Marlborough Enterprise, MA
July 11 2004
Casey: Take the time to say you care
By Helen Marie Casey / Local Columnist
Sunday, July 11, 2004
Perhaps we are all like the character in the novel who laments, “I am
obsessed by the fear that there will not be time enough.” We sit by
our barbeque or under a tree and, try as we may to relax totally into
the moment at hand, we are more often than not owned by the clock or
the calendar. We are indentured.

We are antsy when we are without projects or work and we fidget
when we have no idea of what the day will hold. What we really want
to do is be in control of our time and of the future itself. What we
want is impossible. We are like the little boy who attempted to empty
the ocean bucket by bucket: our ambition outstrips our capacity. We
cannot number the days we have nor can we know what will empty itself
into our life. And this gives rise to our fundamental terrors:
disaster can as easily knock us down as not. Our imagination runs
riot with the possibilities.

We do our best to safeguard everyone dear to us but the
reminders of how little control we have are everywhere. Nightly
newscasters tell us about the toddlers who fall out of windows or off
third-story porches. News stories of the serial killer who buried his
victims in his yard stretch across the ocean right into our front
room. Wartime atrocities have become our daily fare.

Little wonder that we take fright at the smallest provocation
and see danger where there is, in fact, nothing visible. Little
wonder that we are learning to be wary. Little wonder that we are
withdrawing into ourselves when what this tired old world wants is a
little more embracing and a little less handwringing.

There are always individuals who find ways to transcend the
horrors that life presents and even to rescue meaning from its hiding
places. Fortunately for the rest of us, these individuals are often
artists and they fill the empty spaces that surround us with
language, paintings, sculptures, dance, and music.

Poet and teacher Gregory Djanikian writes of the Armenian
genocide, about which one might think nothing good could be made.
Yet, the poet uses memory, storytelling, and simple, familiar images
to remind us that so long as there is memory and language, the
destroyers do not hold the ultimate victory.

The poet-conjurer begins one of his mesmerizing poems this way:
“I can tell you it was a village/fertile and full of grain,/that the
moon grew full above it/before it darkened./I can tell you that the
figs/were abundant, their tiny seeds/were like small gems, hard/and
round in the mouth.”

As the poet continues to describe the village, the women, and
the men — all disappeared — he makes them reappear. He makes the
village idyllic and his love for his people palpable. He makes it
possible for his readers to recall that while there is much humans
cannot control, there is also much that we can control. We can refuse
to be mastered by fear or threats. We can refuse to give up on the
fundamental values and principles that define us. We can refuse to
allow anyone to write the horrors out of history lest forgetting them
— or being ignorant of them — we come to repeat them.

A little past the midpoint of his poem, Gregory Djanikian speaks
of the men of his village: “I can tell you that the men/deep in the
fields of wheat/would lie down soon/and disappear into its many
roots.”

These summer days we may be restless about any number of things
but about a few things we should have singular clarity. We need each
other is the first thing and the second is that we ought to say so
now and again. If we don’t say so, it’s always possible there won’t
be time enough.

