Category: 2019

GLENDALE—Armenian-Israeli author and theater director from New York, Michael Barakiva, will be in town to present his new book, “Hold My Hand,” a sequel to the story of a young gay Armenian. Barakiva will be introduced by performer Lousine Shamamian. The presentation will be held on Tuesday, October 8 at 7:30 p.m. at Abril Bookstore, located at 415 E. Broadway, Glendale, CA 91205. The event is co-sponsored by the Gay and Lesbian Armenian Society of Los Angeles. Admission is free with reception to follow.

“Hold My Hand” is the stand-alone sequel to “One Man Guy.” With their six-month anniversary coming up, Alek and Ethan want to do something special to celebrate. Like, really special. Like, the most special thing two people in love can do with one another. But, Alek’s not sure he’s ready for that. He then learns something about Ethan that may not just change their relationship, but end it. Although Alek can’t bear the thought of finding out who he’d be post-Ethan, he also can’t just forgive and forget what Ethan did. Luckily, his best friend Becky and a madcap Armenian family are there to help him figure out whether it’s time to just let Ethan go, or reach out and hold his hand.

Michael Barakiva is an Armenian/Israeli-American writer and theatre director who splits his time between New York City and Ithaca, NY where he serves as Artistic Director of the Hangar Theatre. His first novel, “One Man Guy,” was named to the Rainbow Project Booklist and spent over one year as the #1 LGBTQ YA book on Goodreads. He is an alum of Vassar College and the Juilliard School, and the recipient of a Drama League Director Fellowship, the David Merrick Prize in Drama, the Phil Killian Directing Fellowship, and the Most Improved Player in 2013 for the New York Ramblers, the world’s first openly queer soccer team. He is also the founding Artistic Director of The Upstart Creatures.

For more information, call 818.243.4112.

LOS ANGELES—Over 45 volunteers participated in the Homenetmen “Hrashq’s” 2nd Coaches’ Training Seminar. The session took place on Sunday, September 15, at the Homenetmen Western Region’s Kevork Andonian Hall.

Following breakfast and registration, Homenetmen “Hrashq” member Nanor Kabakian gave an overview of the program since its inception in 2018, as well as an update on where Homenetmen “Hrashq” is headed for the 2019 to 2020 season. Kabakian reported that there are currently about 45 athletes enrolled, and emphasized how the program has evolved since its athletic director Dave Beard assumed his position in May – thanks to his vast experience in the field. She added that, this year, the program will focus on incorporating inclusion by having middle school and high school volunteers participate in the practices, alongside their special needs peers.

The Kaham game competitions will also follow the inclusion model by allowing a few of the “Hrashq” athletes to compete with their neurotypical peers from Armenian schools, as well as by holding the “Hrashq” competition event at the same time as the other Armenian schools.

Pierre Manoukian, a past Homenetmen Western Region’s Executive Committee member, gave a brief overview of Homenetmen’s Goals and Mission.

Subsequently, Coach Beard gave an informative presentation on how to best support Special Needs athletes’ during practices. He highlighted Homenetmen “Hrashq’s” Mission, reviewed the characteristics of individuals with various diagnoses including autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, and others. He both described and demonstrated the specific skills he plans to teach the athletes this year in basketball, soccer, and track & field.

Coach Beard introduced a skills assessment protocol, which will be used to track each athlete’s progress during the season. His presentation included a simulation of the challenges athletes with various disabilities face, including those with gross motor challenges and vision impairment. Volunteers had the opportunity to experience these challenges by being blindfolded, having their arms or legs tied, and then being asked to complete certain tasks.

Following this segment, six Homenetmen “Hrashq” athletes joined the seminar and participated in the hands on training portion of the program, to teach the attendees the skills assessment protocol. The program concluded by reviewing the results of the skills assessments.

Prospective volunteers or athletes may contact the Homenetmen Western Region’s office by calling 323.344.4300 or by emailing Nanor Kabakian at [email protected].

GLENDALE—A star-studded panel featuring the community’s brightest women in media, followed by a live performance by Bei Ru, will kick off this year’s ANCA-WR Grassroots Conference, the signature gathering of experts in law, politics, media, and advocacy that takes place biennially and is organized by the Armenian National Committee – Western Region. The conference will take place on October 18 and 19 at the Pasadena Convention Center at 300 E. Green St., Pasadena, CA 91101.

The Armenian Women in Media panel will feature Sona Movsesian from Conan, Araksya Karapetyan from KTTV Fox 11’s Good Day L.A., Anna Kachikyan from The Armenian Report, Ella Sogomonian from KRON ON, and Ellina Abovian from KTLA 5 News.

