Social Work is a very new profession in Armenia. Prior to the separation of Armenia from the Soviet Union in 1991, professional social work education and training did not exist. Dr. Nancy Humphries, former Dean of Social Work at the University of Connecticut and Past President of National NASW was responsible for this amazing development.

Ten social workers came to Boston recently under the auspices of the Cambridge-Yerevan Sister City Association. Their three week experience was funded by the USAID Community Connections Visitor Exchange Program. It included visits to a wide variety of social service agencies, health and hospital services, school based programs, senior centers, the State House, and two Schools of Social Work, Simmons and University of Connecticut. The program included about thirty site visits, often with several speakers at each. Members of the group lived with host families, visited historic Boston, attended art and cultural events around the city, as well as discovering entertainments on their own.

The visiting social workers, ranging in age from 23 to 60, diverse in experience, met with me for their initial overview of social work in the United States. Two hours flew by. People were so curious, and interested in everything. We had a wonderful interpreter, who was able to seamlessly move from Armenian to English. My talk cov- ered a brief history of social work in the U.S., the varied fields of social work practice, government, non-profit, and private services, educating the public about so-cial work services, the role of NASW in the development of the profession, licensing, continuing education, the central role of the Code of Ethics, and challenges to the profession.

Clearly, this was only a bird's eye view. The group will learn much in the comprehensive program planned for them. I look forward to attending their public wrap up session and will report about it in a future issue of FOCUS. Even in the short time I've been involved in this project, it is apparent that NASW has much to offer the newly developing social work profession in Armenia. I gave the visitors big yellow and black NASW tote bags, given out at previous Symposium events. I expect they proudly carried them wherever they went.

Cambridge-Yerevan Sister City Association (CYSCA) concluded another successful training project, this one being for social work professionals from Armenia. This was a USAID funded project called Community Connections administered by World Learning, Inc. and developed and hosted by CYSCA. Ten social work professionals from Armenia spent three weeks in the Greater Boston area immersing themselves in the American system of social work. During their stay, they visited 26 different sites and met with over 50 presenters. Subjects ranged from education and licensure, to social work in different areas such as elementary schools, hospitals, foundations, domestic violence organizations, hospice, nursing homes, senior centers, adoption, government, disabled children, the poor and vulnerable population, and universities. The group was very interested and enlightened by everything they learned and are planning to implement many aspects of their experiences upon their return to Armenia under concrete action plans that CYSCA facilitated with them.

The participants represented three groups of work: government agencies, non-government organizations (NGOs), and education. They were a diverse group in every respect - age, background, interests; yet they all bonded together and became friends and learned from each other as well as from those in the United States.

During their stay, the participants took part in a panel discussion jointly sponsored by CYSCA and NAASR on June 25, 2009. At this time, they presented information on the realities in Armenia. They spoke about the various successes and barriers they encounter in areas such as funding, community outreach, and the current global economic crisis as well as new approaches and methodology they learned in the USA.

Since its inception following Armenia's independence in 1991, social work has been a growing industry. The government has begun to recognize the need for social services among Armenian people and is working with local NGOs to provide necessary support and assistance to vulnerable populations. However, more work lies ahead. The professionals in this group are well aware that although the foundation has been set and meaningful work has been achieved, there needs to be continuity of care with various individuals and groups in Armenia. Fortunately, the participants in the group represent various geographic areas of the country, allowing them to canvas more areas in their work. They also shared their experiences about their site visits in Boston. Each participant talked about a particular site in relation to his/her action plan and how that visit is helpful in putting together and implementing action plans upon returning to Armenia. Aftandil Markosyan, regional director of social work in the Tavush region, commented "We are impressed with the work of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) in the USA and plan as a group action to create a similar organization in Armenia". The entire group expressed their gratitude and appreciation for a very full, structured, well-organized program.

A visit to University of Connecticut School of Social Work (UCONN) brought together old acquaintances- teachers and students who are part of an ongoing exchange program with the Yerevan State University (YSU), led by Professor Dr. Nancy Humphreys, head of the school of social work at UCONN. Since 1991, UCONN has had a relationship with YSU, where Nancy organized the first curriculum for social work. Arusyag Safaryan, social work faculty at YSU, commented, "We are excited that as a result of our visit we have now planned to jointly sponsor an international social work conference at YSU in 2010". Alisa Stepanian, CYSCA project manager observed, "This is exactly what our program is intended to do-connect communities!"

Reflecting on this CYSCA Community Connections program, the 18th since 1997, its Program Director Jack Medzorian, said, "We are proud to have been chosen by the USAID to implement this most important program and are convinced that our group, with their enthusiasm and newly acquired knowledge about social work in the USA, will 'make a difference ' in Armenia".