Miami Herald , FL
July 11 2004
Playwrights up for Downstage
BY CHRISTINE DOLEN
[email protected]
The men and women clustered around a table in the cozy old Band
Cottage on the Ransom-Everglades campus are, just like the ones
meeting across the street in a cramped upstairs apartment at the
Coconut Grove Playhouse, both daring and vulnerable.
All of them are writers looking for guidance and feedback. Not
journalists, novelists, short story writers or poets but playwrights,
people who tell stories through drama and dialogue. They summon
worlds from their imaginations, invent characters to live in those
worlds, then (if they are both skilled and fortunate) begin the
collaborative process of bringing their play to life on a stage.
Developing scripts so that they’re ready for that last step is what
Downstage Miami — the program that has brought those men and women,
Miami playwrights and their mentors, together — is all about.
”Downstage Miami allows a group of people to investigate what they
have to say in an environment that can guide them, so they don’t keep
their writing in drawers,” says Leslie Ayvazian, author of Nine
Armenians, High Dive and other works, and one of the program’s mentor
playwrights.
“In these situations, you learn as much as you teach. I’m delighted
by the way their work has leapt forward, through their own discipline
and the way they have learned to critique each other. It’s kind and
generous feedback and criticism. Not harmful.”
HELPING HANDS
This protected, purposeful nurturing of South Florida playwrights and
their scripts in professionally led workshops was the brainchild of
Rem Cabrera, chief of cultural development for Miami-Dade County’s
Department of Cultural Affairs and the Downstage Miami program
administrator.
When he was studying for his master’s degree in creative writing at
Florida International University, he recalls, “I tried to write a
play and had no one to help me. Our theater community here has just
exploded over the last 10 to 15 years, and new works have to arise
from this community. There wasn’t any support structure.”
After consulting with theater folks and the leadership of the Theatre
League of South Florida, Cabrera launched the program in 2001. Former
Theatre League head Barry Steinman suggested the name Downstage
Miami; to Cabrera, it represents “the spotlight at the center edge
of the stage, like the bow of a ship. It signifies a high focus of
attention. It connotes progress and forward movement.”
And in this still-early stage in its evolution, the program seems to
be living up to its title.
Already, it has attracted some of the biggest names in play-writing
— including Pulitzer Prize winners Edward Albee (who commented, when
Cabrera shared that his dog had destroyed his copy of Who’s Afraid of
Virginia Woolf?, ”Yes, everybody’s a critic”) and Nilo Cruz, as
well as Arthur Kopit, A.R. Gurney, Eduardo Machado, María Irene
Fornés, Jeffrey Sweet and Ayvazian — as mentors.
Kopit, mentor to the 2004 writers, has found the city “a very, very
rich dramatic and cultural broth to dip into … something you don’t
have in Toledo or Buffalo or even New York. It brings in so many
conflicting sensibilities.”
Its dramatic stories, he says, “have to do with the essence of the
United States as a melting pot. With corruption, dreams, commitment
to culture and the changing of cultures. … The background of
someone who’s lived in Miami, whether they’re Latino or not, is
influenced [by that]. That’s very powerful, enriching and
stimulating.”
The past and present participating Miami playwrights, chosen in a
”blind” process in which their submitted writing samples are
considered without identifying information attached, have backgrounds
as different as their scripts — stories about foreign adoption,
young love, an incestuous affair, a lesbian couple dealing with a
troubled grown son, a daughter yearning to flee her wealthy Cuban
father’s tyranny.
Susi Westfall, for example, is a founder of City Theatre, formerly
one of its producing artistic directors and a play-writing teacher at
the New World School of the Arts. Lauren Feldman is a young actress
and playwright whose work is being performed (she’s also part of the
acting company) in City Theatre’s Summer Shorts Festival at the
Broward Center through mid-July.
Actor-dancer-playwright Ricky J. Martinez is appearing in King Lear
and A Midsummer Night’s Dream at New Theatre this summer, and there
are plans for a New York production of his Downstage Miami play, Sin
Full Heaven, in late spring of 2005.
Buck Fever, the first play by actor Juan C. Sanchez, is making it to
New York even sooner. Sanchez, who pays his bills by working as an
assistant house manager at the Coconut Grove Playhouse and whipping
up drinks in the café at Books & Books on Lincoln Road, is getting a
production of his play by the terraNOVAcollective at Manhattan’s Blue
Heron Arts Center Oct. 29-Nov. 20. Of Downstage Miami, Sanchez says
simply, “I think the program made me a playwright. Leslie [Ayvazian]
was the first person who called me a playwright. I walked into [this]
with 15 pages of a first play and 25 years of desire. It’s obviously
very important and life-affirming.”
Dancer-choreographer and New World faculty member Gerard Ebitz, who
says of his fellow writers ”I trust these people,” became a
Downstage playwright. So did Arnold Mercado, poet, playwright,
screenwriter and fencing instructor who writes in both English and
Spanish; David Caudle, whose Feet of Clay just won the Samuel French
One-Act Competition; and actor-playwright David Cirone, who has
monologues from his Downstage-developed play The Lucky Believe
included in the just-published Best Men’s Monologues of 2003 and Best
Women’s Monologues of 2003.
STAYING POWER
At first, mentor playwrights came in for one weekend each. But
Ayvazian has kept working with her group, e-mailing back and forth,
commenting on revisions, returning to Miami in late June for another
round of work with them at Ransom-Everglades. And Kopit has led all
of this year’s sessions, even arranging for a June reading of
Feldman’s Penguins on Parade at New York’s Lark Theater, where he
runs a play-writing workshop.
”It was her first full-length play, so when she was finished, she
wasn’t sure it was good. It was important that she hear it quickly,”
says Kopit, who wanted to get her some fresh reactions.
“I’m in New York, and it was convenient for me and a useful and
essential thing for her. … I could get some people whose opinions I
value to come, like [playwrights] David Ives and Jenny Lynn Bader —
people whose judgment I trust and who know what not to say. You’re
not there to tell the writer how to fix the play; there’s always
something that’s not working, and the writer is very vulnerable.”
True enough, but Feldman intends to do a significant rewrite before
her fall reading in South Florida and believes what she got at the
Lark was “tons of exquisite feedback, and the whole experience was
nothing short of extraordinary. … I never expected an opportunity
like this could exist for a young Miami playwright.”
While Kopit was in Miami in late June, Caudle got to hear his play
Visiting Ours read in that borrowed Coconut Grove Playhouse apartment
space by some of South Florida’s best actors: Pamela Roza, Angie
Radosh, Tara Vodihn, Marjorie O’Neill-Butler and Ian Hersey.
Afterwards, Kopit solicited reaction from Caudle’s fellow playwrights
and the actors, guiding the discussion, offering his own
observations, giving Caudle lots to contemplate.
And whether the playwrights are doing writing exercises, reading
their own scripts aloud, getting feedback from their mentors and
fellow playwrights, hearing actors read their scripts or opening the
work up to public readings at places like New Theatre and GableStage,
it’s all part of the Downstage Miami process, a process designed to
let Miami voices enter theater’s mainstream.
And that, says Kopit, is a great thing.
”These are all really good writers who are working on very
interesting subjects. This isn’t about getting something right so
you’ll have a hit play; it’s about the process of learning how you
write,” he says. “A good play is so idiosyncratic [that]
playwrights aren’t jealous of each other’s success. When you see a
good play, it excites you. It reminds you of why you do it.”

The Sunday Herald (Sydney)
July 11, 2004 Sunday
Hamdan marks Abraham for destruction
By ADRIAN WARREN
NADER Hamdan will adopt a “destroy or be destroyed” approach for a
fight he recognises is risky, but too good an opportunity to turn
down.
Hamdan heads to Germany next Sunday for a WBA International
middleweight title showdown on July 24 with Armenian Arthur Abraham,
who has won all 12 of his fights by KO.
Described as the “best kept secret” in European boxing, 24-year-old
Abraham has the same trainer and manager as former super-middleweight
world champions Markus Beyer and Sven Ottke, who defeated Danny Green
and Anthony Mundine respectively.
Frustrated at the lack of big fight opportunities his seven-year
professional career has generated, 30-year-old Hamdan is dropping
down a division.
Winning the vacant title would give him a top-10 ranking and move him
closer to a fight with New Zealand’s WBA champion Maselino Masoe.
“I did have reservations about going to Germany and about going back
to middleweight, but it’s a huge opportunity and I’ve always been
waiting for one to come,” Hamdan said.
“I’ve been waiting for opportunities for five or six years and I’m
not going to say no to it now that I’m here.
“It’s a big risk, but that’s what fighting is about. I’ve never said
no to a challenge.”
Not surprisingly, Hamdan is wary of fighting in Germany after Green
suffered a controversial disqualification loss and Mundine was hit
with a two-point deduction by the referee.
A chat with Green on Thursday left him in no doubt about the tactics
he would need to employ in Germany, where Abraham lives.
“Even if I give him a boxing lesson, there’s no way I’m walking away
with a points win,” he said. “I know it’s knockout or be knocked out.
“Greeny basically told me to go in there with that attitude, destroy
or be destroyed, don’t give him any respect.”
With 17 KOs in a 36-1 record, Hamdan believes the extra power he has
displayed since moving up from junior-middleweight will serve him
well.
He has acquired a video of a couple of Abraham’s fights.
“He’s got a very good left to the body and a very good right to the
head,” he said.
“Billy [Hussein] told me the guy is very tight in his defence and
very strong,” added Hamdan, who has also targeted Germany’s Danilo
Haussler as a potential opponent.
Hamdan has sparred with prominent local fighters and has a couple of
sessions scheduled this week with Mundine, whom he helped prepare for
his world title defence against Manny Siaca.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

