicing issues and concerns, mobilising the public, and organising rallies, and it is NGOs’ role to
join, which is something they do not always do. However, they should join to present a positive
image to and encourage positive perceptions on the part of both activists and public.
There are negative perceptions of NGOs, but this is the fault of NGOs. They need to
develop a broader vision and consider a larger impact to reach out to communities. The overall
context of NGOs’ involvement should change, which may then lead to a change in public
perceptions. Otherwise, they are treated as agents of minor, generally individual work that solely
benefits their organisations and staff members. This should change, and organisations should
deliver a greater impact. NGOs should seek social change; otherwise their impact will be limited.
One of the main problems that NGOs in Armenia face, and the one that actually limits
their impact, is that external funding generally comes with the condition that NGOs have to enter
into the dialogue with the government. To fulfil this criterion, however, they must contend with
an Armenian government that imposes conditions that limit NGOs’ independence before they are
allowed to participate in the dialogue. Thus, there is a multifaceted process contributing to
NGOs’ dependency on the government and preventing them from engaging in independent,
objective work.
Speaking of important qualities that campaigns tend to spark within society, an NGO
member highlights, “I haven’t seen so many intellectual faces gathered in one place in a long
time.” 40 (Male, 45). The public’s trust in civic initiatives is high, in contrast to that in the formal
non-governmental sector in Armenia. Activist campaigns are welcomed by the public. One of the
reasons is that the campaigns have yet to mislead the public. The public has not yet been
deceived by the campaigns. Such deception would entail leading the public towards a purpose,
only to have the leaders of initiatives, for example, align themselves with the authorities (which
has been a common practice of some political parties, other state institutions, and NGOs). This is
why civic initiatives are trusted, at least thus far.
Although the overall perceptions are positive, negative perceptions also exist. The
negative perceptions fall into the following categories: a) the same old donor story, b) specific
issues advocated by activists, or c) particular individuals within campaigns.
A negative perception may emerge due to persistent sentiments that any initiative has to
have a sponsor, a stereotype holding that it is highly unlikely for people to mobilise for altruistic
40 Reference made to Electric Yerevan initiative.
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