November 10, 2010

Falling into Community Service: AVC Volunteers Serving Armenia

Yerevan, Armenia—Volunteers with the Armenian Volunteer Corps (AVC) have fallen into community service this fall—but not only at their placement sites. During late October and early November AVC volunteers painted, dug holes, helped build a house, and planted trees, all in their spare time.

On Sunday, October 24, AVC volunteers and Birthright Armenia participants and staff participated in the Third Annual Pan-Armenian Painting Day, a day-long, outdoor festival sponsored by the Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets (FPWC), an AVC volunteer placement site. Volunteers helped facilitate the open-air painting studio which attracted more than 1,000 young Armenian children and their families. Also participating in the Painting Day were volunteers from FPWC’s Eco-clubs and other community members.

Septemeber 20, 2010

AVC Volunteers Foster Service, Leadership, and Community in Armenia

Yerevan, Armenia – Former US President Ronald Reagan once said “No matter how big and powerful government gets, and the many services it provides, it can never take the place of volunteers.”  US President Barack Obama recently concurred: “The need for action always exceeds the limits of government.”    The Armenian Volunteer Corps (AVC) wholeheartedly agrees and apparently so do the volunteers who come to Armenia from all over the world.

Forty three volunteers, from 21-55 years of age, came to Armenia this summer from Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Greece, United Kingdom, France, Jordan, and the United States.  They served in governmental, private and non-profit sectors including, but not limited to, Gyumri IT Center, Historic Armenian Houses, Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets, Gyumri Healthy Center, Caritas Armenia, Civilitas Foundation, Manana Youth Center, TUMO Center for Creative Technologies, Erebuni Hospital, ReAnimania Yerevan International Animation Film Festival, National Competitiveness Foundation, Journalists Club Asparez, Shirak Regional Museum of Archeology, Center for Health Services Research, American University of Armenia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Nagorno-Karabagh Republic, and the list goes on. Shogher Demirdjian-Jabrayan, 30, and Nayiri Panossian, 28, both teachers, spent their summers here in Yerevan teaching English. Shogher spent seven weeks at the Mascedan Foreign Languages Educational Centre and the Pyunic Association for the Disabled teaching summer school, while Nayiri spent six weeks teaching a class to AYB Educational Foundation students and volunteered at a summer youth program.  In addition to their specific volunteer placements, they jointly organized and facilitated a “Building Thematic Units” workshop for Armenian teachers.

May 26, 2010

Academic Writing: A Four Week Workshop for High School and University Students

The Armenian Volunteer Corps (AVC) presents Academic Writing: A Four Week workshop for high school and university students offered in English for advanced English learners.

June 10, 2010

A Busy Spring for the Armenian Volunteer Corps:
Serving Armenia through Volunteerism

Yerevan, Armenia-- Armenian Volunteer Corps volunteers have been volunteering—but not only at placement sites. During the month of April AVC volunteers dug holes, planted trees, swabbed mouths, and de-petaled flowers.

On Saturday, April 17, AVC volunteers and Birthright Armenia participants and staff traveled to Yeghegnadzor, in the Vayots Dzor region, where they joined the Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets (FPWC) in planting trees at School Number 1.  Also participating in the Earth Day planting were volunteers from FPWC’s Eco Club and other community members.