The New York Times
July 11, 2004 Sunday
Late Edition – Final
Even Loosely Defined, Armenia Can’t Beat the Rest of the World
By Robert Byrne
In bygone days there were some wonderful team matches between the
Soviet Union and the Rest of the World. This was entirely reasonable,
because the Soviet Union so dominated the game. Recently, after a
long layoff, Armenia nominated itself as the Soviet Union’s heir.
But this team was no substitute for its brilliant predecessor. What
to do? Kasparov was dubbed Armenian because his mother is Armenian.
Peter Leko was dubbed Armenian because his wife is of Armenian
heritage. And Boris Gelfand was dubbed Armenian because he was the
most famous pupil of Armenia’s world champion, Tigran Petrosian.
That did indeed make Armenia, Friends and Relatives, a powerful team,
but in a match held in Moscow from June 10 to 15, the Rest of the
World defeated them anyway, 18 1/2-17 1/2. The winning team included
Viswanathan Anand of India, Michael Adams of England, Peter Svidler
of Russia, Loek Van Wely of the Netherlands, Etienne Bacrot of France
and Francisco Vallejo Pons of Spain.
It got off to a rollicking start when Kasparov outplayed Van Wely,
winning with a striking mating combination. Unfortunately, it was a
flawed attack that could have been averted, spoiling Kasparov’s
chances for a brilliancy prize. Good thing there weren’t any
dunce-cap awards.
The English Opening, starting with 2 c4, is as much a part of
Kasparov’s arsenal as e4 or d4. In this match, it provided his only
victory, with five draws. What that means is anybody’s guess. The
Symmetrical Variation is introduced by 2 c5, and after 3 Nc3 Nc6 4 d4
cd 5 Nd4 e6 6 a3 Nd4 7 Qd4 b6 8 Qf4 Be7 9 e4 d6, there arises a
transposition to a type of Maroczy bind (white pawns at c4 and e4
confronting a black pawn at d6). This differs from Geza Maroczy’s
original setup, in which the black e6 pawn is at e7 and the black
king bishop is fianchettoed.
In this order of moves, White plays 6 a3 to prevent his opponent from
pinning with Bb4, which would otherwise limit the effectiveness of
White’s minor pieces. It seems well worth it to spend a tempo this
way.
With 15 Bg5, Van Wely sought to exchange the dark-square bishops,
presumably to make the defense of his d6 pawn easier, but this does
not work out. Kasparov played so convincingly that maybe nothing
would have worked out. Van Wely’s 21 h5 was intended to hold up an
avalanche of white pawns on the kingside. That could not work, as
will be seen, but an alternative, 21 … Kf8, keeping the black king
away from the king’s flank, may have been worth a try.
The point of Kasparov’s 26 Nb5 Qc4 27 Nd6 Qc7 28 Qh4 was to mobilize
the white pieces for an attack. After 28 Bc6 29 g4!, the full force
of his onslaught was revealed.
After 29 Ba4 30 g5! Bd1 31 gf! Rd6 32 Rg2! g6 33 fg, Van Wely gave
up. Kasparov had miscalculated, though; two moves earlier, Van Wely
could have forced a perpetual check with 31 gf! 32 Qf6 Bf3 33 Qg5 Kf8
34 Qh6 Ke7 35 Qh4 Kf8.

Exodus Is New Chapter of Loss in Armenia’s Sad Story
By Susan B. Glasser
Washington Post Foreign Service
Monday, July 12, 2004; Page A01
SEVABERD, Armenia — First, her son left for Russia. Then a daughter. Then
her other daughter. Last fall, her remaining son, daughter-in-law and three
grandchildren moved. One by one over the last decade, they fled this village
on a barren mountain peak, abandoning the rocky earth where the family has
lived for a hundred years.
Now it is Atlas Hadjiyan’s turn.
She has sold her two cows and no longer tends the vegetable garden that is
necessary to survive the brutal winter. In September, she plans to become
yet another reluctant emigrant, leaving the independent homeland that
Armenians dreamed of for generations for the uncertain welcome of an icy
Russian city a thousand miles north. “I don’t want to leave,” she said, “but
this is no place to live.”
For this village, whose name means Black Fortress, where there is no running
water, no telephones, no paid work and, for much of the winter, no access to
the outside world, Hadjiyan’s exit will be just another quiet
disappointment.
For Armenia at large, her impending departure is the latest result of a
slow-motion crisis of confidence that has left the rugged mountain country
hemorrhaging people for nearly all of its short history of independence. No
one knows just how many have left, but even the most conservative estimates
put the total at more than 1 million Armenians and counting — with a total
remaining population of no more than 3 million and perhaps as little as 2
million.
The exodus has made Armenia one of the fastest-disappearing nations in the
world. “I call it depopulation,” said Gevorg Pogosyan, a sociologist in the
capital, Yerevan. “It calls into question whether Armenia is a country with
a future. We are a weak society, weakened both politically and economically
by this migration.”
At the time of independence in 1991, Armenia’s mere existence seemed a
triumph over a tragic history. The world’s 4 million-strong Armenian
diaspora exulted at the idea of a national homeland less than a century
after the Turks killed between 500,000 and 1.5 million Armenians.
But instead of luring home successful Armenians who had made new lives in
the West, the post-Soviet country has written new chapters of loss into an
already sad story. Damage remains from the 1988 earthquake that killed tens
of thousands.
With broad support from its public, Armenia fought and won a war with
neighboring Azerbaijan over the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in the
1990s, capturing and holding a large swath of Azeri territory. The Armenians
in the enclave supported the war. But Armenia has never concluded a peace
deal and remains under economic blockade by Azerbaijan and Turkey.
In a country with no significant natural resources, a collapsed Soviet
industrial infrastructure and an economy just now showing signs of recovery,
many Armenians had little choice but to leave. About 80 percent headed to
Russia and other parts of the former Soviet Union; the rest joined the
earlier diaspora in the United States or Western Europe.
Russian experts have calculated that $1 billion from migrants in Russia
flows home annually to support Armenian families — nearly double the
Armenian government’s entire budget. “If not for these billions, we would
have had riots and revolutions here,” Pogosyan said.
The wave of departures, which hit a high of about 200,000 a year in the
mid-1990s, has stabilized in recent years, but the cumulative effect
remains. Far more Armenians now live outside their homeland than in it. The
society that stayed has far fewer working-age men, fewer marriages, fewer
births. Women outnumber men 56 percent to 44 percent. About 1.5 million
people, or nearly half the official population, live on pensions or other
government handouts.
There’s hardly a family untouched by the shifts — from the government
official charged with stopping the migration, whose own relatives decamped
for Moscow, to the television host whose wife and two children moved to
California 11 years ago without him.
Lawyer Hrayr Tovmasyan has watched his circle of friends and family dwindle
with each passing year. From his graduate school class of four in 1998, one
lives in Paris, one in Heidelberg and one in Moscow. His wife’s siblings
have all left for Russia; his uncles are in the United States and Denmark.
“I’m the only one here,” he said.

