Birthright Volunteers capture Armenia in images

Published: Friday December 02, 2011

Volunteers caught levitating at Gandzasar. Birthright Armenia facebook page

Yerevan - Professionals they are not. But when using the richness of Armenia's reality and beauty as a backdrop, Birthright Armenia alumni photos can indeed have a professional feel to them.

"Some shots capture a micro-second of a dynamic scene, others touch ancient walls, and yet others leave you with a feeling of wanting to know more about what it is or who it is you are looking at," says Sevan Kabakian, Country Director for the organization in Armenia. "We wanted to give our current and past participants the opportunity to share some of their best work."

Over the years, Birthright Armenia staff members have seen many quality photos coming from the lenses of the volunteers, and "it was time to give them a chance to showcase their work," adds Asqanaz Hambartsoumyan. The "Armenia on the Road" photography exhibition and contest officially opened for public display on November 28 and showcases a wide array of photos exclusively taken by Birthright Armenia alumni.

The main criteria for entry in the exhibit was that the photograph must have been taken during a group excursion. Birthright Armenia offers its volunteer participants an exciting, year-round, weekend excursion series that incorporates visits to all regions of Armenia as well as extended four-day journeys to Artsakh (Nagorno Karabagh). These adventures combine a mix of tourism with off-the-beaten-path segues to corners of Armenia that few people actually get to enjoy. Utilizing experienced tour guides and an all-inclusive package, each volunteer gets to personally feel the aura, culture, architecture and countryside while spanning centuries of history even within a single excursion.

Over 100 photos in total were submitted for consideration, and 45 were selected for inclusion in the "Armenia on the Road" show. Attendees of the exhibition will have the chance to vote for their favorite photos, and the top 15 with the most votes will be featured on Facebook, inviting the larger public for a final round of voting. The photos with the most "Likes" will be the winners.

The exhibit runs until December 15 at the Birthright Armenia/Depi Hayk office located at 37 Hanrapetutyan St. in Yerevan.

Birthright partners with American University of Armenia

A partnership agreement was signed between the American University of Armenia and Birthright Armenia according to which Birthright Armenia and the AUA's School of Business and Management will join forces to offer a unique educational package to Diaspora Armenians desiring to pursue an MBA degree in Armenia.

The agreement will promote the MBA program among the Diaspora communities and further expand and enrich the range of long-term immersion and study opportunities in Armenia. The memorandum was signed by Dr. Bruce Boghosian, President of the AUA, and Mr. Sevan Kabakian, Country Director of Birthright Armenia.

Thanks to this partnership, students will benefit from the full range of services in which each partner entity excels. Interested students would enroll in the AUA MBA program that meets international standards and is accredited by the US based Western Association of Schools and Colleges. During the two years of their study, students will also benefit from many exciting opportunities that Birthright Armenia offers, including full country and language immersion, part-time community service work, one round-trip airline ticket, and accommodation within its network of local host families.

According to Mr. Kabakian, "With this collaboration, we are complementing each other's areas of expertise and creating an exciting product which is a winner for the University, for Birthright Armenia and for all the students. It's a well-rounded study abroad experience that we will be promoting." Mr. Eric Guevorkian, Interim Dean of the School of Business, stated that the agreement provides a viable option to the needs of many Diaspora students. It affords them the opportunity of studying for an English language, accredited MBA degree while experiencing and immersing in Armenia. Furthermore, Birthright Armenia's community service experience would count for the internship requirement of the MBA program.

Mr. Kabakian added "We are embarking on a collaboration that will hopefully be expanded to other degrees in the future. Study abroad no longer needs to be limited to a few European capitals." Interested parties should contact Birthright Armenia at  info@birthrightarmenia.org or the AUA atadmission@aua.am and ApplySBM@aua.am.

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 web site at www.birthrightarmenia.org.