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PRESS RELEASE
Tuesday, June 6, 2006
HYE GEEN CO-HOSTS CONFERENCE ON ARMENIAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY ISSUES
On April 8, 2006, AGBU Hye Geen hosted a conference entitled, “The
Status of Armenian Communities Living in the United States” at the
California State University of Los Angeles (CSULA). Co-organized by
Hye Geen’s newly formed Forum for Armenian Cultural and Social Studies
(FACSS) and CSULA’s School of Social Work, the event attracted over
140 people, including students, scholars and interested community
members.
The all-day conference consisted of a diverse program that included
presentations by nine prominent speakers, as well as remarks from Sona
Yacoubian, Hye Geen Chairwoman and Nayiri Nahabedian, FACSS
Chairwoman. Featured speakers shared their expertise from a variety of
professional backgrounds in the fields of psychology, art and
medicine. Hye Geen’s objectives for the conference were to bring
together researchers, educators and community groups in order to
examine social and cultural issues facing Armenians in the U.S. today,
and to build a network of professionals serving Armenian communities.
In the sphere of psychology, keynote speaker, Professor Hagop
Der-Karabetian, PhD, discussed Armenian Communities in context of
Armenian ethnic identity, while Lisa Arslanian, PhD, lectured on
Armenian cultural attitudes and beliefs in a psychological
context. Mary Harutunian, Psychology Doctoral candidate, discussed
Armenian women’s sexuality. Marriage and Family Therapist, Shakeh
Yegavian, spoke about traditional Armenian values and their impact on
Armenian-American couples.
Houri Keshishian, MA and teacher at the AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian
School in Canoga Park, California, spoke about identity issues for
immigrant Armenian-American youth. Professor of Social Work, Rita
Ladesma, PhD, discussed the bonds between culture and notions of a
homeland.
To present a varied number of perspectives, the conference also
included cultural entrepreneur Stepan Partamian, who offered his ideas
on Armenian communities from his media experience, emphasizing the
social and cultural struggles of Armenians living in the United
States.
In the field of medicine, nurse Loucine Daderian Huckabay, PhD, shared
her knowledge of health issues impacting Armenian-American immigrants,
while Dr. Jack Der-Sarkissian, family practitioner as well as amateur
historian and musician, lectured on Western musical perspectives of
the Armenian Genocide.
The conference was dedicated to AGBU’s Centennial, as well as the 12th
Anniversary of the founding of AGBU Hye Geen.
Part of the AGBU Southern California District, AGBU Hye Geen preserves
and honors the achievements of Armenian women around the world,
promotes the role of women in family and society through research,
education and advocacy and provides overall support for the
empowerment of women as guardians of the Armenian heritage. For more
information on AGBU Hye Geen, please call the AGBU Pasadena Center at
(626) 794-7942.
To find out more about AGBU events or to view the accompanying photos
online, please visit