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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 23, 2004
Contact: Linda Yepoyan
Phone: 610-642-6633
[email protected]
BIRTHRIGHT ARMENIA ALUMNI PROGRAM CREATED
This past summer 40 diasporan volunteers representing the ACYOA,
Armenian Assembly of America, Armenian Medical Association, Armenian
Students' Association-NY, Armenian Volunteer Corps, Armenian
Youth Federation and the Land & Culture Organization, experienced
unforgettable journeys of self-discovery to Armenia. Having benefited
from their host organizations' leadership, meaningful job placements
and program activities, each had a further advantage of gaining a
deeper and broader understanding of the language, the country and
its people as participants of Birthright Armenia/Depi Hayk.
Birthright Armenia launched its pilot summer in the homeland this
year, by offering quality support services of in-country orientation,
Armenian language instruction, and weekly forums, excursions and
"havak" tie-in meetings for all 40 volunteers. "Each diasporan
volunteer talked about what motivating factors played into their
decision to visit Armenia, and those are different for each person,"
says Linda Yepoyan, the non-profit's executive director. "There is
something that awakens within them when they get to Armenia-call it
their Armenian soul-and you can literally see the transformation taking
place every single day toward more ethnically aware and energized
individuals getting more and more physically and emotionally connected
to the land."
One of the key indicators of Birthright Armenia's success will be
the cumulative effect of sponsoring hundreds and then thousands of
young diasporans from around the world to volunteer, study, and live
in the homeland. The multiplier effect of having thousands in Armenia
and around the globe who are maintaining connections with their work
colleagues, homestay family members and other local counterparts is
bound to be significant. Keeping the ignited fire alive within each
young person who has been to Armenia is critical as the exposure
to assimilation is such a reality. Birthright Armenia realizes that
the challenge of doing so is tremendous, as the potential for young
students to return to their cities, universities, circle of friends
and to recommence with their lives as usual is high. Therefore,
Birthright Armenia has created an alumni program that can help keep the
volunteers of all the sponsored organizations active in things Armenia.
The organization is committed to putting human and financial resources
into ensuring that the veterans of this wonderful homeland experience
are not lost, rather they are motivated to remain engaged until such
time as they are ready to become community leaders themselves.
"Although we are focused on getting large numbers of youth to Armenia
so our impact will be strongly felt, having a significant diasporan
volunteer and student presence there is really just one piece of
the puzzle", says Edele Hovnanian, founder of Birthright Armenia.
"To truly do this right, the post-program involvement piece needs
to be just as strong", she continues. "In order for participants to
receive their travel fellowship reimbursement equivalent to their
roundtrip airfare, one of the most important requirements for them
to provide is a one to two page continuing involvement proposal in
which each volunteer explains how they propose to maintain a personal
connection with the homeland and what they commit to do back home in
the Diaspora to help inspire others to get engaged. We have 40 such
proposals from the 2004 summer volunteers and intend to contact them
now, three months after their return from Armenia, to see where they
are on making good on their intentions."
As another part of the alumni program, the organization custom built
a bulletin board that makes communicating and sharing of photographs
amongst the alumni as simple as a click of a button. The board is
posted to the Volunteers & Alumni section of Birthright Armenia's web
site and is password protected to allow the volunteer alumni privacy
in sharing their common experiences and sentiments.
Updated weekly on the site is also the "Get Involved" section, which
is information tailored to list interesting volunteer opportunities
and community events scheduled to take place around the world. This
makes it easy for alumni to read about what is taking place in their
hometown on a weekly basis and to participate in the activities that
interest them the most.
For those interested in learning more about Birthright Armenia, please
visit www.birthrightarmenia.org or email: [email protected].
# # #
November 23, 2004
Contact: Linda Yepoyan
Phone: 610-642-6633
[email protected]
BIRTHRIGHT ARMENIA ALUMNI PROGRAM CREATED
This past summer 40 diasporan volunteers representing the ACYOA,
Armenian Assembly of America, Armenian Medical Association, Armenian
Students' Association-NY, Armenian Volunteer Corps, Armenian
Youth Federation and the Land & Culture Organization, experienced
unforgettable journeys of self-discovery to Armenia. Having benefited
from their host organizations' leadership, meaningful job placements
and program activities, each had a further advantage of gaining a
deeper and broader understanding of the language, the country and
its people as participants of Birthright Armenia/Depi Hayk.
Birthright Armenia launched its pilot summer in the homeland this
year, by offering quality support services of in-country orientation,
Armenian language instruction, and weekly forums, excursions and
"havak" tie-in meetings for all 40 volunteers. "Each diasporan
volunteer talked about what motivating factors played into their
decision to visit Armenia, and those are different for each person,"
says Linda Yepoyan, the non-profit's executive director. "There is
something that awakens within them when they get to Armenia-call it
their Armenian soul-and you can literally see the transformation taking
place every single day toward more ethnically aware and energized
individuals getting more and more physically and emotionally connected
to the land."
One of the key indicators of Birthright Armenia's success will be
the cumulative effect of sponsoring hundreds and then thousands of
young diasporans from around the world to volunteer, study, and live
in the homeland. The multiplier effect of having thousands in Armenia
and around the globe who are maintaining connections with their work
colleagues, homestay family members and other local counterparts is
bound to be significant. Keeping the ignited fire alive within each
young person who has been to Armenia is critical as the exposure
to assimilation is such a reality. Birthright Armenia realizes that
the challenge of doing so is tremendous, as the potential for young
students to return to their cities, universities, circle of friends
and to recommence with their lives as usual is high. Therefore,
Birthright Armenia has created an alumni program that can help keep the
volunteers of all the sponsored organizations active in things Armenia.
The organization is committed to putting human and financial resources
into ensuring that the veterans of this wonderful homeland experience
are not lost, rather they are motivated to remain engaged until such
time as they are ready to become community leaders themselves.
"Although we are focused on getting large numbers of youth to Armenia
so our impact will be strongly felt, having a significant diasporan
volunteer and student presence there is really just one piece of
the puzzle", says Edele Hovnanian, founder of Birthright Armenia.
"To truly do this right, the post-program involvement piece needs
to be just as strong", she continues. "In order for participants to
receive their travel fellowship reimbursement equivalent to their
roundtrip airfare, one of the most important requirements for them
to provide is a one to two page continuing involvement proposal in
which each volunteer explains how they propose to maintain a personal
connection with the homeland and what they commit to do back home in
the Diaspora to help inspire others to get engaged. We have 40 such
proposals from the 2004 summer volunteers and intend to contact them
now, three months after their return from Armenia, to see where they
are on making good on their intentions."
As another part of the alumni program, the organization custom built
a bulletin board that makes communicating and sharing of photographs
amongst the alumni as simple as a click of a button. The board is
posted to the Volunteers & Alumni section of Birthright Armenia's web
site and is password protected to allow the volunteer alumni privacy
in sharing their common experiences and sentiments.
Updated weekly on the site is also the "Get Involved" section, which
is information tailored to list interesting volunteer opportunities
and community events scheduled to take place around the world. This
makes it easy for alumni to read about what is taking place in their
hometown on a weekly basis and to participate in the activities that
interest them the most.
For those interested in learning more about Birthright Armenia, please
visit www.birthrightarmenia.org or email: [email protected].
# # #