PRESS RELEASE
BIRTHRIGHT ARMENIA
October 11, 2005
Contact: Linda Yepoyan
Phone: 610-642-6633
[email protected]
FREE EASTERN ARMENIAN LANGUAGE PROGRAM OPENS NEW DOORS FOR BIRTHRIGHT
ARMENIA PARTICIPANTS
Riding on the coattails of last year’s successful Armenian language program,
Birthright Armenia has once again proven that learning the language can open
doors to a more meaningful experience. Ask the close to 100 participants in
2005, and they will tell you that the Depi Hayk Eastern Armenian language
program has become one of the most important and successful tools in helping
them immerse into Armenia’s daily life. With a large number of this year’s
young volunteers having no previous knowledge of the Armenian language
before making the journey to Armenia, Birthright’s supplementary in-class
language instruction helps to eliminate language as a barrier for diasporans
interested in contributing to the Homeland.
Each participant begins learning pre-departure by using the free online Depi
Hayk Armenian language tutorial at , which launched
in April 2004 as part of Birthright Armenia’s pilot program. The program
acts as a virtual “language lab,” and features a modern language tutorial,
including common vocabulary, grammar, and reading and writing tools, as well
as a phonetics tool to aid in pronunciation. All materials were developed
by the Arlex International team, led by linguist and attorney Thomas J.
Samuelian.
Then volunteers continue learning the basics of speaking, reading and
writing Armenian through in-class instruction during their eight-week long
community service period in Armenia, enough so that by the end of their
stay, they are successfully communicating with their work colleagues,
homestay family members, newfound friends and neighbors in the local
dialect.
Carla Doughty, an Armenian Volunteer Corps (AVC) volunteer and Birthright
Armenia participant from Rhode Island, who knew no Armenian prior to her
arrival in Armenia, states, “You can’t go to a country where people speak a
different language not knowing the language and expect to have the same
experience. Not only is it culturally important for me to know the language
but it’s socially respectful.”
Birthright Armenia offers these free language classes in Armenia with
teaching professionals from multiple institutions of higher education in
Yerevan. Currently, three different class levels are offered – beginner,
intermediate, and advanced – the latter specifically designed for those who
already have full conversational ability but want to improve their Armenian
reading and writing skills. Some volunteers already fluent in Western
Armenian choose to join in on the language instruction to learn Eastern
Armenian.
Anahit Avedissyan, who teaches the intermediate level language class, says
that she sees in her students an intense desire to learn the language and
that it inspires her. “I see this only here because they are Armenians.”
She further points out that because of this eagerness, students are able to
learn an incredible amount during their eight weeks in Armenia, citing one
student who, at the end of his internship, “wrote a letter to me entirely in
Armenian that made me so gratified and proud”.
Other program services offered to Birthright volunteers such as the homestay
living option, complement the Eastern Armenian language program, providing
great opportunities for participants to utilize their language skills. AVC
volunteer Edward Casabian of Massachusetts, who also knew no Armenian prior
to his arrival in Armenia, stated that his participation in the language
classes that involved everyday activities, as well as practice time with his
host family, were the most helpful elements during his stay in Armenia.
“The language was an amazing challenge for me, but learning the bits and
pieces I did was extremely rewarding.”
Fortunately a large majority of those who receive language tutoring in
Armenia pledge to continue their studies once they got back home, whether in
Eastern or Western dialect. “Birthright’s language classes helped so much
to increase my ability to communicate in Armenian that I am inspired to
continue building on what I learned in Armenia in order to be fluent one
day”, added Tamara Shahabian, a NY grad student who spent this past summer
in Armenia.
Birthright Armenia’s mission is to strengthen ties between the Homeland and
Diasporan youth by affording them an opportunity to be a part of Armenia’s
daily life and to contribute to Armenia’s development through work, study
and volunteer experiences, while developing life-long personal ties and a
renewed sense of Armenian identity. For those interested in learning more
about Birthright Armenia and the year-round opportunities available for
community service, please visit or email
[email protected].