The AGBU Yerevan Summer Internship Program Leaves Even More Students Transformed at the End of its Sixth Year

For six years, the AGBU Yerevan Summer Internship Program (YSIP) has provided Armenian university students from across the diaspora with the unique opportunity to gain valuable hands-on work experience, bond with their global peers, and witness firsthand the natural beauty and ancient landmarks that have been the subject of their studies and their family histories for as long as they can remember. This year, 27 students from Germany, Lebanon, Syria, the UK and the US took advantage of everything that YSIP has to offer, enjoying a complete cultural immersion experience that left all participants already planning a trip back to Armenia when the program came to an end.

On June 25, 2012, planes that had taken off from various parts of the world touched down in Armenia's Zvartnots Airport, carrying this year's talented and enthusiastic YSIP participants. The interns immediately settled into their new home and new routine, which was filled with work, weekly language classes at the American University of Armenia and dance classes at the AGBU Nork Children's Center, as well as volunteer projects. They also met with government officials and community leaders, including the Speaker of the Karabakh Parliament, Ashot Ghulyan, Diaspora Minister, Hranush Hakobyan, and Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian, who gave them a well-rounded view of Armenia and Karabakh.

Students were placed in a broad range of organizations, which included the Arabkir Children's Hospital, the American University of Armenia's Engineering Department, ArmNews TV, the Ministry of the Diaspora, the United Nations Development Program, and many others. They shadowed neurologists and cardiologists, provided much-needed social services, and even oversaw the construction and development of AGBU's newest headquarters, a building that will soon stand tall in the heart of the city. Chair of the Department of Neurology at Yerevan State University and supervisor Hovhannes Manvelyan commented on YSIP's positive impact, stating, "Programs such as these are essential in order to ensure future ties with the homeland especially for those young men and women who have never been to Armenia before and were raised in the diaspora. It's important for them to come to Armenia, get a better understanding of their culture and make friends."

The students' internships opened their eyes to both the complexities and rewards of their chosen career paths, while their daily encounters opened their minds to a country they thought they knew, but which continued to amaze them. They were overwhelmed by the ever-present hospitality, the city's large squares constantly filled with music and people, and the breathtaking landscapes of the countryside.

As in previous years, highlights of YSIP 2012 included excursions around the country and a journey to Karabakh. Bella Arutyunyan, a University of California, Los Angeles student reflected on her trip, noting, "One of the best experiences this summer was getting the chance to get out of Yerevan and take a four-day trip to Karabakh. Everyone kept telling me how beautiful the wilderness was going to be and how much I was going to love it. In all honesty, however, I didn't think I could find any connection to a piece of land and a people I didn't know much about. But if there is one thing I've learned from being in Armenia, it's how important it is to see things with your own eyes because stories alone aren't enough." Her words underscored the importance of connecting Armenian youth with their ancestral homeland, which AGBU has accomplished through YSIP and a number of other Armenia-based programs that drew over 500 participants to the country this summer alone.

In addition to the trip to Karabakh, the YSIP group toured the Garni Temple and the architectural wonder, the Geghard Monastery, before climbing Armenia's highest peak, Mt. Aragats. Gyumri was another destination outside of the capital, where the interns visited the Terchoonian Home, an orphanage that provides shelter and care for more than 20 children. The YSIP interns brightened the children's day, bringing them new toys, playing together outside and admiring their rug weaving, a favorite hobby in the home. The visit was one that had a lasting impact on intern Kathrine Kazanjian, from the US, who stated, "After this program and the interactions I have had with the people of Armenia – everyone from taxi drivers and sales people to the children of Karabakh and the orphans of Gyumri – I returned home feeling a great sense of responsibility to my homeland and its people. Now, I want to learn even more about where I come from and do more to create a better future for Armenia."

After six weeks of making memories and making a difference, the YSIP participants prepared for their departure. But they couldn't leave without showing the youth and staff of the AGBU Nork Center all they had learned during their weekly dance classes. On the evening of July 31, 2012, the group stepped on the Center's stage for a special performance, hand in hand, to the sound of Armenian music. Their routine drew applause everywhere in the auditorium, as well as praise from their new friends and colleagues. It was one last great moment that they would all share before YSIP officially came to an end. On August 3, 2012, the participants headed home, leaving a part of themselves behind in Armenia.