PRESS RELEASE
BIRTHRIGHT ARMENIA
Contact: Linda Yepoyan
Email: [email protected]

July 8, 2004
BIRTHRIGHT ARMENIA KICKS OFF ITS FIRST SUMMER IN ARMENIA
Yerevan, Armenia – Young diasporans venturing out on journeys of
self-discovery are multiplying in the homeland. They are here in
Armenia to participate in a multitude of volunteer, cultural and
internship programs, representing many of the existing organizations
within our diasporan communities. In addition to their ethnicity, a
group of 40 such youth from different walks of life have one additional
thing in common with each other. They are all participants of
Birthright Armenia/Depi Hayk, a new initiative experiencing its first
year of operations in Armenia this summer.
Birthright Armenia was established to strengthen ties between diasporan
and homeland youth by creating the right conditions for young adults to
best connect with their collective past and commit themselves to our
nation’s future. This new organization is building on the initiatives
of established diasporan institutions that offer youth programs in
Armenia, to make the homeland experience all that it can be. The four
parameters that define each participant’s requirements for qualification
under the Birthright Armenia program’s acronym QUEST include: public
service, language training, leadership development, and continuing
involvement.
The 40 Birthright Armenia/Depi Hayk 2004 summer participants are
representatives of seven organizations: Armenian Christian Youth
Organization of America (ACYOA), Armenian Youth Federation (AYF),
Armenian Volunteer Corps (AVC), Armenian Assembly of America (AAA),
Armenian Medical Association (AMA), Armenian Students’ Association-NY
(ASA), and the Land and Culture Organization (LCO).
As part of their QUEST, (qualified experiences in service and training),
each participant is fulfilling 30-40 hours per week of rewarding
community service through internships or volunteerism, all the while
garnering valuable work experience that will enhance their future career
tracks. Volunteer placements this summer include exciting opportunities
within the private and public sectors, as well as various government
offices, some of which include: Nork Marash Hospital, Ministries of
Foreign Affairs and Health, Zadik Orphanage, Vem radio station, Council
of Europe, Armenian Medical Association, Armenian Tree Project,
Zangagadoon NGO in Vanadzor, Youth Christian Movement, Spendarian House
Museum, Ameria Consulting, and the Armenian Tourism Development Agency.
In addition to providing travel fellowships that cover the roundtrip
airfare of each participant, their QUESTS continue with Birthright
Armenia/Depi Hayk supplementing the community service aspect of their
experience with an action-packed line-up of activities including a
thorough in-country orientation, one-on-one Eastern Armenian language
instruction, weekly `havaks’ and excursions, and a forum series. These
support services provided by Birthright Armenia are designed to provide
a more in-depth immersion experience for those who are interested in
gaining an understanding of our current homeland’s situation, people,
history, and opportunities for involvement – all contributing to a more
meaningful, life-changing journey of self-discovery of what it means to
be a diasporan at this point and time in our history.
`Each of the participants is building a base of new relationships
through their work environment, host families, and interactions with
local counterparts, and trying to process how they will bridge these
newfound relationships with their lives back in their local communities.
We can see the wheels turning in each of their minds, and find the
amount of energy, emotion, and identity seeking within them refreshing’,
says Linda Yepoyan, U.S. based executive director for Birthright
Armenia/Depi Hayk. `I believe that the words of one of our participants,
Sonia Shahrigian from CA, who is an AVC volunteer, encapsulates the
experience better than I ever could’:
`Before I arrived in Armenia, I tried not to get my hopes up. I had
wanted to come to Armenia for years, and finally, the time was ripe! 
After talking about Hayasdan, the “homeland,” my whole life, sometimes
placing it upon a pedestal, I tried not to have high expectations before
my departure from the U.S. Although I’ve been here for a short time,
and although my stay will last only 2 months, I can confidently say that
I’ve never felt more at home anywhere else. Everything feels so natural,
despite my slowly progressing Armenian skills. Since my arrival, I’ve
met so many wonderful, kind people who are often as excited about me
being here as I am.  Now, I know why some Armenians are afraid to come
here; they are afraid that they might never want to leave, and might
have trouble picking up the roots they have planted elsewhere. But the
deepest, strongest root is deeply buried in Armenian soil, which is why
so many of us feel like we are coming “back” when we come to Armenia,
even if we’ve never physically been here before’.
`This, our first year of providing services in Armenia, is the pilot
test for much larger numbers of volunteers to sponsor in the near
future. Next year we are counting on over 100 participants, and then
doubling that number every consecutive year to truly increase the number
of youths connecting with the homeland in meaningful ways,’ Yepoyan
concludes.
For those who are interested in learning more about Birthright
Armenia/Depi Hayk, please visit the Web site at

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. This is accomplished by supporting and
complementing the initiatives of existing diasporan organizations that
offer youth programs in Armenia, and encouraging them to expand their
offerings in depth and breath. Birthright Armenia assists with travel
fellowships, language instruction, in-country seminars, orientation and
excursions in exchange for community service in Armenia.

