Tweet
March 10, 2014
AVC Professional Corps
Contact: Tania Chichmanian
(374 10) 54 00 37 | [email protected]
www.armenianvolunteer.org
www.armenianvolunteer.blogspot.com
AVC Professional Corps: Getting intimate with Armenia through service
Yerevan, Armenia -- In her application to Armenian Volunteer Corps (AVC),
Connie Koumjian, 59, wrote "The desire to serve the people of Armenia came
to me gradually." After many years in New York City, she had just recently
started to attend Armenian Church where she also sang in the choir; and this
awoke her interest in Armenia, the land and the people, the culture and
traditions. It didn't take long for her to decide that she needed to learn
more, so she signed up for a volunteer trip to Armenia through the Fuller
Center for Housing.
Connie spent one month in Armenia in the summer of 2011, working on a
house-building project in Vanadzor and then discovering the art of
iconography in Yerevan. But it wasn't enough. Back in New York, she
realized that the trip had given her great joy and that learning about her
heritage as an Armenian was a very enriching experience. And so the
decision was made; she would return to Armenia for a longer-term stay to
live and work with her brethren, this time through Armenian Volunteer Corps
(AVC).
Connie arrived in Armenia in March 2013 with a keen desire to serve her
homeland. Over the course of 10 months, Connie was able to experience life
as a resident of Armenia. For the first two months, she lived with a
host-family, but once she was acclimated and confident that she could get by
independently, she moved into her own apartment and began living like a
'native' - paying rent, shopping and cooking for herself, chatting with
neighbors, making friends.and of course, going to 'work'.
Work in Connie's case involved multiple volunteer placements. Based on her
background as a social worker in New York City where she had worked in a
variety of settings with disadvantaged and immigrant populations in the
Bronx, Brooklyn and Manhattan, assisting them with family issues and
addiction-related problems, as well as her extensive volunteer work, AVC was
able to arrange service opportunities that would benefit from her years of
experience.
In Yerevan, Connie spent part of each week helping at a soup-kitchen and a
center for the elderly. She admits that at times the work was quite hard,
but it was always very fulfilling. "The workers at the jasharan
(soup-kitchen) were very warm and kind; I developed rewarding friendships
there with both the staff and the guests and had many interesting
conversations -- and they helped me practice my Armenian! I was welcomed at
the dzeranots (senior center) and made some very meaningful contacts there;
that experience gave me interesting cultural insights into Armenia."
Connie also volunteered at Real World Real People (RWRP), a non-governmental
organization whose mission is to improve the quality of life of people
living with HIV and their families through social, psychological and legal
support, and improved access to treatment, care and prevention. Although
Connie's Armenian skills limited the amount of direct consultations she
could have with beneficiaries at RWRP, her extensive experience enabled her
to focus her efforts on program development - specifically working on
developing and implementing a 12-step recovery support group for people
recovering from substance abuse (alcohol/drug abuse), a first for Armenia.
The process included obtaining the donation and delivery of the necessary
books and training materials to Armenia, which Connie secured through her
global network of contacts.
In her free time, when she wasn't studying Armenian or out exploring, Connie
also found time to pursue her love of iconography/miniature painting through
weekly classes, lots of independent practice and meetings with some of the
best iconographers in Armenia today.
Of her experience, Connie says, "As a Christian, I have always considered it
important to serve. I enjoy sharing with others their experiences, learning
about their needs and being in a caring relationship with others. Serving
in Armenia was extra special for me as it afforded me the opportunity to
know the country and culture of my heritage more intimately. I am proud to
have served as an AVC volunteer in Armenia and to have been able to share my
love, concern, skills and time."
Connie is now back in the United States where she has resumed her work with
the marginalized and less fortunate. Before she left Armenia, Connie
promise that she would practice her Armenian as much as possible and, more
importantly, that she would return very soon!
Founded in 2000, the Armenian Volunteer Corps (AVC) is Armenia's premier
volunteer placement organization. AVC invites individuals 21 years of age
and older, of all backgrounds from across the globe, to volunteer in Armenia
for two weeks to one year. In addition to placements, AVC provides all
logistical support from airport pick-up, to host-family living arrangements,
Armenian language classes, and more, in partnership with its sister
organization Birthright Armenia. To date, over 550 volunteers from 34
countries have served in hundreds of organizations throughout Armenia. [For
more information, visit www.armenianvolunteer.org]
# # #
Jpeg attached: Connie Koumjian and other AVC volunteers recycling flowers
at Tsitsernagaberd on April 26, 2013 as part of annual program spearheaded
by the Fund for the Protection of Wildlife and Cultural Assets (FPWC).
