In the News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Linda Yepoyan
Phone: 610-291-2165
info@birthrightarmenia.org
June 14, 2006
BIRTHRIGHT ARMENIA STAYS STRONG IN ITS THIRD YEAR
Wynnewood , PA – In its third year of service to Armenian communities worldwide, Birthright Armenia is staying strong with a projection of 100 new volunteers traveling to the Homeland for the journey of a lifetime. In accordance with the organization's mission to bring together a diverse array of young Armenians from across the world, this year's group of volunteers represents a cross-section of the Diaspora, ranging from age 20 to 32 and traveling from 10 different countries, including France, United Kingdom, Lebanon, Syria, Slovakia, New Zealand, Azerbaijan, Iran, Canada, and the U.S. With 70 new volunteers scheduled to be in Armenia throughout June, July and August, summer has become the most popular season for the Birthright program. However, winter and fall enrollments have also increased over 150% since last year.
When asked why participating in the Birthright Armenia program is so significant for her, 23-year-old Shogher Margossian, an Armenian Young Lawyers (AYLA) volunteer from Lebanon, states that while she has visited Armenia several times, all her visits were as a tourist. “As a person who has had in the back of my mind to make Armenia my permanent home some day, it is necessary to experience Armenia on a different level. Being a volunteer in Armenia seems to me the best way to experience the life of a working class person in Armenia , considering that I would myself be working class once I move there.”
Twenty-four-year-old Canadian-Armenian Sevan Injejikian, who will be volunteering for the Armenian Center for Contemporary Experimental Art (ACCEA), says that he wants to expand his view of Armenia beyond a historical understanding. “I want to become familiar with the people and their daily lives,” he states. Sevan goes on to say that through an eight-week immersion, he hopes to face more than simply “brief encounters with people I'm supposed to feel a kinship to and places familiar from my dreams.”
Throughout their minimum eight-week stay, volunteers will be brought together by Birthright Armenia 's program services, all designed to further each participant's connection to the Homeland and immerse them in Armenia 's culture. Every week will feature educational forums with distinguished speakers such as the Foreign Minister of Armenia and the Catholicos, language instruction for those trying to learn to speak and write Armenian, excursions to almost every region of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabagh, as well as “havaks” designed to foster social connections between diasporans and youth living in Armenia .
To complete the overall experience and help volunteers fulfill their quest for a real-life look into existence in Armenia , Birthright has even implemented a homestay program, where participants can live with Armenian families for either all or part of their stay in Armenia . Whether living in Yerevan or in one of the outlying regions, day-to-day interaction with a “host family” promotes language use, youth-to-youth interaction, and aids in the bonds volunteers feel towards their Motherland.
In addition to the time participants will spend taking part in Birthright Armenia, they will all spend at least 30 hours per week volunteering their service through a variety of in-country and outside organizations, including Armenia Tree Project (ATP), Armenian Assembly of America (AAA), Armenian Center for Contemporary Experimental Art (ACCEA), Armenian International Policy Research Group (AIPRG), Armenian Medical Association (AMA), Armenian Volunteer Corp (AVC), Armenian Young Lawyers Association (AYLA), Armenian Youth Federation (AYF), Canadian Youth Mission to Armenia, Christian Youth Mission to Armenia-Western Diocese (CYMA), Diaspora-Armenia Connection (DAC), Fund for Armenia Relief (FAR), Habitat for Humanity (HFH), International Center for Human Development (ICHD), Land and Culture Organization (LCO), Mental Health Foundation, and Mission Armenia . Through these organizations, participants will be involved in a variety of volunteer assignments such as teaching English, providing social services, writing articles for Armenian newspapers, working in government ministries and assisting in hospitals, building houses or even working in the soil to help preserve Armenia's natural resources.
Sevan Injejikian states that while he feels that Armenia has more to offer him than he can ever repay, he is also convinced that “the Diaspora's role is to help and support Armenia in the best ways possible.” “Before we can contribute efficiently, it is imperative that we understand the current realities of the country, its culture and history, which have differed from ours (Western and diasporan Armenians) for centuries.” Shogher cites similar feelings. “I hope to make a change,” she says. “Even if what I would be doing as a volunteer seems not to be enough, I consider this experience as a first step towards a whole new level of understanding for me. It would sharpen my perception of things and facts in Armenia which I may have overlooked over the years.”
Birthright Armenia 's mission is to strengthen ties between the homeland and diasporan youth by affording them an opportunity to be a part of Armenia 's daily life and to contribute to Armenia 's development through work, study and volunteer experiences, while developing a renewed sense of Armenian identity. For those interested in learning more about or contributing to Birthright Armenia , please visit www.birthrightarmenia.org or email info@birthrightarmenia.org .