In Armenia:Armenian Assembly of America
NGO Training and Resource Center
39 Yeznik Koghbatsi St.,
Yerevan 375010
Tel.: (3-741) 54-40-12; 54-40-13; 53-92-04
Fax: (3-741) 54-40-15
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
In the United States:
Armenian Assembly of America
NGO Training and Resource Center
122 C Street NW, Suite 350
Washington, DC 20001 USA
Tel: (202) 393-3434
Fax: (202) 638-4904
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
*** REFUGEE PROBLEMS WITHIN THE EYESHOT OF NGOS
*** CRINGO NETWORK GENERAL ACTION
*** NEW PUBLICATION FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
*** ACTIVITIES OF THE SCHOOL OF YOUNG LEADERS
***REGIONAL CONSENSUS AND COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY IN THE SOUTH CAUCASUS
*** AIDS MEMORIAL DAY COMMEMORATED
*** NGO CONTRIBUTES TO BETTERMENT OF SCHOOL COMMUNITIES
*** WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY CELEBRATED
*** NORK INFORMATION-ANALYTICAL CENTER CJSC OPEN FOR COOPERATION
WORLD REFUGEE DAY WAS CELEBRATED
*** REFUGEE PROBLEMS WITHIN THE EYESHOT OF NGOS
On June 24, the Armenian Assembly of America’s NGO Training and Resource
Center hosted its regular Thematic NGO/Media encounter. The goal of similar
encounters, initiated by the AAA NGOC, is to introduce the problems of
vulnerable groups to the public-at-large, NGOs activities directed at
solving those problems, and obstacles encountered. This event, devoted to
World Refugee Day, was the fifth among the series of Thematic NGO/Media
encounters. The goal of this encounter was to once again draw public
attention to the problems of refugees living in Armenia. The focus was on
legal and social protection issues, as well as information exchanges with
acquaintances of the refugees in the towns they left. Greta Mirzoyan of
Zinvori Mair (Soldier’s Mother) Republican Committee NGO and Robert
Melik-Pashaev of the Back to Hayk NGO made presentations on Hope Mail
Service Between Neighbors and Equal Rights – Equal Opportunities projects,
respectively. Refugee NGOs and representatives of media, foundations,
international organizations and state structures were invited to the
roundtable. Right after the event, the participants were provided with print
information on potential donors and partners acting overseas and dealing
with refugee issues, as well as application forms of upcoming conferences.
Contact: Anahit Lazarian
AAA NGO Center
39 Y. Koghbatsi St.
Tel.: (374-1) 54-40-12, 54-40-13
E-mail: [email protected]
*** CRINGO NETWORK GENERAL ACTION
On June 20 and 21, the Danish Refugee Council funded CRINGO Network (uniting
over 60 NGOS assisting refugees and IDPs and promoting peace and stability
in the Caucasus) initiated a clean-up effort, in which participants cleaned
specific areas in Vanadzor and Kapan, planted trees, installed benches and
organized concerts. Radio programs (topic: What Is CRINGO Network?) were
aired on Hai and Hayk republican radio stations.
Contact: Karen Asatryan
CRINGO Network Coordination Council Member
Armenian Sociological Association NGO
44 Aram St.
Tel.: (374-1) 53-08-22, 53-10-96, 53-05-71
E-mail: [email protected]
*** NEW PUBLICATION FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
Since June 1, Henaran Social, Legal and Humanitarian Association NGO has
been publishing Skizb (Beginning) youth periodical to contribute to the
national education and civic awareness of Armenian youth. The periodical
presents state policies related to young people, activities of youth NGOs,
profiles on gifted young people and announcements. The official bulletin of
the ROA Ministry of Culture and Youth Issues will be included in the
newsletter. Henaran NGO allows youth NGOs, international organizations and
others to post materials in the newsletter.
Contact: Lilit Davtyan
Henaran Social, Legal and Humanitarian Association NGO
Tel.: (374-1) 64-73-57
E-mail: [email protected]
*** ACTIVITIES OF THE SCHOOL OF YOUNG LEADERS
On May 28-30, the Center of Youth Legal and Social Support NGO held a
Business, Politics, and Mass Media seminar within the framework of the first
phase of its School of Young Leaders Project. The goal of the seminar was to
promote dialogue and experience exchange between different sectors of the
society and to increase the involvement of youth in the social and political
arenas, as well as increase the awareness level of youth on issues of civil
society. Representatives of NGOs, Mass Media, business and public sectors,
political figures and active young people participated in the seminar.
Discussions were on the following topics: NGOs and Their Role; Statehood and
Civil Society; Armenian National Ideology; United Nations and Youth;
Problems of Participatory Policy in Armenia; NGOs as an Essential Element of
Civil Society; Armenian-Turkish Relations; Parties and Party Systems; Modern
Ideology Movements; World and Economic Approaches in Conditions of
Globalization and Economic Perspectives in ROA.
Contact: Lilit Hakobyan
Center of Youth Legal and Social Support NGO
15 Koriun St.
Tel.: (374-1) 54-28-56
E-mail: [email protected]
*** REGIONAL CONSENSUS AND COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY IN THE SOUTH CAUCASUS
On June 2 and 3, the Institute for Civil Society and Regional Development
(ICSRD) NGO held meetings to discuss issues of regional consensus and
collective responsibility in the South Caucasus. Representatives of
international and donor organizations, National Assembly, Government, Mass
Media and NGOs from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Nagorno Karabagh and
Russian Federation participated in the event. The spokespersons covered not
only intergovernmental, but also intrasociety issues related to regional
conflicts, democratic processes in the South Caucasus republics, raising the
institutional role of civil society in the processes of regional consensus
and collective responsibility. The participants focused on the issue of NGO
participation in decision making processes at both the micro and macro
levels. The conference results will be summarized in specific publications.
