PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Linda Yepoyan
March 17, 2008
Phone: 610-642-6633
info@birthrightarmenia.org

BIRTHRIGHT ARMENIA SUPPORTS SPRING BREAK ALTERNATIVES

A five-person team of students from Boston College is back on campus in
Massachusetts, absorbing all that just transpired during their whirlwind
spring break. This year, instead of going on the cliché tropical vacation
to Florida with college friends, or just going home for a relaxing break
from school, the group opted for a service trip to Armenia. What started
out, or so they thought, as an impossible concept to pull off, actually
resulted in one of the most rewarding experiences of their lives. Brittany
Kademian, the leader of the team and President of the Boston College
Armenian Club, admits, `At the end of the day, there are no words to
describe our experience in Armenia. We all went on this trip more excited
about traveling to Armenia and experiencing the culture than the service
component, but we left with such richer experiences than we could have ever
imagined.’

Planning and organizing this trip took a great deal of time and hard work,
but their persistence paid off. Kademian spread the word to both Armenian
and non-Armenian members of the ,Armenian Students Association, who were
interested in service trips and in the region, rounded up four more fellow
students who were committed to the trip, and they started to actively
fundraise the money required to afford the trip. In addition to Ms.
Kademian, group members included: Mark Buttweiler, Andrea Zeytoonian,
Brandon Spears, and Lucia Benavides.

Everything from bake sales to letter writing campaigns, fundraiser dinners
and more were organized – and the group was constantly coming up with new
ways to pay for their trip. However, they faced a challenge when it came to
the issue of what organization to work with once in Armenia and what type of
service to do. Kademian reports, `Our group was open to everything, but we
were having a hard time finding a worthwhile group with whom to volunteer.’

Luckily the group was put in touch with Birthright Armenia, who welcomed the
group’s spring break initiative with open arms. `We commend Brittany and
her Boston College colleagues for being pioneers. I am sure that this
experience will open the gates to many other groups of students and ASA
teams to choose Armenia as a spring break destination.” says Sevan
Kabakian, country director for the organization in Armenia. `It’s all about
imagining a wider set of possibilities, expanding the boundaries, thinking
beyond the cliché destinations, and redefining what having fun can mean,’ he
added.

The Birthright Armenia staff was more than amenable to assist with
logistics, arrange homestays, and organize a detailed itinerary of
day-to-day activities and community service to offer the group a taste of
both city and rural life, combined with cultural and historical sites, and a
look at how the people live. SOS Children’s Village in Abovian and Our Lady
of Armenia orphanage in Gyumri were just two sites where the group members
worked, teaching English and initiating other learning activities with
children. In addition, to round out their trip, they were invited to join
in on Armenian language classes, attend Armenian dance class, and socialize
with the group of Birthright Armenia volunteers already living and working
in Armenia.

`Going on this trip not only gave us a better understanding of another
culture and its people, but inspired us all to want to do more service in
the future. A spring break such as ours which was utilized to help others
not only helped the local people, but also allowed us to experience others’
perspectives and culture, helping us to grow from this trip and make us into
better people for the future,’ Kademian added.
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 a renewed sense of Armenian
identity. For more information, or to make an online donation, please visit
our web site at .