InternationalTwenty years after the earthquake, tomorrow’s Gyumri has a luminous face
Published: Saturday December 06, 2008 in Earthquake 20 Years On
At the Entanik Youth Center in Gyumri, Armenia, 20 years after the earthquake, Andranik Minasian, left, with his friend Vahram, works on a project. Armen Hakobyan for the Armenian Reporter
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Gyumri, Armenia - "I want to become a goldsmith and I am learning to be one. I like it here. I have been coming here for a month now, but I have already learned many things. Right now I am preparing a pomegranate out of German silver. If you come a little later I will have attached the leaf," says young Andranik Minasian who is a resident of the Ani district in Gyumri. He is only 16 years old. Andranik's future is already being shaped by master silversmith, Ara Haroutunian's attentive and kind guidance. Who knows? Maybe in a few years time he will become an expert and a few dozen years later, a renowned master. In any case, Andranik hopes that in a few years time there will no longer be any ruined buildings and people will no longer be living in small shacks in his beloved Gyumri.
Andranik is one of master Ara's 30 students in the Entanik (Family) Youth Creative Center, which has 1500 students. It is a center that spreads its bright rays on Gyumri by teaching the fundamentals of arts and crafts to students and, at the same time, takes care of the promising seedlings of tomorrow's Gyumri. The center of the Armenian Ministry of Education and Science, which was established in 1991 with the caring help of kind people, at the initiative of psychology Ph.D. Knarik Aharonian and individual benefactors, has traveled an interesting journey during its 18 years. There are too many benefactors and foreign humanitarian organizations that cooperate with the center to name. It is more interesting to get acquainted with the children learning here and talk to their teachers, in order to understand the importance of the work of the center's founders.
Zoubeyda Hovhannisian, who teaches English at the center and Gayaneh Minassian, the librarian, organize a small tour for me. They present the history of Entanik with pride. They show me artwork by students, which are exhibited in the hallway and the different sections of the center and introduce me to their colleagues and to students in class in different groups at that moment. The center has recently moved to a new address in the Ani district of Gyumri, street 11, and functions in a new and still partly under construction building. Appreciating the significance of the center, about six years ago the state allocated a semi-constructed building to the organization with its adjacent 6,000 square meter territory. The interior of the building, which is yet unattractive from the outside, is radiant without exaggeration. In addition Arthur Minasian, the deputy director of the Center assures us that by next year the building will be unrecognizable.
Master silversmith Haroutunian says that he has been teaching here for the last several years. "The children are very good. They love this craft and their attitude is very positive. And I pass on to them all I know and all I have," he notes during our brief conversation and adds that a lot has changed in Gyumri, especially during the past 10 years. "There is improvement. What still needs to change? Firstly the living conditions of the people must change; jobs are necessary and for those who have jobs, there are salary issues; the wages are very low. People cannot survive on them. Gyumri used to be the city of arts and crafts and the living conditions of people used to good. Now there are few people who work in arts and crafts. And when other such places open and more children visit and learn there, they will find love in themselves and they will start relating to arts and crafts. If there are no such places, then where can they learn? See, these are 10th and 11th graders and they come with pleasure and love coming and learning," says the master.
11 year olds Arman, Badal and Sahak who have only been taking part in the ceramic group for two weeks, are molding the clay with inexperienced fingers, but have already made very good saltshakers. Recently the number of children participating in the group has significantly increased and the center's administration has hired a second ceramic teacher, Naira Safarian. He notes that the director of the center has imported a large quantity of special clay from France, especially envisaged for teaching and special paints. In the near future, a large oven will be installed.
An important fact is that education in the Entanik Center is free of charge. Apart from that, the center provides children with all the materials and tools necessary for the classes. More than a dozen groups work here, including dancing, painting, chess,wrestling, singing,carpet weaving, fine arts and costume making groups.
"The most important thing is that the children are off the streets. They no longer wander aimlessly around. They come here and learn something necessary and beautiful," notes my interlocutor and emphasizes another one of the center's missions: the active involvement of children in need of special care. The center has about 40 such students.
Hermineh Vahagian, who is the sewing and needlework group teacher noted, "The most important thing is that this is free of charge for the parents and their children learn crafts. As renowned poet Shiraz said, ‘Learn crafts, do not be weak, art is a person's golden bracelet.' And what they learn here today will truly become golden bracelets tomorrow, with the help of which they will at least earn their bread if they do not manage to receive higher education. As far as the city is concerned in general, first of all I would like for the people of Gyumri to have jobs. The people of Gyumri have honor and they want to earn their bread. When are no jobs, many of them go abroad and children see their fathers once a year. And so, firstly I would like to see jobs," Ms. Vahagian said.