The event was sponsored by the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Foundation with
support of the RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs in coordination with the
Conflict Studies Research Center, UK.
Contact: Aghavni Karakhanyan
Institute for Civil Society and Regional Development (ICSRD) NGO
Tel.: (374-1) 58-61-21
E-mail: [email protected]
*** AIDS MEMORIAL DAY COMMEMORATED
The AIDS Memorial Quilt program is the largest ongoing community arts
project in the world. Each of the numerous colorful panels that make up the
Quilt memorizes a life of a person lost to AIDS. On June 5, the Real People,
Real World NGO initiated the quilting event for the first time in Armenia,
jointly with the National Center for AIDS Prevention, UN Armenia and World
Vision Armenia, to speak out about the impact of the disease on the world
population and particularly those living in Armenia.
Contact: Hovhannes Madoyan
Real World, Real People NGO
21A Sayat Nova St., #46/6
Tel. (374-1) 54-74-75
Fax: (374-1) 53-07-71
E-mail: [email protected]
*** NGO CONTRIBUTES TO BETTERMENT OF SCHOOL COMMUNITIES
The Youth For Achievements Association (YFA) NGO awarded grants to 21
secondary schools of Armenia within its For A Better Childhood 2 and Sustain
To Advance school community development projects. Parent Teacher
Associations (PTAs) of over 100 secondary schools countrywide underwent
training programs for fundraising aimed at solving problems of the schools.
In the Small Grants Competition, participating PTAs presented project
proposals aimed at meeting the most acute needs of their school communities.
In 21 schools, playgrounds were installed, an auditorium, classrooms and
gyms were renovated, libraries were furnished and a music classroom was
created. Schools were granted computers, office and sports equipment and
musical instruments. Within the framework of the South Caucasus Youth
Councils Initiative Project, implemented in partnership with Catholic Relief
Service and YFA, three schools from Yerevan and Gegharkunik regions received
grants. Among the self-identified needs of the Youth Councils of those
schools are renovation of activity halls, as well as the creation of an Art
Club.
Contact: Varya Meruzhanyan
Youth For Achievements Association (YFA) NGO
8 Vagarshyan St.
Tel/Fax: (374-1) 27-65-69, 27-65-44
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
*** WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY CELEBRATED
On the occasion of World Environment Day, June 5, the UN Armenia Office
organized a series of events to increase public awareness on nature and
environmental issues, highlight current environmental issues at the national
level and promote environmental activities in communities. Find below
information on two of those events:
ž The Association For Human Sustainable Development, Armenian Forestry and
Birdwatchers’ Center NGOs and the National Academy of Sciences provided
materials for the Forests, Birds and Flowers of Armenia photo-exhibition.
During the event, photos, newsletters, bulletins and leaflets on the
environment, sustainable development, flora and fauna of Armenia were
presented and distributed.
ž During the Youth Ecoturism in Armenia event, results of the Let’s Save the
Water youth tour organized by the Burg Environmental Youth Center NGO were
presented. The tour to Armenia’s Tavush region was to shape a caring
attitude towards Armenia’s water resources among tourists and the local
population and involve them in purification and conservation activities.
During the tour, the group stopped in Goshavank, and Gosh and Parz lakes,
met with local authorities, initiated cleaning activities and placed boards
with relevant messages. Tour participants disseminated booklets on water
resource preservation among the local population and tourists and conducted
a training course for Gosh schoolchildren.
Contact: Arman Vermishyan
Burg Environmental Youth Center NGO
E-mail: [email protected]
*** NORK INFORMATION-ANALYTICAL CENTER CJSC OPEN FOR COOPERATION
ROA Ministry of Labor and Social Issues funded Nork Information-Analytical
Center CJSC carries out development and investment of information,
prediction systems, statistical analysis and information systems in the
social security field. The company operates the following systems: Paros
Poverty Family Allowance, Pyunik Disabled Database, Gorts Employment, and
Manuk Database of Children in Boarding Houses of Armenia and Subject to
Adoption. Functions of the company include: provide an information base for
evaluating operations of the social security system; prepare materials for
printing; design websites; organize computer courses; carry out actuarial
analysis in the social field; provide programs and develop computer
networks. The company is open to interested NGOs for cooperation to support
organization of the above mentioned activities.
Contact: Nork Information-Analytical Center CJSC
Tel.: (374-1) 24-75-02, 24-75-32, 24-86-18
E-mail: [email protected]
__________________________________________________________________________
Armenian NGO News in Brief is a publication of the NGO Training and Resource
Center (NGOC) issued in the Armenian, English and Russian languages for
electronic dissemination inside and outside Armenia. Primary funding for
the NGOC, which is a project of the Armenian Assembly of America, is
provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Individual NGOs are welcome to submit information for publication to the
NGOC. The NGO Center is not responsible for the clarity of information
provided by individual NGOs.
Dear Readers,
The not-for-profit, non-governmental sector of Armenia is rich with diverse
civic initiatives and activities. This electronic publication, though far
from covering all activities of the sector per any given period of time, is
intended to contribute to raising awareness, both inside and outside
Armenia, of the activities of Armenian not-for-profit, non-governmental
organizations.
Your comments and feedback about this electronic publication are greatly
appreciated.
Thank you.
NGOC staff.

