Birthright Armenia Supports Spring Break Alternatives
By Contributor • on March 18, 2009 •
A five-person team of students from Boston College (BC) 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.
The children of SOS Children’s Village working on an art project with the BC volunteers.
The children of SOS Children’s Village working on an art project with the BC volunteers.
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 BC 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, rounded up four more fellow students who were committed to the trip, and started to actively fundraise the money required to afford the trip. In addition to 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. Yet, 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.”
BC students Andrea Zeytoonian and Brittany Kademian enjoy a full day of play activities with the children of SOS Children’s Village in Abovian.
BC students Andrea Zeytoonian and Brittany Kademian enjoy a full day of play activities with the children of SOS Children’s Village in Abovian.
Luckily the group was put in touch with Birthright Armenia, who welcomed their spring break initiative with open arms. “We commend Brittany and her BC colleagues for being pioneers. I am sure 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 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 the 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 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 used 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, visit www.birthrightarmenia.org.
http://www.hairenik.com/weekly/2009/03/18/birthright-armenia-supports-spring-break-alternatives/?ec3_listing=posts
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