PRESS RELEASE

Armenian Volunteer Corps
62 Hanrapetutian St. Apt 108
Yerevan, Armenia
Contact: Anoush Tatevossian
Tel: (374 10) 540037
E-mail: info@avc.am
Web:

Volunteers’ Efforts Go Beyond Their Capabilities

YEREVAN, June 26, 2006. A protest three weeks ago in front of the Russian
Embassy in Yerevan marked Armenia’s first public condemnation of the growing
xenophobia in Russia towards the Armenian Diaspora and other immigrant
groups living there.

The June 5th protest, in response to an escalating number of crimes and
murders over the past 6 months, prompted President Robert Kocharian to step
up pressure on Moscow on Friday, June 16 to increase efforts to quell such
attacks and take preventative measures. The protest represented a theme
of growing frustration in Armenians within the Republic and worldwide
regarding the issue.

A theme of lesser notice at the protest, however, was the growing role of
the Armenian Diaspora’s volunteer efforts in their homeland. The Armenian
Volunteer Corps (AVC), an organization that brings Diasporans to Armenia to
volunteer throughout the country, was a main organizer of the event and
represented a majority of the protestors. Volunteers expressed their
disgust of the events in Russia by standing in line in front of the embassy
with anti-xenophobia signs and by giving interviews with the media.

Since January, the AVC has brought 22 volunteers to Armenia, many of them
young people coming to the country for the first time to assume various
roles including teaching English in villages, working with organizations in
Yerevan, and helping out at orphanages and with reforestation efforts.
Volunteers also have the opportunity to take Armenian language lessons and
travel to Armenia’s churches and historic sites through the Birthright
Armenia organization, which supports the volunteers with financial
assistance.

Past volunteers have come to Armenia from countries all around the world,
however the majority of them are from the US, Canada, and Western Europe.
Since the AVC’s founding in 2000, over 100 volunteers have given their
services to Armenia. "I’ve been able to lend my capabilities to different
organizations and people here, and in return I’ve gotten to know my homeland
like my own family," said Nick Bazarian, a volunteer from Vermont who came
to Armenia in February after deciding to take a semester off from college.

For those who work with the volunteers, benefits go further than the amount
of work or service the volunteers accomplish. According to AVC’s director
Anoush Tatevossian, "Sometimes it’s the ideas they bring and the
interactions they have with people that ultimately have a greater impact on
the development of society. Their experiences outside of Armenia are shared
with people in day-to-day interactions and help people think outside the
box."

The June 5th protest was one such example of this as the volunteers
organized themselves according to past protest experiences in the US and
Canada, forming a line in front of the embassy and equipping themselves with
signs and ready voices. The protesters then marched to the Armenian Foreign
ministry where they remained for 45 minutes. Civic actions such as this
protest have proved a success with the recent discussions between Kocharian
and the Kremlin.

Open protests of this kind in Armenia are generally rare, unattended, and
usually unorganized without sponsorship of the state. Protests are also
generally reactive rather than proactive, with people taking action after
the fact rather than before it happens, thus limiting the potential to
create influence. Noted protest organizer Arsen Kharatian, "These
volunteers come to Armenia with the intentions of physically helping their
homeland, but they end up influencing people and institutions in ways they
don’t always realize. They are a unique and positive resource for
Armenians."