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SIDE BY SIDE MENTORSHIP PROJECT NEWLY LAUNCHED IN YEREVAN
by Melissa Mazman
noyan tapan
2011-11-30 07:30:02
Until I came to Armenia, the country was an abstraction for me. I
knew of its history, I was aware of its existence in my psyche, but
none of it was tangible. The moment I got off the plane, the country,
the land, the people, all materialized and became real.Initially,
my plan was to spend 5 weeks in Yerevan with Birthright Armenia as
a participant. I ended up staying for over 4 months.
I was supposed to work at an institution called Ghoghanj, which
partners with local schools and receives references of socially
disadvantaged, at-risk youth.
This sounded like the perfect organization and I was extremely
excited. Soon after starting work, I realized that, although they
did a wonderful job with the children, there was an important element
missing in the program. Many of the kids came from broken homes and
spent their days bouncing from their homes, to school, to Ghoghanj,
with no one-on-one, long term, positive adult relationships in their
lives. I believe that this lack of one-on-one involvement isolated them
from the larger world and deprived them of a sense of individuality,
a sense of personal worth and consequence in the world.
As I did more research on similar organizations, I realized the
long-term role-modeling element was missing in all of them. No
organization had the funds to provide every child with concentrated
individual attention.
Instead of being disappointed, I saw this as a great opportunity to
start something new. After all, the whole idea of coming to Armenia
was to be of use and to try to make a difference.
Regardless of their limitations, all these centers helped the
children, kept them away from the streets, and endowed them with
useful skills. Through Ghoghanj I discovered a gap, a need, and all
I had to do was figure out a way to address it. This is the reason
which propelled me to start Side-by-Side (Goghk-Goghki).
Side-by-Side is a mentorship program based on the "Big Brothers, Big
Sisters" model and adapted to the social needs of Armenia.Among other
things, the mentorship project has two elements which are crucial
for the development of the children, as well as Armenia.
1. It allows young professional adults to become role models to
socially disadvantaged youth for one year, and provides the support,
confidence, motivation and love they need in their lives
2. It advocates a culture of volunteerism in Armenia through community
service, where mentors and mentees get to recruit other volunteers
and work on a community project once a month.
The long-term goal is to have the program spread to other centers
in Armenia, but most importantly to give the opportunity of a better
present and future to the kids, to start a tradition of volunteerism
in Armenia, and to create a program that is self-sustained.
The road has been bumpy; however, more and more I am convinced that
Armenia is the perfect place to start such a program. It is young,
in need of a partnership, and has a lot to learn just like the kids
I work with.
Stay tuned for more success stories from Armenia.
Sincerely, Linda Yepoyan Executive Director
by Melissa Mazman
noyan tapan
2011-11-30 07:30:02
Until I came to Armenia, the country was an abstraction for me. I
knew of its history, I was aware of its existence in my psyche, but
none of it was tangible. The moment I got off the plane, the country,
the land, the people, all materialized and became real.Initially,
my plan was to spend 5 weeks in Yerevan with Birthright Armenia as
a participant. I ended up staying for over 4 months.
I was supposed to work at an institution called Ghoghanj, which
partners with local schools and receives references of socially
disadvantaged, at-risk youth.
This sounded like the perfect organization and I was extremely
excited. Soon after starting work, I realized that, although they
did a wonderful job with the children, there was an important element
missing in the program. Many of the kids came from broken homes and
spent their days bouncing from their homes, to school, to Ghoghanj,
with no one-on-one, long term, positive adult relationships in their
lives. I believe that this lack of one-on-one involvement isolated them
from the larger world and deprived them of a sense of individuality,
a sense of personal worth and consequence in the world.
As I did more research on similar organizations, I realized the
long-term role-modeling element was missing in all of them. No
organization had the funds to provide every child with concentrated
individual attention.
Instead of being disappointed, I saw this as a great opportunity to
start something new. After all, the whole idea of coming to Armenia
was to be of use and to try to make a difference.
Regardless of their limitations, all these centers helped the
children, kept them away from the streets, and endowed them with
useful skills. Through Ghoghanj I discovered a gap, a need, and all
I had to do was figure out a way to address it. This is the reason
which propelled me to start Side-by-Side (Goghk-Goghki).
Side-by-Side is a mentorship program based on the "Big Brothers, Big
Sisters" model and adapted to the social needs of Armenia.Among other
things, the mentorship project has two elements which are crucial
for the development of the children, as well as Armenia.
1. It allows young professional adults to become role models to
socially disadvantaged youth for one year, and provides the support,
confidence, motivation and love they need in their lives
2. It advocates a culture of volunteerism in Armenia through community
service, where mentors and mentees get to recruit other volunteers
and work on a community project once a month.
The long-term goal is to have the program spread to other centers
in Armenia, but most importantly to give the opportunity of a better
present and future to the kids, to start a tradition of volunteerism
in Armenia, and to create a program that is self-sustained.
The road has been bumpy; however, more and more I am convinced that
Armenia is the perfect place to start such a program. It is young,
in need of a partnership, and has a lot to learn just like the kids
I work with.
Stay tuned for more success stories from Armenia.
Sincerely, Linda Yepoyan Executive Director