Cambridge, MA: July 16, 2008--The Cambridge-Yerevan Sister City Association (CYSCA) announces receipt of a grant from the U. S. Agency for International Development (USAID), administered by World Learning, Inc., for training of 10 tourism educators from Armenia under the USAID Community Connections program. The group will arrive in Boston September 15 and depart Oct 6 for three week training under a program developed by CYSCA and the Middlesex Community College (MCC). The training program is generally aimed at enhancing tourism in Armenia. Included in the group are educators from various universities and institutes in Yerevan involved in teaching tourism.
Despite the rich and bountiful historical heritage and natural beauty of Armenia as a tourist attraction, the quality of tourism services needs to be upgraded to achieve world class level. The economic potential for tourism is great for Armenia, but the training of tourism specialists is left to a few educators, many of whom, unfortunately, lack practical experience in international standards and norms expected by tourists.
The training program, developed with Professor Barbara Dexter-Smith of MCC, will include meetings with tourism faculty members at area colleges and universities that will involve seminars, round table discussions, talks, and hands-on training covering specific objectives of the program. These include such topics as teaching methods, lesson planning, cooperation with the private sector, human resource management, international cooperation, promotion, market research, international tourism norms/standards, cultural tourism, ecological tourism, excursions/tours, ethics/behavior, organizing scientific forums/conferences, and others.CYSCA Program Director Jack Medzorian commented, “We are pleased to have been selected to organize this exciting project and look forward to hosting our visitors. We are confident that together with our partner MCC, we will accomplish another successful U. S. government-funded Community Connections training project, our 17th since 1997, hosting professionals from Armenia and are confident the participants will return home with many new ideas and concepts to advance the state of tourism in Armenia.”
The program also includes a cultural component called “Experience America” which will expose the participants to American history, culture, values and everyday life as they visit historic and cultural sites in Greater Boston. Home stays will be provided by local volunteer host families. Anyone interested to host one of the guests or for more information may contact Jack Medzorian, Program Director, at 781-729-6457 or jmedzorian@aol.com
CYSCA is a non-profit sister city partnership between the
cities of Cambridge, MA and Yerevan, Armenia. It was founded by
concerned citizens in Cambridge, MA in 1987 as a grass roots
organization to bridge the gap between the ideologies of the USA and
the Soviet Union by sharing of common values. Since its inception,
CYSCA has organized many citizens’ exchanges in various fields
including youth exchanges, education, science, environment, business,
sports, performing arts, public health, aviation, museums, tourism, and
others. For more information about CYSCA and its programs http://www.cysca.org
The Community Connections Program, managed by the Bureau for
Europe and Eurasia at the U.S. Agency for International Development
(USAID) and administered by World Learning, is designed to promote
public diplomacy through the exchange of cultural ideas and values
among participants, U.S. families and local community host
organizations. It seeks to establish and strengthen links between U.S.
communities and communities in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan,
Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.
CYSCA Board member and Director of its Community Connections Program, Jack Medzorian made a follow-on visit to Armenia in September/October 2007 one month after the return of the group. He met with the group to discuss seminars to disseminate the knowledge they gained in the USA. The first of these took place at the Hovhaness Tumanyan Museum in Yerevan on October 10. Approximately 50 museum managers, workers and students from the universities attended. Each of the alumni made a presentation on a specific topic, dealing with the principle issues that were addressed in their USA training program. The following remarks they made included inputs from the entire group:
Vahag Minasyan, Director of the Nature Museum: USA museums are not typically funded by the government, they are supported by members and benefactors. Armenia should follow this same course, giving the example of his own museum, which receives substantial financial support from an Armenian from Iran, Levon Aharonian.
Lilik Hakobyan, Director of Yeghishe Charents Museum: Buildings in the USA are designed specifically for museums, not made over such as in Armenia. Most of them have souvenirs and brochures. Even their buffets are thematic for a particular country that they may be exhibiting. Adding to Vahag’s comment about benefactors, she complained that in Armenia, locals do not give financial support to museums and felt that this must change. As for volunteers, since her return she has contacted universities to recruit volunteers to help with language capability.
Marine Otaryan, Director of Alexander Spendiaryan House Museum: Accommodations for handicapped persons are excellent in the USA, and lacking in Armenia. She will push to improve this.
