December Events, Last Excursion of 2021, and It’s a Wrap!

As the very last month of the year, we wanted to make December super-special for our program participants. Having lived through all the challenges throughout the last two years, we as the Birthright Armenia team continue to spare no efforts in motivating and inspiring our volunteers and in-country repatriated alumni. How, you might ask? Well, we organized a series of special events to celebrate their presence in our homeland. With the first week marking the International Volunteer Day till the weekend which we used to explore yet another site in Armenia. We have plenty of plans in our minds for our alumni and incoming volunteers.

Celebrating Volunteers and Alumni

Special for the occasion of the International Volunteers Day, we decided to dedicate an entire week to celebrating our program participants through various events and initiatives. We held a mini in-office party, where the current volunteers had a chance to relax from their workday, network a little, and recall some of the most memorable moments of their experience in Armenia because every one of them was asked to bring a photo to be pinned on our memory board. The event began with an interactive Happy Talk delivered by Artak Aloyan, a Soft Skills Trainer at the American University of Armenia. Together with Artak, we talked about different stereotypes that exist in Armenia, discussed how we can stay positive in the face of all the challenges our country is encountering and held a brief experience-sharing with Armenian Volunteer Corps volunteers. The talk was followed by a reception of tasty dishes and sweets by our all-time-favorite Nazuk Café and Bakery (founded by a repatriated volunteer from Russia, by the way). And finally, the most exciting part of our event was the 360 photo zone. Our volunteers now have exclusive individual and group 360 video shots.

And what about our alumni? As Christmas was approaching, we held a rooftop Christmas reunion! All our 260 repatriated program participants were invited together with their loved ones to reconnect with their Birthright family. You know what? Let us share with you some exciting news. Some of our alumni came with their significant others, already married, who also are Birthright alumni. Some others were excited to share with us that they eventually found the job they were searching for so long and are now even more excited to stay and live in their homeland.

Our Last Excursion of 2021 to Garni and Geghard

We wrapped up our annual excursions calendar with a trip to Garni temple and Geghard monastery.Those of you who have been to Garni and Geghard know what a marvelous view opens from these places, but this time it was foggy and cloudy, which added some nice mystery to our visit.

Our calendar for 2022 is almost full, and we can’t wait to welcome each and every one of you to our program and show you Armenia in its full beauty. Apply today, share this blog article on your Social Media so your network also knows about the opportunity to uncover Armenia from within.

Happy New Year!