2011

Volunteers Spring into Community Service

May 17, 2011

AVC Volunteers Spring into Community Service
Serving Armenia through Volunteerism

Yerevan, Armenia—Armenian Volunteer Corps (AVC) volunteers have turned spring into a season full of community service, complementing the service they already bring as part of volunteering in Armenia.

Early this spring, AVC volunteers helped paint a classroom and hallways at the middle school in Nor Kyugh, a village just outside of Yerevan where students from the SOS-Children's village attend school. Volunteers and students from the school also helped clean the school grounds. This community service project helped beautify the areas where the children spend their time, both indoors and outdoors and provided an opportunity for volunteers to give back and learn about the SOS-Children’s Village and their involvement in the community.

Lending a Hand with SOS-Children’s Villages

On March 25th, 2011, AVC volunteers helped paint a classroom and hallways at the middle school in Nor Kyugh, a village just outside of Yerevan where students from the SOS-Children's village attend school. Volunteers and students from the school also helped clean the school grounds.This community service project helped beautify the areas where the children spend their time, both indoors and outdoors. In doing so, volunteers were able to give back to one school in one village as well as learn about the SOS-Children’s Village and their involvement in the community.

About SOS-Children’s Villages:

"We build families for children in need. We help them shape their own futures. We share in the development of their communities." This is the mission of the SOS-Children’s Villages, an international non-governmental social development organization involved and committed to children's rights, needs and concerns.

Category: 2011

AVC Launches Teach: Invites Volunteers to help Improve English language learning in Armenia

March 28, 2011

AVC Launches Teach:

Invites Volunteers to help Improve English language learning in Armenia

Yerevan, Armenia-- On the occasion of its tenth anniversary serving Armenia through volunteerism, the Armenian Volunteer Corps (AVC) has launched Teach, its most ambitious program to date, helping to improve the quality of education in Armenia through English language learning.

Teach provides native English-speaking volunteer teachers to middle and high school students to complement the existing curriculum with a concentration in conversation, creative and academic writing skills, and creating a globally aware and active community.

Teaching English is not new to AVC. Over the last decade many of AVC’s 339 alumni have taught English as the primary or secondary focus of their volunteer service. English language teaching occurred in both formal and informal settings, in public school and university classrooms, in English language “clubs” for adults and children, at NGOs for staff, and during after school and summer programs.

AVC Expands Professional Corps Service Opportunities

March 3, 2011

Volunteering in Armenia:
AVC Expands Professional Corps Service Opportunities

Yerevan, Armenia –More and more professionals are traveling to Armenia to share their experiences and skills. With rising demand both from organizations with volunteer needs and from professionals with time and skills to share, the Armenian Volunteer Corps (AVC) is cultivating new Professional Corps possibilities every day, serving Armenia through volunteerism, and delivering on the promise of rewarding volunteer experiences for skilled professionals, all year round.

Attorney Rubina K. Shaldjian, age 31, from Florida, recently took a three-month sabbatical to volunteer with AVC. Working at the Civilitas Foundation, her tasks focused primarily on translations and drafting in English. “The fast-paced work environment at Civilitas was just what I was looking for. I wasn't bored for a second,” says Shaldjian. “From the second I got there, I began what felt like a three-month crash course in the political and social issues that abound in Armenia. I admit that, at first, I was slightly overwhelmed by the fact that there was so much I didn't know about the history, politics and culture of Armenia and the Caucasus. But as I began to develop relationships with my colleagues and locals in general, I gained a tremendous amount of insight as to the culture of Yerevan and the issues Armenians face, and the anxiety quickly subsided. I can honestly say that it was a true cultural experience... and it was too short! On a personal level, my time in Armenia allowed me to rediscover some passions that I had neglected due to the realities of my life such as career and student loans.”

Armenian Volunteer Corps Observes International Volunteer Day

AVC-Volunteers-and-Manana-Youth-Center-Participants-Cleaning-a-courtyard

January 25, 2011

Armenian Volunteer Corps Observes International Volunteer Day: Promoting Volunteerism in Armenia

Yerevan --- In observance of International Volunteer Day, on December 5, 2010, the Armenian Volunteer Corps (AVC) organized, “One More Day for Yerevan,” a partial Yerevan city clean to help keep the city clean and promote volunteerism.

Joining AVC volunteers in observing International Volunteer Day were volunteers from a wide range of organizations including the Armenian Red Cross Society, the Manana Youth Center, Eurasia International University, and Professionals for Civil Society.

Volunteers began early in the morning gathering at several places including at the Paregamoutyuan Metro Station, the Alexander Tamanyan Monument, the Armenian Red Cross Society and Eurasia International University. They made their way to the American University of Armenia where Karen Aghababyan, Director of Acopian Center for the Environment, addressed volunteers stressing how important their service was to helping promote an environmentally friendly and clean community.

Supporters of the successful community service project include Yerevan City Hall and Jean Jacques Ajamian - Sanga Est. Yerevan City Hall arranged for the pick-up of the garbage and Sanga Est supplied the garbage bags. “We are grateful to Yerevan City Hall and Jacques Adjemian – Sanga-Est LLC not only for their tangible support but also for promoting the importance of volunteerism,” stated AVC director Sharistan Melkonian.

“Volunteers from all over Yerevan and AVC volunteers from all over the world, many of whom are sponsored by Birthright Armenia, joined together to make a difference,” continued Melkonian. “We have said it before and we’ll say it again. Volunteerism is an integral part of a strong nation because a country’s needs always surpass the limits of government. Creating a community of engaged citizens is an important part of AVC’s mission.”

The International Volunteer Day clean up was one of many community service projects AVC organizes throughout the year.

AVC was founded in 2000 to serve Armenia through volunteerism. Since its inception, over 300 volunteers have served in over 200 organizations throughout Armenia. For more information about AVC visit www.armenianvolunteer.org.

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Caption: AVC volunteers and Manana Youth Center Students cleaning a courtyard off of Baghramyan Street