For the first five years, Birthright Armenia ran its Yerevan operations from a downtown apartment it had converted into an office space. But as its volunteer and alumni base was growing exponentially, it knew it was only a matter of time that it would outgrow its current space. And just in time new office space was made available to it in the newly constructed Hovnanian Foundation building in central Yerevan.
The operations of Birthright Armenia in Armenia are now located in a modern, six-room office suite, on the 3rd floor of 37 Hanrapetutyan Street, one block from the main Republic Square in downtown Yerevan. Talking about historic symbolism, the building used to serve as a government building during the First Republic of 1918. As part of the move, the organization now has more elbow room to conduct the various program services it provides to its volunteer participants. There are now several rooms that can be dedicated to Armenian language instruction, a conference room for meetings, and a large hall available for use on the floor when needed for large sized gatherings.
Conveniently housed within the same office suite are the offices of the Armenian Volunteer Corps (AVC) and the Land and Culture Organization (LCO), two agencies that are part of the Birthright Armenia network, which also have volunteerism at the heart of their missions. The Armenian Assembly of America (AAA) office is located across the hall, with a summer program in place that also brings young diasporans to Armenia for professional internships annually.
An expansive and welcoming reception area greets visitors immediately upon entering the office suite, complete with plenty of seating and computer work stations, where volunteers can comfortably enjoy Internet access to Facebook family and friends, check their emails, and more.
Sevan Kabakian, who oversees the daily operations of the Birthright Armenia office in Armenia as Country Director, has everything moved in and operable. ?We look forward to having our move to this great new space correspond to expansion in our work and numbers of participants in the near future,? he states. ?It?s a challenge that we will tackle with lots of energy and focus. We invite the public at large to visit us the next time they are in Yerevan.?
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 website at www.birthrightarmenia.org.
Press Release
Date: August 4, 2010
Contact: Linda Yepoyan
[email protected]
www.birthrightarmenia.org
