Something Out of Nothing
Garin Hovannisian on navigating the creative journey
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August 20, 2008
AGBU-HAIK Frankfurt, Germany Office Opens; September Gala Planned
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Organizers and administrators of the AGBU-HAIK Frankfurt office gather at the inaugural meeting (left to right): Ohanes Bedros, Karen Navoyan, Arman Derderyan, Pailak Mzikian, Alfrant Bedros, Karen Gharslyan, Achim Schwichtenberg and Georgi Ambardzumjan. -
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A view of the building in Frankfurt, Germany where the new AGBU-HAIK office is located.
On September 12, 2008, German Armenians and their supporters from across Europe will attend an AGBU-HAIK Gala concert and dinner at the Hanau Schloss Philippsruhe castle near Frankfurt, Germany. Organizers expect 200 people to attend the launch event that will formally mark the expansion of the world's largest Armenian non-profit organization into the most populous country in the European Union and the continuing partnership of AGBU and HAIK.
For the last two years, AGBU and HAIK have been fostering a mutually beneficial relationship that began in April 2006 during the first AGBU Project Exchange & Development Seminar (PEDS) in Brussels, Belgium. Since then, HAIK, which represents a network of students, scholars, and young professionals across Germany with representatives at 17 universities, has participated in a number of AGBU conventions and meetings, including the European Convention in Brussels earlier this year.
The AGBU-HAIK Frankfurt, Germany office officially opened its doors on April 1, 2008 with two part-time employees. Located in the heart of Germany, the AGBU-HAIK office represents the first major German initiative for AGBU in the last 20 years. On April 12, HAIK board members, under the guidance of the organization's co-presidents Karen Navoyan and Pailak Mzikian, held their first meeting at the office.
Continuing to Grow in Germany
While the establishment of an office in Frankfurt represented AGBU's first expansion into Germany, AGBU launched its second initiative with the establishment of its first Young Professional group in the city of Cologne. The inaugural YP Cologne event on May 31 was attended by over 200 individuals, including special guest AGBU Europe President Alexis Govciyan.
Govciyan explains the goal of AGBU's German partnership: "AGBU extends its successful activities to Germany, where the presence of global Armenian organizations seems necessary in a country with a growing Armenian community and the central role of Germany on the political and social level in the European Union."
HAIK Co-President Karen Navoyan is also excited by the new organizational energy in Germany: "We see the opening of the AGBU-HAIK Office in Frankfurt, in the heart of Germany, as a historical event bringing new perspectives to the life of the Armenian community in Germany, as well as to German-Armenian friendship."
Established in 2003 in Mannheim, Germany, the German-Armenian Students Association, known as HAIK, is a network of German students, scholars, and young professionals of Armenian descent. The goals of HAIK are to strengthen and unify the country's Armenian community; promote bilateral communication between Germans and Armenians; and preserve the Armenian identity for future generations. The organization is geared to the needs of college- and young professional-aged individuals of Armenian descent and is administered exclusively by people from those target groups.
Tickets for the September gala event may be booked by emailing office@haiknet.de or contact@agbueurope.org, or by calling, +49 (0) 69-38-09778650 or +33-14-5200318.
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