PRESS RELEASE: Our 1000th Participant Application Already Received!

IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION
Date:  October 30, 2014
Contact: Linda Yepoyan
info@birthrightarmenia.org  
www.birthrightarmenia.org   

Birthright Armenia’s 1000th Participant Application Already Received!  

It was this month only four years ago, when Birthright Armenia’s 500th participant entered the organization’s Yerevan office doors to start her journey of self-discovery. Serda Ozbenian’s first visit to the Birthright Armenia office, she thought, was for her orientation session.  So clearly, she thought nothing special about her place amongst all the other volunteers in country, until she was met with lights and TV cameras, dignitaries waiting to congratulate her with heartwarming speeches, musical performances, and a customized cake announcing her as number 500! 

Another such milestone is soon going be celebrated, as the 1000th program participant’s identity will be revealed in the coming months.   “We couldn’t be happier, as our staff’s and alumni’s continuous efforts are paying off, and we’ve already seen a 250% increase in applications received for 2015 and it’s still October,” says Sevan Kabakian, Country Director.  “By the end of 2014, we will have approximately 960 all-time volunteers, and given that we’ve already accepted 75 applicants for 2015, our 1000th volunteer is definitely in this pool.  Now it’s just a matter of waiting to see who steps through our doors as the 1000th volunteer based on their arrival date in Armenia this coming spring,” he continues.    

Birthright Armenia, created in 2004, has become a rite of passage program for young Armenian adults, 20-32 years of age, from all over the globe.  To date volunteers from 33 different countries worldwide have taken advantage of the immersion experience that the organization offers, starting with a rewarding job placement in the volunteer’s chosen field, and supplemented with language classes, homestay family living, educational forums, and weekly excursions filled with adventure.   

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, please visit our website at www.birthrightarmenia.org.

And be sure to visit us on Facebook.

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Jpeg attached:  Banner of the first 500 participants of Birthright Armenia awaits its mate for 501-1000!