Birthright Armenia’s “Heritage Tour” Symbolically Marking the 100th

"Church of Saint Gregory (King Gagik), Ani, Turkey." by Christian Koehn is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

Birthright Armenia will be making a landmark trip to historical Armenia this summer to mark the centennial of the Armenian Genocide. The non-profit is organizing a 15-stop, guided “Heritage Tour” for summer 2015, specifically designed for its alumni base. As a gift to the alumni in celebration of the 10th anniversary of Birthright Armenia, the organization is underwriting half of the costs of the land package for each participant.         

For the majority of the participants, this meaningful journey will be a first-time visit to Western Armenia. As such, the upcoming trip will expand their understanding of their Armenian identity beyond what their Birthright experience gave them in modern Armenian with  many being the first in their family to visit the villages of grandparents and great-grandparents. The hope is to better put into tangible context the genocide on this 100th anniversary.

Site visits of the Heritage Tour include:  Kars, Ani, Van, Akhtamar, Mush, Tatvan, Bitlis, Nemrut, Diyarbakir, Mardin, Urfa, Ayntap, Marash, Erzroum, and Kharpert.  In true Birthright Armenia spirit and tradition, the Heritage Tour will be designed with the same unique and adventurous extra touches similar to the excursions in Armenia alums experienced while they were volunteers.    

"k o m m a g e n e" by Zeynep. is licensed under CC BY 2.0

“One hundred years have passed since our ancestors experienced atrocities that have affected future generations until today,” explains Linda Yepoyan, executive director of Birthright Armenia. “Our volunteer program in Armenia  focus on hands-on immersion to allow our volunteers to have a more impactful experience in the  Republic of Armenia, so  the Heritage Tour was designed to allow our alumni to similarly feel the true impact of the genocide by visiting the villages that their ancestors were forced to flee.  We feel this trip for many will help round out their journey of self-discovery of their Armenian identity”.  

"Armenian gravestones near Lake Van, 1973" by John Hill is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.