For more information and to secure seats, please visit the website.

“Over the years, this conference has established itself as the premier venue to discuss some of the most urgent and important matters for our community,” remarked 2019 ANCA-WR Grassroots Conference Organizing Committee Chair Nyree Tognozzi. “We look forward to building on that legacy as we gear up for the highly-anticipated 5th ANCA-WR Grassroots Conference.”

“As in the past, we expect this year’s Grassroots Conference to attract hundreds of participants,” remarked ANCA-WR Board Member and organizing committee liaison Ayk Dikijian, Esq. “The organizing committee has been hard at work for months undertaking the necessary preparations to bring some of the brightest minds together to share their knowledge and expertise with our community, ensuring the success of this event.”

The media is an essential tool to promote and advance important issues and can be a challenge to navigate when it comes to issues important to the Armenian community. This panel will discuss various media opportunities, as well as the factors and considerations that go into media content. Each panelist will bring her unique experience and knowledge to educate the conference on the dynamics of today’s media in the United States and abroad.

The panel will take place on Friday, October 18 at 7:30 p.m. at the Pasadena Convention Center, and will be followed by the ANCA-PN welcome cocktail reception and live performance by acclaimed artist, Bei Ru.

The two-day conference will continue the following morning, Saturday, October 19, at the same location, and include a live performance by the Element Band, compelling panels covering Civic Engagement, Artsakh and Activism, Turkey, Homeland and the Diaspora. Lunch is included for all registered attendees.

The Armenian National Committee – Western Region is a grassroots public affairs organization devoted to advancing issues of concern to the Armenian American community.

It’s that time of year again. Schools have begun a new academic year and welcomed students from all walks of life. Some have all the necessary supplies, while others are less fortunate and struggle to meet the bare minimum standard. There are even those who regrettably don’t have any school supplies at all. This is especially true for some elementary, middle, and high school students in the small towns and villages of Armenia, Artsakh, and Javakhk. This condition is not publicly evident, most notably due to the pride and self-respect of the parents of less fortunate students. However, a chance encounter during a memorable trip to the Ararat region of Armenia triggered multiple successful initiatives to help ameliorate the situation.

This is a story of how, in 2007, a family’s visit to a newly renovated school in Orgov village initiated the Armenian Educational Foundation’s School Supply Project. To date, 18,000 students have received basic supplies including backpacks, calculators, notebooks, pencils, sharpeners, erasers, colored pencils, and coloring books. This year alone, 300 students in Javakhk and 340 more in Artsakh have already received school supplies to begin the new school year.

When Ara and Lily Savadian along with their family visited the Orgov school, students dressed in their Sunday best greeted them with wildflower bouquets. Being unaware of the challenges of village life, the Savadians were taken aback by the sight of students sitting at their desks with hardly any supplies in classrooms with bare walls. The decorative stickers they had brought to share with the children were not enough to address the issues these students were facing. Regardless, the Savadians were overwhelmed by the resilient spirit of students who exhibited a fierce drive and determination to learn. In some cases, families with more than one child sent each of their kids to school on alternate days, because they only had one pair of shoes that had to be shared in the family.

Upon returning from the trip, the Savadian family committed to helping in any way they could. Collection boxes were placed in AGBU’s Manoogian-Demirdjian School in Canoga Park to collect supplies and classroom decorations. The boxes were then sent to the school in Orgov and letters of gratitude came pouring in. To expand the program and involve other volunteer sponsors, Lily Savadian proposed to Vahe Hacopian – AEF president at the time – to make the project an integral part of the foundation’s annual program and budget.

The School Supply Project is focused on smaller, remote schools that require the most assistance. Due to recent restrictive custom regulations, rather than collecting supplies, new ones are bought in the United States and sent to Armenia and Artsakh. As for Javakhk, the supplies are bought in Georgia from Armenian merchants. Many young volunteers from the U.S., as well as Armenia, Artsakh and Javakhk, assist in acquiring the supplies, filling the backpacks, boxing, shipping, and distributing the supplies to the students.

This year, university students helped distribute the supplies in Javakhk. Armenuhi Shirinyan, an AEF scholarship recipient studying in Tbilisi University who was raised in Javakhk, described the event:

“When we were giving the school supplies to the children, I was particularly impressed by a 14 to 15-year-old girl with blue eyes, who was not only intelligent but also had a brilliant mind. It feels as if the _expression_ of her face has been tattooed on my heart. She said ‘When anyone cares about us, our hearts fill with gratitude. We must study as hard as we can because it is a great responsibility being part of this kind and caring organization.’”

