PRESS RELEASE
Fund for Armenian Relief
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Edina N. Bobelian
Tel: (212) 889-5150; Fax: (212) 889-4849
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
March 24, 2006
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FUND FOR ARMENIAN RELIEF ORGANIZING 10th ANNUAL YOUNG PROFESSIONALS TRIP TO
ARMENIA
Applications for the June 2006 Trip Available Now
The Fund for Armenian Relief (FAR) is organizing its tenth annual Young
Professionals Trip to Armenia. From June 12 to 24, 2006, FAR will take a
group aged from 23 to 40 on a journey to all four corners of Armenia and
into Karabagh.
The group will see many of Armenia’s beautiful landscapes and treasures.
The trip begins with a visit to the pagan temple of Garni and the 13th
century Geghart Monastery carved out of a mountain. Following a tour of
Yerevan, including the Tsitsernakaberd Genocide Memorial, the group will
travel north to Gyumri, the second city of Armenia that had been devastated
by the 1988 earthquake.
After spending the night in Gyumri, the FAR Young Professionals will stop at
Haghartsin, the 7th century UNESCO-recognized monastery perched on a
forest-covered mountainside. The Young Professionals will then visit Lake
Sevan, the peninsula and its two chapels dating back to the 12th century.
The top of the peninsula provides a breath-taking vista of the largest
alpine lake in the world whose turquoise shimmers on a clear day.
The next day, the FAR group will take the new Selim Pass highway, stopping
to enjoy the panorama of Armenia’s southern city of Goris on the way to
Karabagh. They will see Shushi, Stepanakert, the 13th century Gandzasar
Monastery, Babig and Dadig (the symbol of Karabagh), and meet with a
Karabagh government representative.
Back in Armenia, the Young Professionals will visit Noravank, tour the Holy
See at Etchmiadzin, and meet with Catholicos Karekin II. As part of
experiencing Armenia’s enduring Christian faith, the Young Professionals
will have the opportunity to climb down into the Khor Virap pit where St.
Gregory the Illuminator was imprisoned for thirteen years.
The FAR journey will also include seeing Mesrob Mashtots’ birthplace,
Oshagan, and a hike up the Amberd fortress atop Mt. Aragats. Throughout the
trip, there will be ample views of the snow-capped Mt. Ararat and Mt.
Aragats.
Participants in FAR’s Young Professionals Trip do more than just see the
country’s sites. They learn about Armenia’s place in the world, her
religious, political and economic heritage, and engage government leaders in
official state visits. On the last day of the two-week adventure in June
2006, the FAR Young Professionals will meet Armenia’s Minister of Foreign
Affairs Vartan Oskanian.
Nightlife in Yerevan is also plentiful. The 2006 Young Professionals Trip
participants may watch an opera, listen to the Yerevan Philharmonic, eat in
gourmet restaurants, or hit the latest bars, cafes and clubs.
While it is important to witness Armenia’s rich cultural heritage, it is
just as critical for the Young Professionals to understand the realities of
life in Armenia and Karabagh today. They will go to various FAR projects,
such as the Ounjian School in Gyumri, the Children’s Center in Yerevan, the
Nursing Home in Vanadzor, and a few sites completed thanks to the $15
million humanitarian assistance contract in Karabagh that USAID awarded FAR.
The total cost of FAR’s 2006 Young Professionals Trip is $2,420 and includes
airfare to and from Armenia (departing from New York), all taxes, double
occupancy at the Armenia Marriott Hotel Yerevan and other superior hotel
accommodations outside of Yerevan, two meals per day in Yerevan, three meals
per day outside of Yerevan, entrance fees, and guided daily sightseeing.
Applications may be downloaded from FAR’s website, , by
clicking on the “Young Professionals” tab. Applicants meeting all
qualifications for participation will be accepted in the order received.
Space is limited for this program.
For more information, please contact Arto Vorperian at FAR, 630 Second
Avenue, New York, NY 10016, or by telephone at (212) 889-5150 and email at
[email protected].
— 3/24/06
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