Hripsime Pikichyan: President and Founder of Association of Museum Workers and Friends: Important that attention be given to senior citizens especially discounted prices and other accommodations. Annual membership system that she saw in the USA is a good idea. She also noted that there were guides in the street who told interested persons about the history of the area, such as historic monuments and she saw lots of volunteer workers at the museums who told the story of the museum and exhibits.
Lala Kochar, Director of the Ervand Kochar House Museum: Lala spoke about preservation and protection of museum pieces that she learned in the USA.
Vera Kalchurina, Museum of Russian Art: Vera saw that volunteerism played an important role in USA museums. Also, she mentioned evening classes at museums for students, which she will implement in her museum.
Grigor Brutyan, Director of the Victor Hambartsumyan Museum, in Byurakan: He was impressed with the MIT Media lab and the MIT Museum He mentioned that most museums in the USA have large bookstores.
The attendees were impressed with the remarks and had a chance to mix during a reception following the seminar organized by the CYSCA museum alumni. The group announced that they have already been invited to repeat this seminar in Gyumri and have plans to organize similar seminars in the regions of Vanadzor, Goris, Yeghegnadzor, Kapan and even Karabagh in 2008.
While in Boston I visited ten leading banks and thanks to advance arrangements by CYSCA, I was met kindly and was supplied with valuable information and materials. The most important information I received was related to banking services for start-up enterprises for my use in Armenia. Especially useful were the policies, rules and regulations, models for such services that the American bankers provided to me.
On a visit to one of the local Boston suburban banks I was invited to participate in their credit committee meeting. When I showed the American system of processing loan requests to our top management upon my return they were surprised. They were especially interested in the system of bonus payments basedlones processed minus losses . We have currently adopted similar system in our bank.
Another important event was receiving approval for my project proposal to create a manual on “How to Evaluate a Micro Business and Apply for Financing. The idea came from one of the American banks I visited. My host, Charles Aslanian, who has 40 years of banking experience, provided valuable consultations to me. Without his support, the manual would not have been possible. We created and d published 2,500 copies of this manual sponsored by CYSCA with funding support by the U. S. Department of State and distributed them to companies in Yerevan and the regions.
This project also allowed us to establish a web site http://www.anelik.am/sme/ which contains useful useful information for micro and small businesses to enhance their performance and complements the manual, enabling scheduling of loan payments, evaluation of one's own business, strengths, weaknesses and needs and other features. With this information Armenian businesses can get answers to their questions, develop their knowledge and skills, improve the quality of their business plans, facilitate investment mobilization, gain access to lending, and enhance their performance.
One of the most important impacts of my internship was gaining good friends, not only other professionals, but also reliable comrades, both in Boston and back home here in Armenia. A new working alumni group was organized to do a new project when I received an offer from CYSCA develop an easy-to-use “Guidelines for Small and Medium Enterprises.� Our proposal was approved by CYSCA and we produced this valuable manual as well.
I am eternally grateful to all of my hosts in Boston, the many CYSCA volunteers and staff who helped me and others in my group and am especially happy that I was selected to participate in the CYSCA CC program!
Ed. note: Mkrtich Tadevosyan, Vice President of the Anelik Bank, loan department was a member of the CC entrepreneur group hosted by CYSCA in 2004. He was also the project director of two highly successful follow-on projects in 2005 and has hosted several CYSCA delegations and visitors in Armenia. Thank you as well, Misha!!!
The following are excerpts from a report by Jack Medzorian on a visit by Jack and Eva to Kapan hosted by Lianna Hakobyan , director of the Kapan Music College
Eva and I traveled five long hours from Yerevan to Kapan to meet with the CYSCA alumni of the 2001 CC Education Administrator group from Syunik. While there we were hosted by Lianna Hakobyan, director of the Music College, who put us up in her apartment and provided us with wonderful hospitality.
Lianna notified the 10 members of the Syunik educator group plus Hasmik Hambartsumyan, director of Secondary School #1, and CC alumna from another hosting oranization to meet with us. Six of the 10 members of our CYSCA alumni group came, some from a long distance,to meet with us. In our discussions I found that this group has developed and are closely knit. I encouraged them to continue their relationship and team up to develop follow-on projects in their area. Kapan is quite remote from Yerevan, where much of the foreign aid organizations are concentrated.
| Updates on our alumni: Lianna Hakobyan: She is still director of the Music College in Kapan. She has recently expanded the curriculum of her college to include an arts and crafts education department. This consists of painting, weaving, capet making and dancing. In this department she lacks equipment, one of her priority items being easels and chairs for the young artists. Through a special AIWA fund that Eva had collected, we gave a donation of $625 for the purchase of 20 easels and chairs. Tamam Hovannesyan: She is still director of the kindergarten in Agarak, near Meghri in the southernmost region of Armenia, on the Iranian border. She happily reported that she has expanded her kindergarten by adding another adjacent building, as he demand for her kindergarten has increased. Apparently the population of Agarak is in comparatively good shape, most of them working for the local copper company. Artur Hakobyan: He is director of Secondary School #10 in the outskirts of Kapan. Artur reported that he learned how to work with NGO's during his trip to the USA and when he returned he formed an NGO for educators from Kapan. Since then he has obtained funding for several projects. He will send us his web page and continue contact with us. Nelli Davtyan: Since returning she has become director of a local TV station. Eva and I were interviewed on this station to bring news from CYSCA and give our impressions of our visit to Kapan. She is also quite active in the city. Zhora Mirzoyan: He was Armenia's director of the department of education in Megrim when he came to the USA. Since his return he has established a regional College of which he is the director. This college is a community college, the purpose being to provide an opportunity for the lorrl students to advance their education without having to go to far away Yerevan, which most of them cannot afford. Zaven Stepanyan: He is still with the boarding school in Kapan, where they have students who are economically disadvantaged and some e handicapped. He is the spokesman for the CC group, mainly because of his excellent English capability. Zaven also has e-mail and Internet access because his school is on the Project Harmony connectivity program (s-en@yahoo.com or szaven@freenet.am |
 |
Onik
Bakhshyan, tourism specialist from Sissian standing by one of the
stones at Karahunge,
an ancient observatory older than
Stonehenge. Bakhshyan came with a Community Connections group of
ten in the spring of 2002 for training in developing and promoting
tourism. He passed away shortly after this photo. |
The other members of the group were unable attend our meeting. Tsaghig Babayan, the village school director and the oldest member of the group, has retired. Hasmik Hambartsumyan ar also attended the meeting and made a wonderful, inspirational speech. She was voted number one secondary school director in Armenia for the year 2002 out of 1300 schools. Lianna organized two musical performances in our honor for our visit to Kapan. . There are exceptionally talented students in Kapan, despite their remote location, being essentially cut off from the rest of Armenia because of the difficulty in traveling there. Many native Armenians have never been to Kapan, because it is so reemote, in spite of the fact that it is clearly one of the most beautiful and scenic locations in Armenia. Kapan is situated at a high altitude approaching over 2000 meters in places and has breathtaking views of mountains and lush forests. We also visited the nearby town of Kajaran, the site of a major copper and molybdenum mining company, recently purchased by a German company. This company is the largest enterprise in Armenia, employing 2,500 workers and benefiting a total of 10,000 persons in the community. there is also another smaller mining company in Kapan the mines copper only. All in all, it was a memorable trip and we did and saw a lot during our whirlwind 24 hour visit!
| In May 2005, CYSCA
completed the US Department of State (USDOS) -
sponsored Community Connections (CC) program, which began in 1997. Over
nine years, CYSCA hosted 130 professionals and completed 21 follow-on
projects in Armenn 21 follow-on projects in Armenia, thanks to
$1,000,000 of funding support from the USDOS and generous volunteer
