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AGBU YP Go Green by Uniting Worldwide to Build Park in Khachik, ROA

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  • AGBU YP Go Green by Uniting Worldwide to Build Park in Khachik, ROA

    AGBU Press Office
    55 East 59th Street
    New York, NY 10022-1112
    Phone: 212.319.6383, x118
    Fax: 212.319.6507
    Email: [email protected]
    Website: www.agbu.org

    PRESS RELEASE

    Thursday, January 20, 2011

    AGBU Young Professionals Go Green by Uniting Worldwide to Build a Park
    in Khachik, Armenia

    Development Initiatives Underway to Transform Khachik Village Into
    Income-Generating Tourist Destination

    After 18 months of preparation and planning, the AGBU Young
    Professionals (YP) Network recently completed the development and
    implementation of its first pan-YP project to build a park in the
    rural village of Khachik, Armenia. Flexing their global muscle for the
    very first time, ten YP Groups and YP Partner organizations from four
    continents participated, including YP Buenos Aires, YP Brazil, YP
    Greater New York, YP Los Angeles, YP Marseille, YP Northern
    California, YP Philadelphia, YP Toronto, YP Yerevan, and HAIK in
    Frankfurt, Germany, in cooperation with the Center for Agribusiness
    and Rural Development (CARD).

    With international cooperation as a main priority, the project was
    initiated in July 2009 during the AGBU Young Professionals Biennial
    Assembly held in Chicago over AGBU FOCUS weekend. Worldwide YP
    representatives concluded that the time had come to pool their
    resources as a cohesive whole for Armenia. Breaking new ground, the
    AGBU Young Professionals decided to launch an environmental project
    which would be conceived, funded, and developed entirely by them. As a
    result of this initiative, the new park will now provide a green space
    of beauty and relaxation for the 300 families of Khachik to enjoy; the
    park is expected to also help attract visitors and tourists, thus
    providing a future source of income for residents.

    With the funds raised by the YP Groups in the diaspora and project
    implementation in Khachik overseen by YP Yerevan, this unified effort
    by the YP Network sets an exemplary model that cooperation reaps
    results to create a more positive future for the people of
    Armenia. Throughout 2010, several groups organized benefit events
    dedicated specifically to the project, including YP Northern
    California's signature Winter Gala (www.agbusfgala.org), YP Los
    Angeles' St. Patrick's Day Mixer, YP Toronto's Noir & Blanche Soirée,
    YP Marseille's Bio Fair, and HAIK's Classical Summer Concert.

    Imparting the enthusiasm of YP Marseille's role in the project,
    Chairwoman Maral Hékimian expressed, "As a member of an international
    network, getting involved with the pan-YP project was one of YP
    Marseille's main goals. We really wanted to organize a benefit event
    which was in the same spirit as the project in Khachik. As such, we
    organized our first Bio Fair & Conference in May 2010, which promoted
    fair trade and sustainable development. We are very happy to see that,
    today, thanks to our joint efforts, we have managed to develop this
    park that many families can enjoy and which will allow residents to
    stay in their village."

    Development of Khachik

    Situated on a high plateau on the Azerbaijani border, Khachik is a
    rural village of 300 families in the Vayots Dzor region of Armenia,
    located 20 kilometers from the town of Areni and approximately 2.5
    hours from Yerevan. The villagers' principal income is derived from
    the sale of their produce to intermediaries, who then resell the goods
    in the Yerevan markets at three times the price.

    In addition to the new park, there have been other development
    initiatives underway in Khachik recently. Providing its residents
    much-needed exposure and a connection to the outside world, YP
    Yerevan, in cooperation with CARD, built an Information Center in
    Khachik's village hall in April 2010, furnishing it with computers and
    Internet access. Less than a kilometer outside Khachik, a 9th-century
    church is also being renovated by the Ministry of Culture and UNESCO.

    In tandem with the other development initiatives, the hope is that the
    creation of the park will help improve the village's economic
    viability and sustainability, as Khachik is viewed as a future
    income-generating tourist destination. The park will serve as a venue
    for agricultural festivals, fairs, and events to attract churchgoers,
    visitors, and tourists, where the villagers can sell their local
    produce without intermediaries, thus providing a direct source of
    income. In addition, these initiatives will help contribute towards
    ensuring the survival and sovereignty of the village's borders,
    improving the overall welfare of its residents, and providing an
    incentive for its young people to remain in Khachik rather than move
    to Yerevan or emigrate.

    Khachik Park

    Between the 9th-century church and the village, there existed a large
    abandoned area with a water source and sparse trees. YP Yerevan, CARD,
    villagers, and workers transformed this desolate area into a green
    haven for the young and old by planting trees, installing wooden
    tables and benches, and constructing an open-air kitchen. In April
    2010, YP Yerevan broke ground for Khachik's new park, planting
    seedlings donated by the Republic of Armenia Nature Protection
    Ministry. The opening ceremony took place in October 2010.

    Thanks to the goodwill and efforts of the AGBU Young Professionals,
    the new park provides an environment that its 1,000 residents can be
    proud of, where parents can visit with their children for recreational
    activities, and where the youth can gather and feel that they have an
    area to call their own. "I would like to thank all AGBU YPs and every
    person who participated in implementing this project for Khachik,"
    said YP Yerevan Vice Chairwoman Anna Karapetyan. "Thanks to your
    efforts and fundraising, we together accomplished this great project
    for the youth and adults of Khachik village."

    The development of the new park will have an important impact on the
    way the residents view their village, helping to modify their
    attitudes and become more environmentally conscious. The youth of the
    village have been tasked with maintaining the park and, to this end,
    two workshops have been delivered to the residents on maintenance of
    the area and environmental awareness and responsibility. Future
    development of the park is also expected. For more information,
    pictures, and news coverage about the project, please visit
    www.agbu.org/ypsgogreen.

    Established in 1906, AGBU (www.agbu.org) is the world's largest
    non-profit Armenian organization. Headquartered in New York City, AGBU
    preserves and promotes the Armenian identity and heritage through
    educational, cultural and humanitarian program, annually touching the
    lives of some 400,000 Armenians around the world.

    For more information about AGBU and its worldwide programs, please
    visit www.agbu.org.




    From: A. Papazian
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