ARS Youth Connect Program
Armenian Relief Society Eastern United States
80 Bigelow Ave, Suite 200
Watertown, MA 02472
Tel. (617) 926-3801
Fax (617) 924-7238
PRESS RELEASE
May 29, 2008
Contact: Vartouhie Chiloyan
(617) 926-3801
[email protected]
Armenian Relief Society to Kick Off New Summer Youth Program
Watertown MA – From June 8 to 15 youth from the Eastern United States will
gather at Bentley College in Waltham, MA for the Armenian Relief Society
(ARS) Youth Connect Program featuring various presentations, workshops, and
activities.
Organized by the ARS Eastern United States the Youth Connect Program has
attracted various community leaders who will be on hand to lecture to the
youth. The ARS has also extended the invitation to the community at large to
attend these presentations. "This is definitely an excellent way for
college-aged Armenians to come together and share ideas about what they
envision as being important for them," stated Dr. Asbed Kotchikian, director
of the ARS Youth Connect Program, "furthermore the program is aimed at
creating a lifelong and binding networks for Armenian students to not only
help each other advance their academic and professional careers but also to
try to give something back to their communicate and to Armenia."
Below is a schedule of presentations to take place, along with a brief
biography of each lecturer. For more information contact a local ARS chapter
or the ARS office in Watertown.
The Armenian Relief Society (ARS) was established in 1910 in New York City
to provide educational and humanitarian assistance to Armenians throughout
the world. Today, the ARS, Inc. has regions and chapters-at-large all over
the world.
*Tuesday, June 10*
* *
Speaker: Dr. Henry Theriault & Mr. Khatchig Mouradian
Topic: Turkish-Armenian relations
Location: TBD
Time: 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
*Dr. Henry Theriault* is associate professor of philosophy at Worcester
State College, where he has taught since 1998.His research focuses on
genocide and human rights, with particular emphasis on genocide denial and
its epistemological dimensions, the long term impact of genocide and other
mass violence, their ethical and political implications, and mass violence
against women. His teaching includes courses on genocide and human rights,
mass violence against women, the Armenian Genocide, ethics, political
philosophy, the philosophy of history, and
gender/sexuality/race/class/nation.
*Khatchig Mouradian* is a journalist, writer and translator. He was an
editor of the Lebanese-Armenian Aztag Daily from 2000 to 2007, when he moved
to Boston and became the editor of the Armenian Weekly.
His articles, interviews and poems have appeared in many publications
worldwide. Many of his writings have been translated into more than 10
languages. He contributes regularly to a number of U.S. and European
publications.
He has lectured extensively and participated in conferences in Armenia,
Turkey, Cyprus, Lebanon, Syria, Austria, Switzerland, Norway and the U.S. He
has presented papers on genocide and the media at several academic
conferences such as the 5th and 6th Workshops on Armenian-Turkish
Scholarship, held at NYU in 2006 and at the Graduate Institute in Geneva in
2008. He is a member of the International Association of Genocide Scholars
(IAGS).
*Wednesday, June 11*
Speaker: Tamar Palandjian
Topic: "Hima" or Later? Youth Activism in Armenia
Location: Watertown Public Library
Time: 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
*Tamar Palandjian* works at Mercy Corps, a non-profit international
development organization with programs in over 35 countries throughout the
world. Based in the Cambridge office, she is responsible for supporting the
development and implementation of conflict management training programs both
locally and overseas. Prior to joining Mercy Corps, Tamar was a Fulbright
Scholar to Armenia (2005-06) where she conducted research on youth
involvement and participation in capacity building activities in the NGO
sector. Upon completing her year of research, she was hired as a Youth
Program Coordinator at the Civil Society Institute NGO where she continued
to work with Armenian youth. She received her bachelor’s degree in
Political Science from Wheaton College in Norton, MA. Born and raised in
Rhode Island, Tamar has been an active member of the Providence Armenian
community until moving to Boston where she recently became involved with the
Armenian community ever since. She has also recently joined as a Board
member of Aquatics Armenia, a newly established non-profit which seeks to
implement community development projects of building swimming pools
throughout the country.
*Thursday, June 12*
* *
Speaker: Dr. Dikran M Kaligian
Topic: History of the Armenian American Community
Location: St. Stephen’s Church Hall
Time: 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
*Dr. Dikran M Kaligian *has been Visiting Professor of Armenian Genocide
Studies at Clark University and has also taught at Westfield State and
Wheaton Colleges. He is the chairman of the Armenian National
Committee-Eastern US and Associate Editor of the Armenian Review. He
received his doctorate in history from Boston College. He is the author of
Armenian Organization and Ideology under Ottoman Rule: 1908-1914, which will
be published by Transaction Publishers this summer.**
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