time and resources. Under the CC program, CYSCA developed and hosted training programs, internships and workshops involving hands-on training for 13 groups of 10 professionals each Included were groups of entrepreneurs, environmental specialists, tourism specialists, cultural and historical preservation specialists, public health professionals, educators and educational administrators. An important and rewarding aspect of the CYSCA Community Connections program was a series of follow-on projects in Armenia, carried out by teams of CC alumni upon their ret These projects were mostly suggested by the participants and organized by them with the assistance and management from theurn. These projects were mostly suggested by the participants and organized by them with the assistance and management from the CYSCA staff and funding support from residual funds available under the CC grant. The projects included village teacher training in 116 village schools in the Syunik region, a three-day business conference in Gyumri, export workshops in Yerevan and Jermuk and business skills training in Sissian and Meghri. In addition, the program produced an environmental handbook, an environmental games booklet for teaching young students and an Armenian Export Catalogue. (see www.armenianmarketing.com)  Members of the March 2002 business grout entertaining CYSCA audience at a welcoming reception in Cambridge At a business conference held in Yerevan, thetheere was reporting on increasing Armenian exports and suggestions for skills and education necessary for the new economy. A survey of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises was made, and a financing manual for micro-businesses titled “How to Start, Develop and Run a Business in Armenia� was written. The program also designed a program for transportation management education and produced a publication titled “Armenia Investment Guide�. (www.investarmenia.org) |
CYSCA
is proud of these follow-on projects, because they have been an
effective means for spreading the knowledge and experience gained by
the CC participants to hundreds of their peers in Armenia, all at a
modest cost and with a high degree of professionalism. One of these projects, the Armenian Export Catalogue has continued and is nowin a third edition and completely self sustaining. The CYSCA-sponsored catalogue has become recognized as the best among all catalogues in Armenia. The project manager and driving force behind this project is Aram Navasardyan, who, together with his team, has also organized the Armenia Marketing Association and formed their own marketing consulting firm. Navasardyan recently remarked to CC Program Director Jack Medzorian, "When you speak about our success with the Armenian Export Catalogue, you should not forget that you and CYSCA have a great role in the success of this project. I will always remember that and together with other alumni, we are very grateful for your help." The entrepreneur group, hosted in 2004, included Mkrtich (Misha) Tadevosian, Vice President of the Anelik Bank. He was project manager of two comprehensive manuals, one titled “Financing for Micro Businesses� and the other titled How to Start, Develop and Run a Business in Armenia. These manuals were written in simple, basic Armenian aimed at small to micro businesses and widely distributed throughout Armenia. Limited copies were also produced in English for use by the US Peace Corps Volunteers in Armenia to aid them in their economic development projects through the regions.(See www.anelik.am/sme/indexen.html)  YCSCA President Yuri Jilavyan outlines sister city activities at a meeting of Community connections alumni in Yerevan Tadevosian credits the CYSCA training program at various banks in Greater Boston and the US Small Business Association, where he picked up a lot of ideas for his manuals and implemented many of them in his own bank. Commenting on his CC internship, Tadevosian reports , “Now that over one year has passed since I participated in the CC program, I can definitely say that the internships improved my professionalism and also changed my viewpoint on many aspects of life. The internship made my life more interesting and creative. " CYSCA is grateful to all the dedicated volunteers, host families, host training and internship providers and CYSCA staff that made the CC program a success. The CYSCA team was headed by Program Director Jack Medzorian, assisted by Program Administrator Taya Battelle from the onset of the program, and recent program manager Ara Ghazarians, as well as volunteers, Sarkis Gennetian, Varujan Masrof, Jirair Babikyan, Vartkes Karaian, George Changelian and Suzanne Pearce, CYSCA president. |
Community Connections (CC), hosted by CYSCA, recently arranged a visit to the Massachusetts State Water Quality Laboratory in Lawrence, MA for Environmental specialists from Armenia. The visit was facilitated with the help of Robert Serabian, Quality Control Manager of the lab. During the visit, Robert suggested the possible donation of their used spectrophotometer to Armenia for use in water quality analysis, since their lab was purchasing a new one. CYSCA wrote to the Commonwealth of MA requesting donation of this unit to Armenia and eventually it was approved.
The unit was delivered to the laboratory of Professor Rudolph Gevorkyan, head of the department of Geology at the Yerevan State University. CYSCA funded certain modifications that were necessary for the equipment to become operational in Armenia.
Professor Gevorkyan's team of researchers used the spectrophotometer to analyze the cooling waters of Medzamor, Armenia's nuclear power plant, looking for the radioactive element cesium after they had filtered out the cesium using a special formulation of the locally available mineral zeeolite as an absorbent. The technique developed by Professor Gevorkyan and his associates involved removal of the radioactive cesium/zeeolite and encasing the waste in a mixture of cement and zeeolite. This process rendered it suitable for burying safely for up to 1000 years and the cooling water was purified so well that it had no traces of radioactivity and was even suitable for drinking.
