PRESS RELEASE
Date: July 10, 2011
Contact: Linda Yepoyan
Email: [email protected]
BIRTHRIGHT ARMENIA: SUPPORTING THE FOLLOW-ON EXPERIENCE IN ARMENIA
When designing the concept of Birthright Armenia from scratch in 2003, there
was great excitement of starting something so new and unique, and being able
to push ideas across traditional diasporan community lines. Utilizing the
total freedom it had to think outside the box, Birthright Armenia gave birth
to the concept of sponsorship of youth to Armenia for immersion-style
professional internships and study abroad programs. It launched with
aspirations to make it more commonplace for youth from all over the world to
be living and working toward a common good, side-by-side with their peers in
the Republic of Armenia.
Now almost eight years later, it is exciting to see how the Birthright
Armenia concept is taking hold. The non-profit organization continues to
expand services to larger numbers of participants, as it reaches deeper and
wider into unknown pockets of Armenian communities of youth across the
globe, all the while growing its existing alumni base. Most refreshing of
all are the results taking shape in meaningful and impactful ways, that are
actually seen and felt, propelling the organization that much closer to one
of its longer-term goals, namely mental repatriation.
The “R” word. Returnees.
To date, 525 young adults in the alumni association have received Birthright
Armenia sponsorship of their volunteer experience in Armenia. Eight percent
of the alumni base has already made the personal choice to return to Armenia
for a longer-term, follow-on experience. With professional and personal
connections behind them resulting from their prior internships, 40 alums to
date have made the commitment to start anew as returnees, choosing to spend
that next step of their young adult lives in Armenia.
Surely there are a variety of motivational issues that come into play when
making such a decision to move to Armenia. But to hear it directly from
them, their true passion and belief in what they are embarking on resounds
loud and clear. Most want to know how these young people are making the
transition to Armenia work.
Some Birthright alums opt to continue working unpaid in their existing job
placements, while others are lucky to be offered paid employment to continue
on. The vast majority has found a nice niche for themselves, securing
employment in their field of interest. Liliya Djaniants (USA), Nigel Sharp
(UK), Nyree Abrahamian (Canada), Gregory Bandikian (USA) are fortunate
examples of alumni who are currently working in their chosen sectors of
architecture, IT, marketing and business respectively. Bandikian, 27, the
most recent Birthright Armenia returnee, arrived in Armenia in mid-April of
this year, and within one week landed a salaried job he is thoroughly
enjoying. Bandikian comments, “I first came to volunteer in 2006. Ever
since I moved to Armenia a couple of months ago, I can see just how fast
Armenia is changing… and the important part is that it’s moving in the
right direction!”
Then there are those who have also married, and have started their own
families or have given birth to their own projects in Armenia. Mher Azezian,
Raffi Kortoshian, Cristina Manian, Jeffrey Paretchan, Gabriel Meghruni, Areg
Maghakian and Nyree Abrahamian met their spouses while doing Birthright
Armenia, and three are currently raising their children in Yerevan.
While a small number of the Birthright Armenia returnees are still
aggressively pursuing that “right” job opportunity, they sustain themselves
economically with side jobs tutoring English, other foreign languages, or
other part-time employment. The thought process is that it is easier to
find a job in Armenia if you are already “in” Armenia. Alum Zaruhi
Avetisyan, who was a paid translator living in Moscow, has been looking for
translation work. “It’s not easy to start doing the same work right away,
because you’re a new person in the market. You have to reestablish yourself
and it takes time,” she says.
There is a running list of alums by the dozens, curiously and carefully
looking on from afar, awaiting their own turn to make it back to Hayastan.
Most importantly, they have started the thought process of balancing,
reflecting and taking steps to help make their vision of living and working
in Armenia a reality. Birthright Armenia staff is eager to help them in
every practical way. Vrej Haroutounian sees it this way: “Birthright
Armenia participants are leaders, they are the youth that took the
initiative to leave their status quo, to reach out to Armenia, and to create
their realities based on their own core values. Armenia, in a way, is the
New Frontier, a place where people can squeeze their brows, lean shoulder to
shoulder with each other, and in a few years look back with pride and say
‘We did this together’.
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. For more information, or to make an online donation, please visit
our website at
www.birthrightarmenia.org
www.birthrightarmenia.org.