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    Categories: 2020

AGBU Young Professionals Solve for Social Distancing with Live Stream Series

AGBU Press Office
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Website: 

 
  
PRESS RELEASE
  
Monday, 
  
AGBU YOUNG PROFESSIONALS SOLVE FOR SOCIAL DISTANCING WITH LIVE STREAM SERIES

The Young Professionals of Los Angeles (YPLA) have launched an innovate virtual 
series aimed to unite individuals throughout the AGBU community during this 
global pandemic. With seven successful episodes under their belt and three more 
in the works, the Young Professionals are continuously working to keep the 
community engaged, entertained, and enlightened. From Armenian cooking classes 
in Madrid to a remote comedy show featuring YPs from all over the world, the 
live series has garnered over 300 avid participants with an ever-increasing 
audience.

"Even in the most isolating moments, we're able to connect with chapters around 
the world. We've met Young Professionals from other countries and chapters that 
we may not have met otherwise or have been able to connect with," noted YPLA 
Communications Manager Rita Chakrian. 

The idea for an episodic virtual series came to fruition during a virtual YPLA 
meeting when co-chairs Tenny Kachatourian and Carin Kellzi and Communications 
Chair Rita Chakrian realized that all future events would have to be conducted 
virtually. Rather than view this as a loss, YPLA leadership decided to keep 
their momentum going by orchestrating a virtual event they had long wished for: 
a global talent show. After reaching out to various chapters, YPLA leadership 
gathered musicians and dancers from all over the world to participate, engaging 
a global audience of almost 100 participants on their first episode. 

"This all happened within two or three days," said Chakrian. "We had the call 
with our YP Group and the mass chain started." The YPLA leadership credit the 
inspiration behind this series to the AGBU spirit of unity. "We launched YP Live 
as a way to bring everyone virtually together while we must physically stay 
apart," noted Kachatourian, adding that this initiative will continue as long 
this quarantine persists. "We will be continuing our YP Live virtual events for 
as long as social distancing measures last in any of our global YP communities 
so we can all be together, keep our spirits up, and learn some new skills while 
being safe." 

The first episode of the YP Live series, "YPs Got Talent" launched on March 28th 
and featured talent from all over the world. "We wanted it to be open to all the 
YPs, but we really didn't know it would become this huge event involving 
chapters in Buenos Aires to Toronto to London and all their communities," said 
Kellzi. After a successful first run, the YPs of Texas carried the virtual torch 
and kept the momentum going with a square-down tutorial, re-creating the YP 
Houston Hoedown that was cancelled due to COVID-19. "Every episode hits a 
different target audience. We figured every locality would have something unique 
to bring to the table, and we could use that for continual content," commented 
Chakrian. 

Shortly after came a Zumba tutorial from YPLA, an Armenian Cooking Class hosted 
by the YPs of Madrid, and a virtual game of "YPictionary" hosted by the YPs of 
Buenos Aires. Each episode is highly curated, with Kachatourian as the host and 
interactive messaging encouraged throughout the hour-long episode. 

One of the most recent episodes, "Coast to Coast Comedy," provided comedic 
relief and became one of the most highly attended virtual episode to date, 
eliciting laughs from Egypt to LA and New York. "The comedy show really proved 
that a lot of people would tune in because there were over 300 people." 

"We may be on the other side of the world, but even though we can't go out and 
see each other anyways, it feels like we're all two feet apart," mused YPLA 
co-chair Kachatourian. 

The AGBU Young Professionals (YP), a global network, strive to promote the 
Armenian identity and heritage for young Armenians between the ages of 22 to 40 
and empowered ambitious individuals to make a positive difference in their 
communities. It has grown to become one of the largest Armenian networks of its 
kind, with over 33 groups across the globe. 

Tune in to the next YP Live using this link:  bit.ly/AGBUYPLIVE. 

May 2: Young Professionals Live: Episode 10 - Music for the Soul
May 3: Young Professionals Live: Episode 11 - Boozy Brunch Recipes

The Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) is the world's largest non-profit 
organization devoted to upholding the Armenian heritage through educational, 
cultural and humanitarian programs. Each year, AGBU is committed to making a 
difference in the lives of 500,000 people across Armenia, Artsakh and the 
Armenian diaspora.  Since 1906, AGBU has remained true to one overarching goal: 
to create a foundation for the prosperity of all Armenians. To learn more visit 

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George Mamian: