Yerevan Summer Intern Program's Second Season a Grand Success; Applications for 2009 Now Available

On Saturday, August 2, 2008, the second year of the AGBU Yerevan Summer Intern Program (YSIP) concluded when the last of 18 students returned home to their respective countries, enriched with memories and armed with new knowledge and a bond with the heritage of their motherland.

During the five-week program, the participating students, hailing from six countries (United States, Canada, Russia, Australia, Syria and Switzerland), worked as interns in some of Armenia's premier institutions and corporations, like Converse Bank, Cafesjian Foundation, Gevorgyan Gallery, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), TUMO Design Studio, the American University of Armenia (AUA), The Future is Yours charity, the Philharmonic Orchestra, Shoghakat TV Channel and a range of leading medical institutions.

While summer internships are common in the Western world, they have only recently become more prevalent in Armenia. Thus, it is no surprise that YSIP supervisors also found the experience equally educational and rewarding.

Founded in 2007, YSIP is AGBU's third summer intern program, joining the New York and Paris programs, which offer college-age students a complete mix of professional and cultural, as well as personal experiences, leading to lifelong friendships. The Yerevan program is unique in that it gives Armenians studying in different educational institutions all over the world a chance to increase their work experience while directly reconnecting them to their heritage. This year's program coordinators were Viktoria Grigorian from the AGBU New York office and Hasmik Khalapyan, AGBU Armenian Representation Educational Projects Coordinator in Yerevan.

While workdays were mostly spent gaining hands-on professional experience, in the evenings and weekends YSIP participants were given the opportunity to explore Armenia and Karabakh. Interns enjoyed weekend trips to Ashtarak, Dilijan, Etchmiadzin, Garni, Geghard, Khor Virap, Lake Sevan, Noravank, and Oshakan.

They also visited the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh, where they met with the Karabakh's Parliamentary Speaker Ashot Ghulyan and visited the statue of Alex Manoogian in Stepanakert. The interns visited Gandzasar and Shushi, and, accompanied by AGBU Artsakh Projects Coordinator Sassoun Baghdassarian, got acquainted with the AGBU projects carried out in Karabakh.

In addition to these excursions, YSIP students also participated in evening and weekend activities in Yerevan, including Armenian dance lessons at the Nork Children's Center, language courses at the American University of Armenia (AUA), cooking classes and a tour of the city's museums. The group also enjoyed the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra's performance of Madame Butterfly at the Yerevan Opera House.

Program participants were treated to several lectures presented by a wide range of professionals, including Ashot Ghulyan, Chairman of National Assembly of Karabakh; Dr. Armen Aivazyan, Director of the Ararat Strategic Research Center and an expert on Armenian history; and Hayk Demoyan, Director of the Genocide Museum. The interns also visited the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial to pay homage to the victims of the Armenian Genocide, after getting acquainted with the materials of the Genocide Museum presented by Demoyan.

The final reception took place at the Yerevan Museum of Folk Art, which was attended by the program participants, their immediate supervisors, coordinators, AGBU Armenian Representation officials, and other guests. The supervisors were familiarized with AGBU's programs in Armenia and abroad, and highly praised the work of their interns. The Republic of Armenia's Ombudsman Armen Harutyunian mentioned Russian-Armenian Gor Sahakian's and Anna Kalashian's high sense of responsibility. Director of the "Future is Yours" NGO Narine Sarkissian, in turn, praised the devotion of Ani Demirjian and Seda Bayramian in teaching English to the orphans. As a result, now, after a month's course, the orphans are greeting the foreign guests of the orphanage.

To keep friends and family informed about their homeland experiences, YSIP interns posted items from their time in Armenia and Karabakh on a specially prepared Facebook page. The interns now use this site to keep in touch with each other throughout the year.

Armenia's H1 Public Television and Shoghakat TV Company also shot different episodes of the interns' activities, including the supervisors' reception, with the goal of preparing a film in the future.

"It was an unforgettable experience that no doubt makes me prouder to be Armenian. I think that the program meets its mission in developing and instilling a sense of heritage in diasporan Armenians," said Andrew Batmanian of Australia.

The interns enjoyed a farewell dinner with live music at Monte Christo restaurant before returning home with the summer experience of a lifetime.

Most of the expenses of this second YSIP session were subsidized by Mr. and Mrs. Nazar and Artemis Nazarian of Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. Mr. Nazarian formerly served as Vice President and Treasurer of the AGBU Central Board of Directors; presently he is a member of the AGBU Council of Trustees.

The AGBU Yerevan Summer Intern Program (www.agbu.org/ysip) places young, aspiring Armenians in five-week internships at leading institutions, organizations and corporations in Yerevan, Armenia, while providing a well-rounded program of Armenian cultural, educational and community service activities. To obtain an application or information about the 2009 program, please email ysip@agbu.org.