In the News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Linda Yepoyan
Phone: 610-642-6633
info@birthrightarmenia.org
April 16, 2007
BIRTHRIGHT ARMENIA EXPANDS ITS RECRUITMENT TO EASTERN EUROPE
Birthright Armenia spares no effort to reach the various corners of the world to inspire young diasporans to connect with Armenia through a meaningful, long-term immersion experience. The first 200 volunteers receiving BR sponsorship to intern in Armenia have hailed from 13 countries spanning the globe and twenty diasporan organizations representing the wide spectrum of our communities. However, to date, none have come from Eastern Europe, where the Armenian Diaspora has some of its oldest roots.
Through a series of recruitment events later this spring in Poland, Bulgaria, Romania and the Czech Republic, Birthright Armenia will be promoting how important it is for the younger generation to both establish a connection with the Homeland and spend time networking with other young adults from all corners of our Diaspora. The community events throughout Eastern Europe will center around information sharing regarding year-round opportunities for volunteerism in Armenia, the movement taking place from all over the globe to get involved in Armenia’s development, and the Birthright Armenia support services available to them to help make their participation a reality. Linda Yepoyan, executive director of Birthright Armenia explains, “These are no longer your typical organized communities, centered around the church or an organization. Many of the younger generation there are completely assimilated into existing society, so we are excited about the opportunity to connect them with their ancestral Homeland. Our challenge and mission are to try to find those who have lost all connections, and encourage them to reconnect with their heritage and Homeland through community service, with our assistance.”
The search for future young leaders from this untapped part of the world is being coordinated with local community leaders on the ground, and will take the Birthright Armenia staff to Sofia, Plovdiv, Prague, Bucharest, Costantza, Warsaw, and Krakow. “By actively networking with the Armenia-Diaspora Conference representatives from Eastern Europe as well as with other key community leaders and organizational contacts, we have been able to pull together a recruitment itinerary that will introduce hundreds of young diasporans, from a segment of our Diaspora often overlooked, to the concept of a Homeland that they have a birthright to feel is theirs,” says Yepoyan. “We will go to Eastern Europe fully prepared, with printed materials in their native languages, and with the goal of leaving an action plan in place for the elder community leaders to carry out, as ideally, recruitment should not end when we our tour is over. We want local leadership to take an active role in becoming familiar with our mission, and in turn, channeling local youth into programs such as the Armenian Volunteer Corps (AVC)”.
Given the pioneering nature of this recruitment effort, the leadership of Birthright Armenia holds no illusions about the definition of success. “At first, it may take a lot of effort to convince even a couple of youth to take the plunge and volunteer in Armenia. But we are much inspired by the prospect of connecting even a small segment of the youth from these communities which have a long diasporan history, to the Homeland. Birthright Armenia’s investment in these young adults will ensure these diasporan pockets remain vibrant and have a crop of future young leaders who have a positive attitude toward the role of the Homeland in their Armenian identity,” concludes Yepoyan.
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.