Anahit Yazyan, another AEF scholarship recipient, who volunteered in the distribution wrote:

“I am very proud that our nation has such worthy people as benefactors. Not only do they help university students, but also school children in need. On August 9, they helped school children in three villages of Ninotsminda. You should have seen the smiles on the faces of the school children as they received their supplies for the new school year. Their parents blessed both the benefactors and us for their presence.”

For these two volunteers, it was like looking into a mirror of their childhood – they saw themselves in the students they were helping. They reminisced their first day of school, with an unsharpened pencil in their pencil pouch and a fresh, crisp notebook on their desk, eagerly waiting for the chance to use them both.

Even at a young age, students understand the impact of new school supplies. Not only does it give them the tools they need to excel, but it also cascades to their self-esteem knowing others are advocating for their success.

Pencils, markers, notebooks, paper – these supplies are all meant to help students excel. Students need to focus on learning, instead of worrying about having enough pencils to write the next great novel or compose the next symphony.

We’re here to help. Until students no longer have the need, the School Supply Project is dedicated to helping those who need it most. For further inquiries regarding the School Supply Project and other gratifying Armenian Education Foundation projects, please contact the AEF office at 818.242.4154.

BY TONY PIERRE KEUSSEYAN

This November, the American Armenian Circle of Artists invites you to savor both Armenian and International Music with Nora Roumian Bairamian and the dedicated Meghety Ladies Chamber Choir. After almost two years of hard work, the notes and compositions are ready, and the voices are ripe to be heard!

Original songs are especially arranged for the choir by our music director, Nora. You are invited to come and fill your senses with a unique listening and pleasurable experience. Beginning with the first note played on the piano, you will immediately feel Nora’s talent, dedication, and passion for music.

For over 40 years, Nora Roumian Bairamian has worked diligently, dedicating her life to the love of music. If she could help a child discover a liking, or even sense the slightest passion for music in their life – Nora has always made sure to pursue these seeds of talent, because, for her, music has always been, above all, wonderful.

It is with the same spirit and commitment that we, at the AACA, have embarked on a mission to help discover, pursue, and enhance American Armenian talent in all its shapes and forms. After all, Armenia may very well be one of the leading countries in the world, where you can find more talent per square meter than anywhere else in the world. Our destiny may have robbed us of many things, but it could not take our music, talent, and laughter away!

The AACA is working hard to elevate Armenian art and talent so that it can be appreciated and compensated fairly by all. For this reason, we had our very first fundraising event, where we introduced two talented Armenian artists and their amazing works of art and performance. This successful fundraising event was a stepping stone for elevating and promoting future Armenian artists. As for the past Christmas Season, we organized another lavish sit-down dinner at the Chevy Chase Country Club where the Meghety Chamber Choir performed beautifully, alongside talented solo singers, and presentations of special artwork from three different artists.

Where are we going tomorrow? Well, we have you in mind, and we are looking to have a circle of sponsors and ambassadors to help us keep this unique dream alive. We understand that in order to achieve anything, we first need faith and belief in ourselves. Vision, hard work, determination, and dedication must also join our endeavor, hand in hand. Please remember that all things are possible, and the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. In the end, it is not about where our dreams will take us, but where we will take our dreams!

The performance will take place on Sunday, November 3 at 5 p.m. at the Janet and Ray Scherr Forum Theatre, located at 2100 E. Thousand Oaks. Blvd., Thousand Oaks, CA 91362. For tickets, contact Anahid at 818.368.4005.

Tony Pierre Keusseyan is Chairman of the American Armenian Circle of Artists.

http://asbarez.com/186277/american-armenian-circle-of-artists-to-present-a-piano-19-voices/?fbclid=IwAR3oI_bhs-5GKn4IW7eZwTRKyD5qe2L3GZ5-z4dCV6mO5–VbAecQDLr0To

President Hassan Rouhani of Iran arrived in Yerevan on Monday and was welcomed at Zvartnots Airport by Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan.

He is in Armenia to attend the Eurasian Economic Council’s summit, scheduled to kick off on Tuesday. Iran was invited to become an observer state to the EEU.

Rouhani joins Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong and Moldova’s President Igor Dodon as EEU observers.

As the chairing country of the EEU, the annual summit is being hosted by Armenia.

President Vladimir Putin of Russia, who is also scheduled to arrive in Armenia for the EEU summit will hold separate meetings with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and President Rouhani in Yerevan on October 1 on the sidelines of the Eurasian Economic Union summit, the Kremlin said.

“Putin’s negotiations with Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan and Iranian President Rouhani will take place on the margins of the event,” the Kremlin said in a press statement.