FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Linda Yepoyan
Phone: 610-642-6633
[email protected]
May 31, 2005
BIRTHRIGHT ARMENIA MORE THAN DOUBLES ITS CAPACITY IN 2005
Riding on the success of last year's pilot season, Birthright Armenia/Depi
Hayk is ready for a large influx of young summer volunteers, who have
already begun to arrive in Armenia, ready for their journey of
self-discovery. Already in 2005, 10 volunteers have participated in the
program and 80 more have already signed on for this summer's two month
program. The summer volunteers are just weeks away from what will be the
peak season for young diasporans doing rewarding community service and
experiencing the Homeland firsthand. Birthright Armenia will be prepared for
them, with an exciting line-up of educational support services, including
weekly guided excursions, Armenian language classes, a two-track forum
series and more.
This summer's group has a true international flavor, as Birthright Armenia's
18-32 year-old participants will be coming from ten different countries
including: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Great Britain,
Lebanon, Spain, and the United States. They will be doing a minimum of two
months of valuable volunteer service in various sectors of Armenia under the
auspices of a variety of youth programs being implemented by 17 different
diasporan and local NGO organizations. Participating organizations include:
AAA, ACYOA, Armenian Center for Contemporary Experimental Art, Armenian
Medical Association (AMA), Armenia Tree Project (ATP), Armenian Volunteer
Corp (AVC), AYF, Christian Youth Mission to Armenia (CYMA), Diaspora-Armenia
Connexion (DAC), FAR, Glendale Community College Study Abroad Program,
International Center for Human Development, Land and Culture Organization
(LCO), Mental Health Foundation, Mission Armenia, NY-ASA, and Young Lawyers
Union.
The natural gravitation to the Homeland is what will bring all these
volunteers from different backgrounds together. What will unify them once in
country will be the supplemental program services of Birthright Armenia,
which will run throughout the summer. Weekly "havaks", a two-track
educational forum series with invited subject matter experts, Armenian
language instruction for those who do not know Armenian, and weekly
excursions to every region of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabagh will allow for
relationship building within organizations, as well as with many local
counterparts.
To further the cultural immersion experience, over a third of the
participants will be taking Eastern Armenian language instruction to acquire
basic language proficiency during their eight week stay. Another third are
opting to live with local host families, which will also help them
strengthen their language skills and allow them to see close-up how a
typical Armenian family lives in Yerevan.
For those interested in learning more about Birthright Armenia, please visit
www.birthrightarmenia.org or email [email protected] for more
information. Please be sure to bookmark the Web site address and check back
regularly this summer to read all about the adventures and life-changing
experiences the Birthright Armenia/Depi Hayk volunteers will have this
summer via the posted Travelogue and Photo Gallery sections.
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