Alvard Grigoryan is sharing the materials with her students

• Theme: Museum Management
• From: Yerevan, Armenia
• Dates of the Program: August 2 - August 24, 2006
• Host Organization: Cambridge- Yerevan Sister City Association (CYSCA)
• Training Location: Boston, Massachusetts

Alvard Grigoryan, a lecturer at Yerevan State Pedagogical University, is using her position to support volunteerism in Armenia. Grigoryan, who spent three weeks in Cambridge, MA as part of the Community Connections program, saw first hand the roles volunteers play in supporting American civic and cultural life. She is using her understanding of volunteerism to support the museum industry in Armenia and provide her students with valuable working experience.

Alvard Grigoryan currently teaches Museum Management to 250 students. After her professional exchange to the US, Grigoryan brought back a dedication to assist both her students and local museums by promoting volunteer work. She directly credits the US with helping her realize the importance of volunteers. She states, "I saw in the US how retired people were volunteering. For example, at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, these volunteers presented the materials with great love, artistic manners, and excitement, often playing the roles of historic heroes. This allowed the main staff of the museum to focus on their research."

Grigoryan began discussing the importance of volunteerism with her students, and since then, approximately 25% of her 250 students now dedicate time to a range of museums, including several museums that her Community Connections group members run. As an active member of the Association of Museum Workers and Friends, Grigoryan was able to direct students to different museums that might need assistance, and has been available to help them organize different events at the museums.

Grigoryan has also helped her students to establish a youth branch of the Association of Museum Workers and Friends, to ensure the sustainability of Armenia’s museums into the future. By encouraging her students to volunteer, the students get working experience and museums get additional support.

It was really a revelation: Boston and the adjacent cities. Ten tourism educators from Armenia came to learn about education in America. For most of us it was the first visit to the USA. and indeed to discover America.

I think Ill express everybodys opinion if I say that Boston and the cities we were staying in were quite different from the America we imagined. As for me, America has always meant something bustling, like a hive, something hectic and pulsating.

Here we saw cozy, peaceful houses surrounded with gorgeous nature. Living amidst that wonderful nature was the best experience in my life, let alone living in with the host families that willingly opened their doors and hearts to us. It was the best example of hospitality, which must be acknowledged by everybody speaking of a pattern of behavior of Americans and we will cherish our fond memories of these fine people.

Awarding certificates at farewell reception: L to R Jack Medzorian CC Program Director CYSCA; Emil Cherkerzian, tourism educator from Armenia; Lura Smith, assistant to the President MCC; Barbara Dexter Smith, MCC professor and CC program manager.

In fact, for us it was a triple discovery. Why? As I divided our experience into three parts: getting tourism education experience, which was really useful, visiting colleges and getting familiar with advanced technologies; and at last sightseeing which was very meaningful as we saw places familiar from history and fiction. We enriched our knowledge about American culture, got a lot of friends and established good connections.

Thanks to the efforts of the Cambridge-Yerevan Sister City Association with Jack Medzorian as program director, Middlesex Community College with professor Barbara Dexter-Smith as program manger and Associate Provost Christopher Brennan as action plan facilitator we had an extremely well organized, comprehensive program from which not only we but also lots of people in Armenia should benefit. Lest we forget, we are grateful for the excellent interpretation and administrative support of Armine Medzorian, and the efforts of interpreter Tigran Aloyan, administrator Maureen Vallis and our van driver Phil Quinlan. Finally, the funding furnished by the USAID and administrative support from World Learning and Project Harmony made our project possible.

We developed our Action Plans, which we are going to implement in the near future. We shall try to bring a fresh wind into the educational system of our establishments to make them more up-to-date and flexible. Our students are the future of the tourism industry, which in its turn means the well-being of Armenia.

So, our work will result in a series of new projects carried out together with our staff which is eager to participate in all of the innovation processes.

Thank you all again for a truly wonderful experience!

Gohar Harutyunyan -- Yerevan State College of Humanities, Chair of English Department
Participant--Community Connections 2008 CYSCA Armenia Tourism Educator Group

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (A.W.) — On June 16, Cambridge Mayor E. Denise Simmons presented in goodwill a welcome proclamation and the key to the City of Cambridge to the Cambridge-Yerevan Sister City Association [CYSCA] Community Connections program delegation of theater managers visiting the Cambridge-Greater Boston area from Armenia.

On June 15, CYSCA held a welcome reception for the group at the Sheraton Commander Hotel, attended by State Representative Alice K. Wolf [D-MA] and Cambridge City Councilor Sam Seidel.

The delegation includes theater directors, administrators, producers, art directors, educators, playwrights, fundraisers, public relations and marketing specialists who will participate in a three-week training program aimed at improving theater management in Armenia.