Birthright Armenia: beyond borders

Published: Thursday January 21, 2010

Engaged Birthright Armenia alums, Haig Seferian and Stephanie Johnson, who met during their 2006 volunteer service in Armenia.

What follows is a press release from Birthright Armenia dated January 19, 2010.

An Empire's worst fear is to fall. An ethnicity's worst fear is to vanish. In modern times, the snowball of disappearance picks up speed in any Diaspora each time someone from that small tribe finds his or her companion outside of it, or is disconnected with their roots. The Armenian Diaspora is no different. Among the older generations especially, Armenians are afraid of assimilation; and not just cultural assimilation, but genetic assimilation as well. However, reigns must be flexible, and icicles easily break.

Since 2004, Birthright Armenia has sponsored over 425 volunteers to live and work in Armenia to foster a connection to the Homeland. For many volunteers, and especially for those who are not of 100% Armenian decent, the experience has been a strong influence in the way youth view their ‘Armenianness' and their role in the country's future. "Here I have learned so much about my Homeland and as such reconnected with myself in a way that I never thought I would," says Anouch Adjemian, half-Armenian, half-Vietnamese, from Belgium.

In order to hold fast to the reigns of globalization and keep oneself seated comfortably in one's own identity outside of the ethnic homeland is a demanding challenge. Birthright Armenia has in many ways filled this opportunity-vacuum for many young Armenians through life exposure. And, as perhaps a quite natural result of participating in this inclusive sponsorship program, people meet people. In its first five years of existence, 12 volunteers have found their spouses while participating in Birthright Armenia, and two more are currently engaged to fellow volunteers. Of the remaining engaged alumni, about three-quarters of them are engaged to Armenians. "My fiancé is Armenian, and we actually met while doing Birthright Armenia during the summer of 2006," says Stephanie Johnson of Boston, Massachusetts.

‘Cultural preservation' through the experience of Birthright Armenia has expressed itself in two key ways: either by volunteers renewing their sense of identity by a connection and commitment to modern day Armenia, and/or further, by reaffirming their desire to find an Armenian life partner. One alumnus who is currently engaged commented, "Absolutely it was important to me that I marry an Armenian to share that significant part of my life with another Armenian and... pass down our culture to another generation. Birthright Armenia reinforced these views..."

Birthright Armenia is an un-exclusive cultural exposure to one's roots. Everyone with at least some Armenian heritage is welcome, which brings the notion of ‘Armenian' for some out of the confines of antiquated definitions of one or both parents being 100% Armenian.

Chelsea Bissel from Washington, USA, is a recent alumnus who spent the past seven months in Shushi and Yerevan with Birthright Armenia. Chelsea, who is ‘25% Armenian', shared a thoughtful reflection on Armenianness in her own life, especially after her volunteer experience. Asked whether it was important for her to marry an Armenian, Chelsea said, "I don't want this culture to slip away, to somehow fall through the cracks of the more immediate and tangible things in life... If I marry someone more Armenian than me who was raised with a more present Armenian culture, that potential slippage would no longer be as much of a threat... I recently argued with someone with no Armenian descent about this. He claimed that it was stupid and shortsighted and backwards for blood to be a criterion for marriage. I see his point and it's a good one, but logic has really nothing to do with this decision; it's sentimental and based on me clinging desperately to something that is apparently more important to me than some romantic notions about marriage."

Most Birthright Armenia alums have commented that their bonds with Armenia, regardless of their partner's ethnicity, is and will be a factor in the lives of their children, and their relationship with their life partner. "Through Birthright Armenia I saw and fell in love with Armenia, which added an element to what I wanted in a partner. It had to be someone who enjoyed being there and accepted a similar feeling of obligation about staying involved with Armenia for a lifetime," commented one alumnus.

However, Birthright Armenia is a forum in which a connection to one's heritage expresses itself in different ways. Christina Achkarian, a 2007 volunteer, shared, "I always thought I would marry an Armenian... but now things are a bit different... for the first time, when I was doing the program I really felt Armenian... Seeing some of the people doing BR that summer-one girl was even a quarter Armenian, but she still came to learn about her heritage-I don't think it's necessary to have 100% Armenian blood running through your veins, so long as you pass on the culture."

Nyree Abrahamian, a volunteer who met her spouse during their Birthright experiences and married in Armenia where they have been living for the past two years, commented that her husband's being Armenian was not necessarily a requirement for her future children to speak and be immersed in Armenian culture. "What is important is... not for my husband to be Armenian, but for him to be genuinely interested in my Armenianness-not only as my heritage, but as an important and active component of my life. Birthright Armenia did influence my perception of Armenianness, my outlook on Armenia's future, and my place in it... and [there is a] great value in finding someone who is as passionate about building Armenia's future as I am."

Is there some hopeful news in the growing trend of Armenians losing their cultural base? There may be. With programs that encourage positive experiences with modern Armenian life like Birthright Armenia, volunteers have certainly gained a unique and unbreakable bond with their roots.