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Birthright Armenia Celebrates Its Inaugural Year

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  • Birthright Armenia Celebrates Its Inaugural Year

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    BIRTHRIGHT ARMENIA
    Contact: Linda Yepoyan
    [email protected]

    July 30, 2004

    BIRTHRIGHT ARMENIA CELEBRATES ITS INAUGURAL YEAR

    Yerevan, Armenia - Armenian youth from a cross section of our diasporan
    institutions came together, joined by the newly repatriated diasporan youth
    and their Homeland peers, to celebrate the launch of a new and truly
    forward thinking organization, Birthright Armenia/Depi Hayk. The inaugural
    festivities, under the name " Gateway 2004", symbolizing the organizations'
    promotion of an ever-widening bridge between the Diaspora and the Homeland,
    was held on July 16th in Yerevan with lively dancing, food and drink.

    "Gateway 2004" marks this non-profit's first year of operations in Armenia.
    It also served as a means to highlight the diversity of the first group of
    young participants which Birthright Armenia/Depi Hayk sponsored from seven
    different summer volunteer, cultural, and study programs serving our
    diasporan youth. It was an unprecedented evening of unification and
    networking in one, under the main "Journey of Self-Discovery" theme. The 40
    Depi Hayk participants of 2004 and other diasporan attendees represented the
    following organizations: Armenian Volunteer Corps, Armenian Students'
    Association-NY, Armenian Assembly of America, Armenian Youth Federation,
    Land and Culture Organization, Armenian Medical Association and the Armenian
    Church Youth Organization of America, the University of Michigan Summer
    Language Institute and the Christian Youth Mission to Armenia .

    Welcoming the 160 plus attendees, Birthright Armenia founder Edele Hovnanian
    commented that "It is refreshing to see a truly integrated group of youth
    gathered together under one roof, all of whom understand the importance of
    our presence here in the Homeland at this particular time in the history of
    our building a nation-state". She then introduced Foreign Minister Vartan
    Oskanian to continue the welcome and opening remarks. Addressing the group,
    Minister Oskanian stated:

    "The first time I heard about the Depi Hayk program, I immediately jumped on
    the idea, committing the Foreign Ministry to help this new organization in
    any way necessary. This is the first step in really increasing the number
    of diasporan youth who can experience the Homeland, and I am confident that
    it will continue to grow and expand beyond North America to include young
    people and groups from all over the world. This will enable young adults to
    see Armenia, in all its beauty, to see its progress, to understand the good
    and the bad, to take in everything that Armenia is at this moment.

    The message I want to leave you with today is the following: please don't
    take what you see in Armenia today for granted. It took us a great deal to
    build this and to keep this. We've come a long way since the early days of
    independence. A long, long way. Our main source of pride should be this
    Armenia. Believe in Armenia. Be committed to it. When you get back home,
    stay involved, join efforts with others, influence your governments, and
    become more engaged. Yes, there are many differences between the Diaspora
    and the Homeland, as a result of many things like history and geography. The
    result is different upbringing and different thought processes. We can
    certainly bridge these gaps, and one of the best ways to do so is through
    the younger generations. One of the most effective ways to do so is through
    interaction among youth here on Armenian soil, so we can reach our goal and
    say we are one nation, comprised of two entities, the Diaspora and the
    Homeland. The two together through joint efforts will make Armenia the
    place we will all be proud of."


    The Gateway 2004 celebration took place at the spacious art showroom of the
    Armenian Center for Contemporary Experimental Art - graciously offered to
    Birthright Armenia by co-Founder Edward Balassanian. Live international
    music was provided by Arsen Nercessian, a local musician with a
    Latino/Calypso touch.

    It is foreseen that "Gateway" celebrations will be an annual affair, to
    capture the energy and spirit of Birthright Armenia/Depi Hayk efforts at the
    peak of the summer programs, and to continually serve as a networking and
    relationship building event for Armenian youth worldwide.



    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. This is accomplished by supporting and complementing the
    initiatives of existing diasporan organizations that offer youth programs in
    Armenia, and encouraging them to expand their offerings in depth and breath.
    Birthright Armenia assists with travel fellowships, language instruction,
    in-country seminars, orientation and excursions in exchange for community
    service in Armenia. Please visit our Web site at www.birthrightarmenia.org
    for more information.

    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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