How It All Works -          

Our Mission: 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 life-long personal ties and a renewed sense of Armenian identity.

The Means: Travel fellowships for diasporan Armenians, ages 20 - 32, who complete a qualified experience in volunteer service and training (QUEST) in Armenia.

The Eligibility Criteria:The summer months travel fellowship eligibility criteria are specifically designed to promote service in the regional hubs outside of Yerevan where Armenia ’s needs are greatest, and to encourage a year-round balance of participation by volunteers interested in getting a true immersion experience in the Homeland.
Thus, to be eligible for a Birthright Armenia travel fellowship, all of the following criteria must be met:

The Experience:

The typical Birthright Armenia experience has three phases:

1. Pre-country: On-line Eastern Armenian language training to achieve a basic level of proficiency, acceptance into any one of the sponsored programs and pre-qualifying for a Birthright Armenia QUEST.

2. In-country: 8 weeks of volunteer service and participation in the training and education programs, during which participants gain insight into Armenia's potential and the ways they and other diasporans can be part of Armenia’s future.

3. Post-country: Continued exposure and involvement in community and organizational activities, assisting and facilitating alumni speaking forums to inspire future participants, promoting Armenian economic, cultural ties, strengthening diasporan Armenian organizations and community life.

What's a Qualified Experience in Volunteer Service and Training (QUEST)?

Each participant arranges a QUEST, drawing from a number of programs offered by a variety of diasporan and Republic of Armenia NGOs, which are eligible for Birthright Armenia sponsorship. These include:

How it works:

1. Acceptance into a Birthright Armenia Sponsored Program. The participant applies to any one of Birthright Armenia’s sponsored volunteer service or training programs in Armenia.

2. Apply to Birthright Armenia for a Travel Fellowship. Once accepted into a sponsored program, and the program requires the participant to cover his or her own travel costs, the participant may apply to Birthright Armenia for a travel fellowship, payable upon successful completion of their QUEST. See Eligibility Criteria

3. Minimum Stay 8 weeks – The Add-On Program. If the sponsored program is shorter than the minimum threshold, then the participant must apply and be accepted into the add-on program, to reach the 8 week threshold. So for example, if a participant goes to Armenia with a sponsored program that lasts 2 weeks, then the participant will be placed for at least an additional 6 weeks of volunteer service and training in order to qualify for a travel fellowship. See Eligibility Criteria

4. Homestay Opportunities. As part of Birthright Armenia ’s commitment to make this a true immersion experience, we strongly encourage and facilitate home stays, plus incentives with one month’s expense paid in the summer. Volunteers are more than welcome to continue their homestay set-up for the second month of their stay, but it will be at their own expense during the summer months (the cost is 72,000 Armenian Drams per month). Homestays during the non-summer months are paid in full.

5. Language Proficiency Test. All applicants must complete the on-line Eastern Armenian language pre-test to achieve a basic level of fluency, and if their proficiency is not sufficient, they must successfully complete the on-line language preparatory course prior to their departure for Armenia.

6. Participation in the QUEST and Receipt of Certificates for Fellowship. Participants will carry out the four components of the QUEST as described below. Upon completing the QUEST, the participant will submit training, language, and service certificates to the Birthright Armenia office along with ticket receipts and itinerary to receive full reimbursement of travel expenses. See Eligibility Criteria

7. Birthright Armenia participants waive any and all claims against BRA and any of its partner organizations.
Participants are responsible for their own health and travel insurance. All participants are required to enroll in and pay for local medical insurance arranged through the Cascade Insurance Company at a cost of 5000 AMD per month. BR/DH staff will make all the proper arrangements for your enrollment. This plan covers in-country medical emergencies and unexpected medical needs only, and does not include evacuation costs or out-of-country treatments. Each participant agrees to abide by the rules and regulations of BRA and its partner organizations and understands that BRA and its partner organizations reserve the right to terminate the participation of any participant whose behavior does not conform with its standards.

What are the main requirements to qualify for a Birthright Armenia travel fellowship?