YEREVAN PRESS CLUB WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
JULY 2-8, 2004
HIGHLIGHTS:
“MEDIA GROUP” FACING THE DANGER OF LIQUIDATION
“INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISTS” ADDRESSED THE COURT OF APPEALS
“MEDIA GROUP” FACING THE DANGER OF LIQUIDATION
On July 7 the Chamber for Civil and Commercial Cases of the RA Court of
Cassation left the decision of the second jurisdiction on the suit of
Vanadzor (Lori region) public information organization “Media Group” versus
the State Social Security Fund unchanged.
As it has been reported, the litigation between the parties started in as
far back as 2003 when “Media Group” with the assistance of “World Learning”
international organization was implementing a project “Strengthening of
Relations between the Organizations and the Community of Vanadzor”. The
representatives of State Social Security Fund, after an audit, recognized
the “Media Group” volunteers to be paid employees and in this regard
demanded the organizations to make appropriate social security payments and
pay a fine. The last court ruling of June 3, 2004 obliged “Media Group” to
cover the debt to the State Social Security Fund, but with no fine payments
(see YPC Weekly Newsletter, June 4-10, 2004).
According to the representative of “Media Group” Edmon Marukian, now,
according to the Armenian legislation, the ruling execution is to start
against the NGO, its property will be arrested to be later sold from an
auction. As Marukian said, the organization does not have any funds to cover
the liabilities to the State Social Security Fund. This is an amount of
about 500,000 drams (about $ 1,000), including the execution costs. However,
“Media Group” will continue to protect its rights and intends to address the
European Court of Human Rights.
On July 7 the employees of Vanadzor organization held a protest action
before the building State Social Security Fund in Yerevan.
“INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISTS” ADDRESSED THE COURT OF APPEALS
On July 6 “Investigative Journalists” public organization and its chairman
Edik Baghdasarian challenged with the RA Court of Appeals the decision of
the court of primary jurisdiction of Center and Nork-Marash communities of
Yerevan on the suit versus the Yerevan municipality. As it has been
reported, on June 21, 2004 the court of primary jurisdiction declined the
suit of “Investigative Journalists”. The plaintiff demanded that the
municipality provide the resolutions of the city administration of 1997-2003
on the construction in public green zone around the National Theater of
Opera and Ballet, necessary for a journalistic investigation. The judge
motivates her ruling saying the organization did not attempt to receive the
necessary information from other state institutions before addressing the
municipality and the inquiry was not specific enough (see YPC Weekly
Newsletter, June 18-24, 2004).
“Investigative Journalists” demand that the ruling of the primary
jurisdiction court be abolished and the actions of the municipality be
qualified as a refusal in information. Along with this, the organization
addressed a new inquiry to the municipality of Yerevan, listing all the
enterprises operating on the territory around the Theater of Opera and
Ballet and of interest to “Investigative Journalists”.
N.B. Dear readers, please note that YPC Weekly Newsletter will next be
issued in early September, 2004.
When reprinting or using the information above, reference to the Yerevan
Press Club is required.
You are welcome to send any comment and feedback about the Newsletter to:
[email protected]
Subscription for the Newsletter is free. To subscribe or unsubscribe from
this mailing list, please send a message to: [email protected]
Editor of YPC Newsletter – Elina POGHOSBEKIAN
____________________________________________
Yerevan Press Club
9B, Ghazar Parpetsi str.
375007, Yerevan, Armenia
Tel.: (+ 374 1) 53 00 67; 53 35 41; 53 76 62
Fax: (+374 1) 53 56 61
E-mail: [email protected]
Web Site:

PRESS RELEASE
The National Citizens’ Initiative
75 Yerznkian Street
Yerevan 375033, Armenia
Tel: (+374 – 1) 27.16.00, 27.00.03
Fax: (+374 – 1) 52.48.46
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
July 8, 2004
National Citizens’ Initiative Determines Trends of Armenian Economic Growth
Yerevan–The National Citizens’ Initiative (NCI) today convened a
specialized policy roundtable on “The Trends of Economic Growth in Armenia.”
The discussion, focusing on the challenges of this vital issue of public
concern, brought together government officials, academic circles, experts of
the field, public figures, and the media community to define the priorities
and development opportunities in the economic sphere, to make realistic
assessments of the current state of affairs, and to address the imperative
of a true struggle against corruption and the shadow economy.
Karapet Kalenchian, director of administration of the Armenian Center for
National and International Studies (ACNIS), greeted the audience with
opening remarks. He stressed the significance of economic reforms and
pointed to several mechanisms for achieving the objective. “In order to
settle a number of issues of strategic importance, in particular
strengthening the new independent state system and improving the living
standards of the population, we need to create prerequisites for the
proportional development of modern industry, the agricultural sector and
other fields of the economy, to improve tax policy, and to provide sustained
economic growth so that every Armenian family really enjoys its benefits,”
Kalenchian said.
Gagik Vardanian, the Republic’s deputy minister for trade and economic
development, addressed “The Strategic Directions of Armenia’s Economic
Development in Light of the Global Information Revolution,” detailing key
issues of efficiency and productivity in the Armenian economy. In his
opinion, information technologies provide great access and thus facilitate
quick orientation in the market as well as application of state-of-the-art
networks and electronic equipment, all of which lead to sustained progress
in the economy. “Given their efficiency in all spheres of life, the Armenian
government attaches primary importance to ITs. It has worked out a
development concept and a program of activities to face the challenges of
the world market,” he noted. “The government of Armenia has adopted
strategic programs for the country’s sustainable regional economic
development in order to play an active role in integrating into the global
information field.”
Gagik Makarian, director of the “Haiconsult” firm, delivered an illustrated
paper on “The Key Obstacles to Armenia’s Economic Growth and the Ways to
Overcome Them.” “It is senseless to speak of sustained economic growth
unless we struggle against corruption and the shadow economy, make a due
assessment of the operational branches of industry, provide mechanisms for
an attractive investment climate, make export volumes predictable, and draft
appropriate tax and customs legislation,” Makarian opined. According to him,
there are about 20 negative factors that impede economic growth in Armenia
in view of the relevant transportation expenses, unfair and unequal
competition, poor marketing experience, the political situation in the
country, and a number of other circumstances.
Yerevan State University economics professor Gagik Galstian entitled his
presentation “The Anatomy of Armenian Economic Growth.” “Economic growth is
not an end unto itself.” he said. “If there is growth there should be
prosperity, whereas the living standard of the population as measured by
substantive food intake per capita has been reduced twice over the last
decade.” An analysis of the data from 2003 brought Galstian to a pessimistic
conclusion: Armenia’s living standard is today on par with that of 1977 in
terms of its Gross Domestic Product, with 1980 in terms of its industrial
productivity, and with 1956 in terms of its cargo transportation and
residential construction. Thus, society is lagging behind by more than 25
years.
The formal interventions were followed by exchanges of views and policy
recommendations among the public figures and policy specialists in
attendance. Noteworthy were contributions by MP Shavarsh Kocharian of the
National Democratic Party; former minister of state Hrach Hakobian;
economist Edward Aghajanov; Artak Zeinalian of the Republic Party; Stepan
Mantarlian of Armaveni consulting company; Alexander Butaev of National
Democratic Union; Petros Makeyan of the Democratic Fatherland Party; Ruzanna
Khachaturian of the People’s Party of Armenia; law professor Hrair
Tovmasian; and many others.
ACNIS analyst Hovsep Khurshudian closed the meeting with summary remarks.
“Unfortunately, it is difficult to conclude the seminar on an optimistic
note regarding Armenia’s economic growth,” he said, underlining that
economic growth remains erratic, illusory, and narrow-based despite
government assurances. “Moreover, the authorities have demonstrated little
or no political will to struggle against corruption, as they are mired in
the very clan system which impedes competition.”
The National Citizens’ Initiative is a public non-profit association founded
in 2001 by former foreign minister Raffi K. Hovannisian, his colleagues, and
fellow citizens with the purpose of realizing the rule of law and overall
improvements in the state of the state, society, and public institutions.
The National Citizens’ Initiative is guided by a Coordinating Council, which
includes individual citizens and representatives of various public,
scientific, and educational establishments. Five commissions on Law and
State Administration, Socioeconomic Issues, Foreign Policy, Spiritual and
Cultural Challenges, and the Youth constitute the vehicles for the
Initiative’s work and outreach.
For further information, please call (3741) 27-16-00 or 27-00-03; fax (3741)
52-48-46; e-mail [email protected]; or visit
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Jake Goshert, Coordinator of Information Services
Tel: (212) 686-0710 Ext. 60; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
July 8, 2004
___________________
CHELTENHAM CELEBRATES ORDINATION ANNIVERSARY OF PRIEST
By Jake Goshert
The call came early for Fr. Tateos Abdalain — when he was just 8 years
old, holding candles on the altar of St. James Church of Watertown, Ma.
“It was something that was just a natural thing for me. I received the
support of my pastor and the parishioners. I was fortunate growing up
in that area where there were many survivors of the Genocide, they were
there as a support mechanism, to encourage all the little kids to serve
and go to church,” Fr. Abdalian said.
And on Sunday, June 6, 2004, hundreds of faithful from his current
parish, the Holy Trinity Church of Cheltenham, PA, gathered to celebrate
the 20th anniversary of his ordination.
“The priesthood is neither an individual journey nor an individual
vocation. True, it is the one person who is ordained — but for it to
be accomplished, it involves the entire Church. It is a communal
journey,” Fr. Tateos told his parishioners. “It begins with a young boy
growing up in the faith in his home, nurtured by his parents in the
teachings of Christ, being taught to live a decent and good life. It is
being in a good parish, being influenced by his pastor, or other priests
to come and to sing in the choir, serve at the altar, be a part of the
parish. It is a young man being encouraged by his fellow parishioners
to pursue the goal of priesthood. It is his family who gifts the person
to God for service.”
SERVICE TO COMMUNITY
Fr. Tateos has been serving the Cheltenham community since July 2003.
Before that he worked with the Diocesan mission parish and youth
ministries, and he also previously served as parish priest for the St.
John the Baptist Church in Greenfield, WI, where he helped build a new
church building; St. George Church in Hartford, CT, and Sts. Sahag and
Mesrob Armenian Church of Providence, RI.
“What is it that inspires a man to dedicate his life to the ministry of
God’s flock? There are many answers, and different ones for different
people,” Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Eastern Diocese
during the celebrations at Holy Trinity. “For Der Tateos, I think the
answer is clear: a feeling of love, which issues from a pure heart, a
good conscience, and sincere faith.”
Fr. Tateos’ route to the priesthood was not quite direct. After working
in the business sector and he began a job as administrative director of
the St. James Armenian Church of Watertown, MA. While there, Fr.
Garabed Kochakian, a then-recently ordained priest, stayed in Watertown
during the 40 days of seclusion following ordination.
“As I grew up, I continually served, I just didn’t see becoming a priest
as a feasible choice, because we had no St. Nersess at the time. But
Der Garabed gave me inspiration,” Fr. Tateos said. “I’ve found being a
priest has moments of total jubiliation and frustration, peaks and
valleys.”
CONTINUING THE FAITH
Fr. Tateos sees being a priest as a continuation of centuries of
tradition and faith carried out by his ancestors. It’s a faith that
remains strong because each generation works to nurture it, despite
challenges and difficulties.
“I keep saying one of the mistakes the Turks made was to allow my father
to live, because he had a son who became a priest and strengthened our
church. That gives me a sense of satisfaction,” he said.
It’s a faith he works to continue in future generations by trying to
bring children into the parish family. It’s an uphill climb today, with
them falling under the influence of secular pop culture, but Fr. Tateos
believes it is vital. And building the next generation of Armenian
Christians is not one he shoulders alone.
“Kids have problems today. They’re facing evil from the very
beginning,” he said. “Kids have problems. That’s why it is so
important that we work to strengthen St. Nersess Seminary, and Sunday
Schools, and St. Vartan Camp, and ACYOA, we need to pay attention to
these things rather than having them as social organizations and fun
places to go.”
Working to build young leaders in his parish, Fr. Tateos took the
opportunity of his anniversary celebration to highlight young people’s
contributions. Two young brothers, Michael and Tavit Murray, who are
culinary students prepared the whole meal. The music was provided by
the Mockingbird String Quartet, a group made up of high school students
including his young parishioner Karinne Hovnanian.
“It was a family day, and that’s the part I was really happy about,” Fr.
Tateos said of his anniversary celebration. “It was a day of
celebration. We weren’t just honoring one person, we’re honoring the
whole church.”
He has been married since 1969 to Yn. Margaret, and they have one son,
David; one daughter, Alicia; and two grandchildren.
— 7/8/04
E-mail photos available on request. Photos also viewable in the News
and Events section of the Eastern Diocese’s website,
PHOTO CAPTION (1): Fr. Tateos Abdalian, joined by Archbishop Khajag
Barsamian, Primate of the Eastern Diocese, and his family, marked his
20th anniversary on Sunday, June 6, 2004, with a banquet bringing
together hundreds of faithful from his current parish, the Holy Trinity
Church of Cheltenham, PA.