Thanks to the teamwork of Robert Serabian in facilitating the gift of the equipment by the Mass Water Quality Lab and CYSCA arranging the shipment and placement of it in Armenia, this project has resulted in the development by Armenian scientists of a technique for safe disposal of radioactive waste.
| On April 25, 2006, 10
young professionals in the field of aviation arrived
from Yerevan for a three-week training visit. CYSCA developed a
comprehensive training program on aspects of aviation, from the
ticketing process to airport facilities and service on-board the
aircraft. The training program, which emphasized customer service to
meet international travel standards and included visits to Logan
International Airport, TF
Green Airport outside of Providence, R.I., Worcester
Regional Airport and Portland
International Airport in Maine,
as well as meetings with representatives of the Boston area aviation
and travel industry, both public and private. The Yerevan Delegation included employees of the Yerevan Zvartnots Airport, Armavia, the principal airline of Armenia and Avia 2 Service, the airlines/airport service company. The group training experience was part of the Community Connections Program funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and administered by the Washington-based organization World Learning, Inc. as the programming agent. CYSCA housed each visitor in a local volunteer host family and planned a full agenda of sightseeing and trips to Boston and Cambridge museums. CYSCA members participated in many other hosting activities as well, including transportation and cultural events. |
 Taking off on their Boston adventure: (l.-r.) Armenuhi Chalkadryan and Varduhi Harutyunyan of the Community Connections aviation delegation try out the cockpit of a small private jet at Portland International Airport. |
In November/December 2003, CYSCA hosted a group of 11ublic health specialists from Gyumri under its U. S. Department of State funded Community Connections program. Included in his group were directors of two schools for handicapped children in Gyumri. CYSCA arranged a visit for these school directors to Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, where they were given the chance to tour the facility and learn about programs for the handicapped.
As a result of this visit, Perkins managers, Dennis Lolli and Michael Collins became aware of problems of schools for handicapped children in Armenia and decided to visit Armenia to explore the feasibility to provide direct assistance under their international program. Dennis Lolli asked CYSCA for assistance in setting up a program. Jack Medzorian organized through Karine Tsaturyan, CYSCA volunteer in Yerevan, visits for the Perkins representatives to schools and meetings at the Ministry of Education and with prominent Parliament member Hranoush Hakobyan.
Dennis and Michael visited Armenia in April 2005, and were met at the airport by Karine, who for ten days accompanied them on visits to several schools for the blind and handicapped in Yerevan, Gyumri and the regions and set up meetings with government officials. The result of this visit was a decision by Perkins to help two schools, #14 School for the Blind in Yerevan and the Children's Home in Gyumri.
Following their return, Perins organized a meeting for the public to report on their visit and formally announced the Perkins Armenia Fund for their Armenia program, with a $10,000 annual budget funded by Perkins and at the same time appealed for public support. Other presentations were made at the Armenian Memorial Church and a St. James Church Men's Club dinner, both of which resulted in generous contributions from the community.
Thanks to Perkins for agreeing to help these two schools in Armenia, to Karine for organizing the successful Perkins visit to Armenia, and to CYSCA for another Community Connection!
|
MORE HOST
FAMILIES NEEDED!
CYSCA is seeking suggestions for future host families for groups of Armenian professionals who will be coming to the Greater Boston area for professional training and internships in 2006-2007. Homestays are generally about three weeks. The visitor's day is very full with a planned program, but evenings and weekends provide time to get to form bonds and true community connections. CYSCA is one of the grantee organizations in New England who had been chosen by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) for a new cycle of Community Connections grants for Armenia. The grants are administered by World Learning Inc. based in Washington, DC. If interested please call Jack Medzorian, tel. (781) 729-6457 or Suzy Pearce, tel. (617) 354-7648. Thank you! |
MANY THANKS TO OUR HOST FAMILIES
FOR THE AVIATION
DELEGATION!
Richard Boyajian, Teresa and Bernard Djevealikian, Lucinda and David Leveille, Harutyun and Anahid Maranci, Venera Matevosian, Armine and Mark Medzorian, Patty Nolan and David Rabkin, Elinor and Neil Olken and Seta and James Sullivan. Your hospitality and generosity really makes our program possible, and is what our visitors remember for years about their trip to the US!  Logan airport farewell on May 16 -- after three weeks of training sessions in four area airports including Logan, the Community Connections aviation delegation says goodbye. (Back, l-r: Zaruhi Mamikonyan, Taya Battelle, Artur Karapetyan, Lusine Avagnyan, Nune Patrikyan, Teresa Ghazaryan, Karen Ananyan. Front, l-r: Armenuhi Chalkadryan, Svetlana Vardanova, Varduhi Harutyunyan, Jack Medzorian.) |
Cambridge,MA 02238