# # #
Tania J. Chichmanian
Executive Director
Armenian Volunteer Corps
www.armenianvolunteer.org
[email protected]
Tel: (+374-10) 540037 | 94-874012
Come Move Mountains
facebook blogger
Youtube square
twitter
Logo-2013_120px
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
AVC Professional Corps
Contact: Tania Chichmanian
(374 10) 54 00 37 | [email protected]
www.armenianvolunteer.org
www.armenianvolunteer.blogspot.com
AVC Professional Corps: Getting intimate with Armenia through service
Yerevan, Armenia -- In her application to Armenian Volunteer Corps (AVC),
Connie Koumjian, 59, wrote "The desire to serve the people of Armenia came
to me gradually." After many years in New York City, she had just recently
started to attend Armenian Church where she also sang in the choir; and this
awoke her interest in Armenia, the land and the people, the culture and
traditions. It didn't take long for her to decide that she needed to learn
more, so she signed up for a volunteer trip to Armenia through the Fuller
Center for Housing.
Connie spent one month in Armenia in the summer of 2011, working on a
house-building project in Vanadzor and then discovering the art of
iconography in Yerevan. But it wasn't enough. Back in New York, she
realized that the trip had given her great joy and that learning about her
heritage as an Armenian was a very enriching experience. And so the
decision was made; she would return to Armenia for a longer-term stay to
live and work with her brethren, this time through Armenian Volunteer Corps
(AVC).
Connie arrived in Armenia in March 2013 with a keen desire to serve her
homeland. Over the course of 10 months, Connie was able to experience life
as a resident of Armenia. For the first two months, she lived with a
host-family, but once she was acclimated and confident that she could get by
independently, she moved into her own apartment and began living like a
'native' - paying rent, shopping and cooking for herself, chatting with
neighbors, making friends.and of course, going to 'work'.
Work in Connie's case involved multiple volunteer placements. Based on her
background as a social worker in New York City where she had worked in a
variety of settings with disadvantaged and immigrant populations in the
Bronx, Brooklyn and Manhattan, assisting them with family issues and
addiction-related problems, as well as her extensive volunteer work, AVC was
able to arrange service opportunities that would benefit from her years of
experience.
In Yerevan, Connie spent part of each week helping at a soup-kitchen and a
center for the elderly. She admits that at times the work was quite hard,
but it was always very fulfilling. "The workers at the jasharan
(soup-kitchen) were very warm and kind; I developed rewarding friendships
there with both the staff and the guests and had many interesting
conversations -- and they helped me practice my Armenian! I was welcomed at
the dzeranots (senior center) and made some very meaningful contacts there;
that experience gave me interesting cultural insights into Armenia."
Connie also volunteered at Real World Real People (RWRP), a non-governmental
organization whose mission is to improve the quality of life of people
living with HIV and their families through social, psychological and legal
support, and improved access to treatment, care and prevention. Although
Connie's Armenian skills limited the amount of direct consultations she
could have with beneficiaries at RWRP, her extensive experience enabled her
to focus her efforts on program development - specifically working on
developing and implementing a 12-step recovery support group for people
recovering from substance abuse (alcohol/drug abuse), a first for Armenia.
The process included obtaining the donation and delivery of the necessary
books and training materials to Armenia, which Connie secured through her
global network of contacts.
In her free time, when she wasn't studying Armenian or out exploring, Connie
also found time to pursue her love of iconography/miniature painting through
weekly classes, lots of independent practice and meetings with some of the
best iconographers in Armenia today.
Of her experience, Connie says, "As a Christian, I have always considered it
important to serve. I enjoy sharing with others their experiences, learning
about their needs and being in a caring relationship with others. Serving
in Armenia was extra special for me as it afforded me the opportunity to
know the country and culture of my heritage more intimately. I am proud to
have served as an AVC volunteer in Armenia and to have been able to share my
love, concern, skills and time."
Connie is now back in the United States where she has resumed her work with
the marginalized and less fortunate. Before she left Armenia, Connie
promise that she would practice her Armenian as much as possible and, more
importantly, that she would return very soon!
Founded in 2000, the Armenian Volunteer Corps (AVC) is Armenia's premier
volunteer placement organization. AVC invites individuals 21 years of age
and older, of all backgrounds from across the globe, to volunteer in Armenia
for two weeks to one year. In addition to placements, AVC provides all
logistical support from airport pick-up, to host-family living arrangements,
Armenian language classes, and more, in partnership with its sister
organization Birthright Armenia. To date, over 550 volunteers from 34
countries have served in hundreds of organizations throughout Armenia. [For
more information, visit www.armenianvolunteer.org]
# # #
Jpeg attached: Connie Koumjian and other AVC volunteers recycling flowers
at Tsitsernagaberd on April 26, 2013 as part of annual program spearheaded
by the Fund for the Protection of Wildlife and Cultural Assets (FPWC).
# # #
Tania J. Chichmanian
Executive Director
Armenian Volunteer Corps
www.armenianvolunteer.org
[email protected]
Tel: (+374-10) 540037 | 94-874012
Come Move Mountains
facebook blogger
Youtube square
Logo-2013_120px
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress