Spend a Saturday night in the village of Gomk, in Armenia's Vayots Dzor province, and you will likely notice something that occurs in few other remote rural villages in the world; a disco. I was able to attend the disco while I was in Gomk as part of my volunteer work with the Youth and Community Action Program, an initiative of the Academy for Educational Development that seeks to mobilize communities to organize themselves to address shared community priorities. The disco takes place in a building that lacks windows for most rooms and is missing staircases. Wearing heels won't get you very far, as you'll probably get stuck in the holes in the floorboards. What struck me most about the disco, however, was not the physical condition of the building, but how the villagers were able to transform the space despite it's physical shortcomings. Together they were able to create something meaningful and enjoyable out of very little. This was a lesson I learned over and over while living in Armenia . Issues or conditions that seem hopeless or insurmountable can be overcome by working together. Each one of us has skills that can be harnessed to achieve our collective goals. I continue to learn this lesson even today.

By the time I left Gomk the villagers had come up with a plan of action to improve conditions in their community. Included on the list with medical service, transportation, and clean water, was the desire to have a community center to hold plays, have cultural events, and organize youth activities. A lot of the issues seemed quite complex and difficult to deal with at the time. But the villagers have already organized a day of free medical care for women, and they are working on an initiative to ensure that everyone has access to clean water. I am continually impressed with what they are able to achieve, but I realize that they cannot reach all their goals alone.

On a more recent Saturday night I received a call from my friends in Gomk. They had exciting news. The World Bank had agreed to completely renovate their community center, but only if the villagers contributed $2500 as their cost share component by November 15. I knew that this amount could not be gathered by the villagers or myself alone, but as a Birthright Armenia alumnus, with access to my alumni network and to diasporan friends and organizations, it would not be a difficult amount to raise. I set up a fund online and sent out e-mails to everyone I thought would be interested in helping out. The responses have been overwhelming both in terms of donations and people's willingness to reach out to their own friends for more support. I will be wiring all the money we have raised to Armenia soon.

I never thought that I could mobilize resources to have such a great impact. The renovated community center will serve as the heart of the village for many generations to come. It will enable the villagers to organize even more projects and activities to improve their quality of life. The results of my efforts have exceeded even my own expectations and they have reinforced the lesson I learned early on while I was in Gomk. A disco of one would not be very effective, or fun for that matter. However, working together we can create and accomplish things that none of us could do alone. I know it can be done and I look forward to spending another Saturday night in Gomk's new community center very soon.

If you would like to learn more about the Gomk Community Center Renovation Fund, please visit: http://www.fundable.com/groupactions/groupaction.2007-11-05.3976045467/view?searchterm=gomk

Veronica Siranosian
Alumnus 2006