About RISE
RISE began before the foundation existed.
The work started at Codzilla in 2019, where children learned technology by trying, building and solving. Bebras then carried that approach into schools across Armenia.
From the founders
Gohar was teaching at Ayb School and dreamed of applying her experience as an educator to technology education.
By then, I had spent a decade working in the technology sector and wanted to pass what I had learned to the next generation.
Codzilla was born when those two ambitions came together: her experience in the classroom and my years in the industry.
Later, as Bebras reached thousands of students and dozens of schools across Armenia, we gradually realised that the work had outgrown one educational centre, and RISE was created to carry it further.
What guides us
Curiosity
We keep asking why something works, why it does not, and what we can learn next. We want children to carry that habit throughout their lives.
My father is the most curious person I know. He is an electronic engineer, and at 60 he is still teaching himself new technologies. He showed me that curiosity is a lifelong habit: you keep asking why something works, why it does not, and you never stop learning. That is a habit we want every child to keep.
Perseverance
Meaningful change takes time. We keep trying, learning, and adjusting when progress is slow.
My path took me from Shirakatsy Lyceum to Ayb School and then to starting Codzilla. Joining Bebras required even more perseverance: we applied three times, and the first two applications were not accepted. Instead of stopping, we learned, improved our work, and tried again. The third application led to Armenia's provisional membership in 2024 and reinforced something I had learned throughout my own journey: when a goal truly matters, a setback is a reason to return better prepared, not a reason to stop.
How we got here
2019
Codzilla opens
Codzilla Educational Center opened in Yerevan, teaching children technology by having them build and solve rather than memorise.
How the name Codzilla was chosen
The opening of the Codzilla centre
2022
The first challenge, and the first refusal
We ran the first Bebras Challenge in Armenia: 40 students in 10 schools. We also applied to join Bebras for the first time, and were refused. That year's workshop was in Macedonia and we did not attend.
2023
Egypt, and a second refusal
We travelled to the international task workshop in Egypt and applied again. We were refused a second time.
2024
Serbia, accepted on the third application
The third application was accepted and Armenia became a provisional member at the 20th workshop in Serbia. The challenge that year reached 2,159 students in 37 schools across 9 regions.
2025
Seoul, and two Armenian tasks
At the 21st workshop at Seoul National University, two tasks submitted by Armenia were accepted into the official challenge pool, for the first time in the competition's 22 years. RISE Educational Foundation was registered the same year, and the challenge reached 6,407 students in 60 schools across every region.
2026
Cambridge, full membership
At the 22nd workshop at the Møller Institute in Cambridge, Armenia was accepted as a full member of Bebras, with 43 votes in favour, one against and one abstention. In August 2026 RISE became part of the Bebras Association.
Board of Trustees
Strategic guidance and oversight.
Garnik Gevorgyan
Board Member
David Khachatryan
Chairman
Andranik Avetisyan
Board Member
Our team
The people who run the programmes.
Gohar Khachatryan
Co-Founder · Executive Director
Eva Vardumyan
Program Coordinator
Anna Gyulumyan
Lead Instructor
Hasmik Khachatryan
Lead Instructor
Haykuhi Tovmasyan
Lead Instructor
Anush Avetisyan
Teaching Specialist
Geghétsik Mkhitaryan
Teaching Specialist
Tatev Petrosyan
Teaching Specialist
Who is accountable
RISE is a registered educational foundation in Yerevan, governed by a board of trustees. The people responsible are named on this page. If you want to know how a contribution was used, write to us and we will tell you.
- Phone
- +374 93 509 659
- Address
- Aram Khachatryan Street 3, Arabkir, Yerevan 0033, Armenia
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