On July 21, the participants of the Courses for Young Diaspora Armenian Leaders, which is part of the 2015 “Diaspora” Summer School Program of the RA Ministry of Diaspora, had a meeting with Executive Director of Birthright Armenia/Depi Hayk Foundation Sevan Kabakian and one of the participants of the Birthright Armenia/Depi Hayk Program Diana Kharatyan.

Sevan Kabakian talked about the goals and activities of the Depi Hayk Foundation established in 2004 and mentioned that the common goal is to help connect Diaspora Armenian youth to the homeland so that they recognize Armenia not through the eyes of a tourist, but go deeper than that.

Talking about the Foundation’s mission, Sevan Kabakian mentioned that the Foundation tries to enhance and strengthen the relations between young Armenians in Armenia and in the Diaspora, providing Diaspora Armenian youth with the opportunity to participate in daily life in Armenia and contribute to the advancement of the country through volunteer work.

Depi Hayk is a program that is open to young Diaspora Armenians between the ages of 20 and 32 and lasts from 9 weeks to one year. Based on the statistics of previous years, 50% of the participants are from the United States of America, while the rest are from Russia, Ukraine, as well as countries in the Near East and across Europe.

Sevan Kabakian presented the volunteer work that is part of the program and stressed that the organization does everything possible to make sure the experience that volunteers gain is goal-oriented.

Sevan Kabakian also talked about reimbursement for the participants’ travel expenses and introduced the Host Family Program.

In addition to volunteer work that is only 30 hours a week, the participants also take part in Armenian language courses, tours and have the chance to establish contacts with people of various fields through scheduled meetings.

Diana Kharatyan, who is involved in the volunteer work, lives in Moscow and works at one of the local banks. She has decided to spend her summer vacation in Armenia and try to not only recognize, but also discover Armenia through volunteerism. Talking about the work that she has done for the “Orran” Charitable Organization and the experience that she gained in the course of one month, Diana advised the young Diaspora Armenians to participate in the program and discover Armenia with their personal experience. “I’m sad that I have to leave. I would like to stay longer. I not only had the chance to work, but also meet Armenian youth from different countries who speak in Eastern Armenian, Western Armenian or don’t speak in Armenian at all. This was a totally different life for me, one that I couldn’t find anywhere else.”

At the end, the participants of the Courses for Young Diaspora Armenian Leaders asked Sevan Kabakian their questions of concern.