In the News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Linda Yepoyan
Phone: 610-642-6633
info@birthrightarmenia.org
January 30, 2005
String of Birthright Armenia Opportunity Fairs
Proves Successful
Wynnewood, PA – Hundreds of young diasporans
interested in learning more about the wide array of volunteer
and study programs currently being offered in Armenia, participated
in six opportunity fairs sponsored by Birthright Armenia in January.
To test the efficacy of a unified promotional and recruitment
event of this type, Birthright Armenia organized pilot runs in
the cities of Montreal, Toronto, Boston, New York, Philadelphia
and Washington, DC, by extending invitations to all the organizations
that implement youth oriented programs in Armenia to join in with
presentations and recruitment tables. Based on the huge turnouts
and interest generated from each of the fairs, proving to be both
timely and beneficial for participating organizations and attendees
alike, Birthright is already working on an expanded schedule for
2006.
One important goal of the opportunity fair was to
provide young diasporan adults with a one-stop shop of information
pertaining to volunteer and study abroad opportunities in the
Homeland, making it much easier for them to learn about the dozens
of options available to them and their generation. Another desired
goal was for participating organizations to get a jump-start on
their recruitment for the coming summer’s programs they
implement in Armenia.
Eleven different diaspora-based organizations, including
the ACYOA, AAA, ASA-NY, Armenia Tree Project, Armenian Volunteer
Corps, AYF, Canadian Youth Mission to Armenia, FAR, Habitat for
Humanity, LCO, and the Student Association for Medical Aid (SAMA)
of McGill University, presented their organizations’ mission,
activities and programs in Armenia. Each and every organization
approached by Birthright Armenia mobilized their staff, program
alumni and volunteers to participate in as many fairs as possible
in order to speak to interested youth, to share first hand experiences
with fair attendees, and to encourage early submission of applications.
Executive Director of Birthright Armenia, Linda
Yepoyan, opened each fair with a short introduction that focused
on a “come and belong” theme, emphasizing the importance
of experiencing Armenia for study or volunteerism now, rather
than falling back on the “wait and see” approach of
the past. Ten minute presentations from each of the participating
diasporan organizations, intermingled with interesting Powerpoint
presentations and slide shows followed next, and then an overview
of Birthright Armenia incentives and eligibility criteria. Each
fair then concluded with an open recruitment session including
a designated table for each organization, filled with promotional
materials of brochures, photographs, slide shows, applications
and more.
Over 250 young diasporans interested in programs
available to them in Armenia attended the North American Fairs
and in the words of one young attendee, “I knew I wanted
to go to Armenia but did not know how to find out what options
were available to me. This fair made it so easy that I have no
excuse not to go now.”
Mr. Haik Gugarats, who spoke on behalf of Ambassador
Arman Kirakossian at the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia in
Washington, DC, said in his opening remarks to the youth in attendance,
“It’s a great pleasure to host Birthright Armenia
this evening, because their mission is of great value to Armenia
and the Armenians. There is nothing more noble, creative, and
uplifting than the process of self-discovery, especially if you
also help Armenia, and forge a personal connection to our ancestral
land. And Birthright Armenia will help you do just that: be Armenian
and care about Armenia. Remember that nobody can prevent you from
being Armenian. You can only lose your “Armenianness”
if you exclude yourself.”
“I was delighted to participate in the Opportunity
Fair hosted by Birthright Armenia in New York and present the
FAR Young Professionals Trip to Armenia and Karabagh,” said
Edina Bobelian, FAR’s director of development and communications.
“Birthright Armenia created the ideal forum for people of
all ages to learn about the different ways to go to Armenia. Under
one roof, we were able to showcase various journeys to the Homeland.
This is not only beneficial for those curious about traveling
to Armenia, but also for the organizations that offer these unique
experiences to spread awareness about their trips and activities.
FAR is proud of its partnership with Birthright Armenia, a pioneering
organization that enhances our ability to reach out and educate
the Armenian Diaspora about philanthropic opportunities in the
Homeland.”
Executive director of the Armenia Tree Project,
Jeff Masarjian, presented the activities of his organization and
its internship program in Armenia to the Boston fair attendees.
“The Birthright Armenia opportunity fair is a wonderful
forum for learning about the exciting work so many organizations
are doing to build a future for our new nation,” he stated.
“ I would encourage any young person of Armenian descent
who has an interest in possibly offering his/her time and talent
to making a real difference in Armenia to attend any future fairs.”
With the North American circuit now successfully
over, Birthright Armenia will continue promoting the idea and
importance of community service in Armenia during its European
tour of London, Paris, Lyon and Marseilles in early February to
engage the interest of diasporan youths of the U.K. and France
wanting to experience land, history and people in all their fascinating
dimensions.
Since going public with this pilot program, Birthright
Armenia has received calls from numerous communities through the
Mid-western, Southern and Western United States, requesting that
the organization consider their city as the 2006 Fair schedule
is developed. Also communities in Munich and Milan have also requested
a Fair be held when Birthright Armenia Opportunity Fairs expand
throughout Western Europe.
If you wish to have Birthright consider holding
an Opportunity Fair in your city, send an email to info@birthrightarmenia.org.
If you are interested in learning more about Birthright Armenia
and the organizations offering youth-oriented volunteer and study
abroad programs in Armenia, please visit www.birthrightarmenia.org
for more information.
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