ZORYAN INSTITUTE AWARDS ARAM AYVAZIAN PRIZE TO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS FOR ESSAY CONTEST ON GENOCIDE
AZG Armenian Daily
01/07/2009
Armenian Genocide
On June 19, 2009, the Zoryan Institute awarded prizes to three grade 11
students for their submissions to the "Aram Aivazian High School Essay
Contest on Genocide." The purpose of the contest is to supplement
the teaching provided by the Ontario Ministry of Education’s new
genocide curriculum by motivating students to research the subject
more deeply, in a comparative manner. In the process, they would
understand the Armenian Genocide and its significance in the history
of the gross violation of human rights better. This, in turn, would
help them appreciate their own history and its impact on their personal
identities. Earlier this year, Zoryan launched this program as a pilot
project with A.R.S. School in Toronto. The first prize of $1,500
went to Amy Chitilian for her essay, "The Armenian Genocide: What
Were the Causes of These Massacres and Was It Really Genocide?" The
second prize of $1,250 went to Nareh Ghalustians for her essay titled,
"The Indispensible Recognition of the Armenian Genocide." The third
prize of $1,000 went to Missak Boyadjian for his essay, "The Armenian
Genocide and Humanity’s Continued Failure in Prevention." This money
is intended to help the students with their university tuitions.
Amy Chitilian made the following statement about her experience in
the project. "I would sincerely like to thank the Zoryan Institute
for putting forth this great opportunity. I am honoured to have been
chosen as the first prize scholarship winner. It gave me the incentive
to apply the knowledge that I have acquired this year through the
20th century history course regarding genocide into an analytical
essay. Preparing this essay enabled me to prove that the Armenian
massacres can and should be considered as genocide. I hope the contest
will continue to provide students with a similar opportunity to develop
insight into the world of genocide." Armen Martirossian, Principal
of the A.R.S. Armenian School, expressed his thanks to the Zoryan
Institute for launching its pilot program at his school. "We hope
this program will be adopted by other schools, whose students would
benefit greatly," he added. The program was established in memory of
Aram Aivazian, a long-time supporter of the Zoryan Institute, author,
active member of the Armenian community, and an ardent campaigner
against denial, who believed firmly in the importance of education
and raising awareness of human rights in youth. "The Aivazian family
was very moved to have our father remembered in such a meaningful
way," said Prof. Varouj Aivazian, who is a founding board member of
Zoryan Canada. "If he could have been here tonight," he continued,
"he would have been very proud of these students for their hard
work studying the Genocide." The Zoryan Institute is the parent
organization of the International Institute for Genocide and Human
Rights Studies, which runs an annual, accredited university program on
the subject and is co-publisher of Genocide Studies and Prevention: An
International Journal in partnership with the International Association
of Genocide Scholars and the University of Toronto Press. It is the
first non-profit, international center devoted to the research and
documentation of contemporary issues with a focus on Genocide, Diaspora
and Armenia. For more information please contact the Zoryan Institute
by email zoryan@zoryaninstitute.org or telephone (416) 250-9807