There are four main requirements to qualify:
(1) Language Certificate
(2) Training and Education Certificate
(3) Service Certificate
(4) Continuing Involvement Proposal
See the Eligibility Criteria section for additional requirements

1. Language Proficiency Certificate - Participants must demonstrate or acquire minimum communication skills in Armenian to assure that their volunteer and living experience is fulfilling.
• On-line pretest
• Those who score less than 80% on the on-line pretest must register and complete the on-line preparatory course before arrival in Armenia (for those who score higher, the on-line course is recommended, but optional)
• In-country oral test – everyone must take this test of oral proficiency
• In-country language instruction (5 hours per week) as needed, mandatory for those scoring less than 80% on the oral test, recommended for others, but optional.

2. Training Certificate
• Orientation (half day) on basic Birthright Armenia requirements, introductions and background information pertaining to placements, program dos and don'ts, practical advice on how to get the most out of the QUEST and coverage of emergency procedures. For programs that have their own orientation programs which mirror what is covered in the Birthright Armenia orientation program, this is optional.
• “Havak” Tie-in Meetings/Forums and In-Service Training sessions (usually once per week)
a. All Birthright Armenia participants convene “havak” regularly to share experiences, mutually problem solve, discuss their feelings and ask questions of each other. Havaks are held weekly at the BR/Depi Hayk offices as well as outdoor venues, and volunteers are expected to attend at least two havak sessions per month.
b. Forum sessions include discussion topics with guest specialists invited to discuss areas of special interest including: Armenia's economic and cultural development, diaspora-homeland relations, and developments in various sectors – public, private, church, culture, sports, and education. The forum series is broken out in two tracks, hard and soft, to offer participants a wide array of discussion topics sure to satisfy their interests. Like havaks, they are designed to be held weekly, with volunteers attending a minimum of two sessions per month.
c. Excursions to get to know Armenia's history, cultural, countryside and people will be offered weekly, covering each of the 11 regions of Armenia as well as Yerevan and an overnight trip to Nagorno-Karabagh. Excursions are optional and require sign-ups.

3. Service Certificate
• Confirms that the participant has completed a minimum of 30 hours per week of volunteer work plus periodic participation in joint volunteer projects (i.e. a Saturday spent cleaning up Yerevan through “Makur Yerevan” project with indigenous NGOs) during their QUEST period in Armenia.

4. Continuing Involvement Proposal
• Before departure from Armenia, each participant must submit a short 1-2 page proposal for how he/she promises to stay involved in Armenia related projects such as taking on an active volunteer or leadership role within an Armenian organization or within their community upon their return, initiating community activism and awareness independently through whatever infrastructure is available or preferred, as long as it lays the foundation of commitment, not just a one time event. Birthright Armenia will be doing the necessary follow-up to ensure fulfillment of these commitments.

5. Airfare receipt
Ticket stub(s) and itinerary must be submitted.

What's the amount of a BR travel subsidy?
For at least a 8 week long QUEST the amount of reimbursement will be the amount of the economy class round trip ticket, your city to Yerevan, but not to exceed the average cost of comparable tickets for that journey at that time. We do not reimburse for itineraries that include extended stopovers, or additional cities.

To ensure that volunteers qualify for their travel fellowship, and in an effort to keep costs down, we require that they purchase as far in advance as possible, but no later than two weeks prior to departure. If there is any increase in the average cost of the ticket due to a less than two week prior purchase, the volunteer will be expected to pay for the difference. As a gauge, the average costs of roundtrip tickets to Armenia booked in the spring for a departure during the summer months are as follows:

From NY and all points on the East Coast of US: $1300 - $1650
From CA and all points on the West Coast of US: $1600 - $1900
From Canada: 1700 - 1900 CAD
From London and Paris: 550 – 750 Euros

If the cost of a ticket you have reserved is substantially different than the above listed ranges, you will need to pre-clear approval with Birthright Armenia or you may not get your full reimbursement.