Birthright Armenia, also known as Depi Hayk (), is a volunteer

internship An internship is a period of work experience offered by an organization for a limited period of time. Once confined to medical graduates, internship is used to practice for a wide range of placements in businesses, non-profit organizations and g ...

enhancement program for diaspora Armenians that also offers travel reimbursements to eligible participants to assist in the development of

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

. To volunteer with Birthright Armenia, the applicant has to be of Armenian heritage (at least one grandparent must be fully

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

), between the ages of 21 and 32 years, and must have graduated from

secondary school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...

. The program operates year-round.

Organizational background

Birthright Armenia was established in 2003 by Edele Hovnanian who realized that every Armenian should have the opportunity to immerse themselves in Armenia to understand its

people The term "the people" refers to the public or Common people, common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. I ...

culture Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

, and struggles. The organization's goals include strengthening ties between Armenia and the

Armenian Diaspora The Armenian diaspora refers to the communities of Armenians outside Armenia and other locations where Armenians are considered an indigenous population. Since antiquity, Armenians have established communities in many regions throughout the world. ...

youth representatives by providing them an opportunity to take part in the daily life of fellow Armenians. In 2007, the organization expanded its presence by opening an office in

Gyumri Gyumri (, ) is an urban municipal community and the List of cities and towns in Armenia, second-largest city in Armenia, serving as the administrative center of Shirak Province in the northwestern part of the country. By the end of the 19th centur ...

. By 2012, in order to support the transition for alumni who move to Armenia, the "Pathway to Armenia program" was launched, which provided support with lodging and

employment Employment is a relationship between two party (law), parties Regulation, regulating the provision of paid Labour (human activity), labour services. Usually based on a employment contract, contract, one party, the employer, which might be a cor ...

search. In 2013, Birthright Armenia further extended its reach by opening an office in

Vanadzor Vanadzor (, ) is an urban municipal community and the third largest city in Armenia, serving as the capital of Lori Province in the northern part of the country. It is located about north of the capital Yerevan. As of the 2011 census, the city h ...

. In 2015, the program celebrated a significant milestone by reaching 1,000 participants.

Program

Participants commit to a minimum of 30 hours of weekly volunteering or a university internship while given the choice of residing with local host families. The organization offers a variety of volunteer opportunities among 1,300+ partner organizations across sectors such as

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...

marketing Marketing is the act of acquiring, satisfying and retaining customers. It is one of the primary components of Business administration, business management and commerce. Marketing is usually conducted by the seller, typically a retailer or ma ...

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

healthcare Health care, or healthcare, is the improvement or maintenance of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wikt:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physic ...

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

, IT, and

business Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for ...

. The program also includes weekly excursions, in-office

Armenian language Armenian (endonym: , , ) is an Indo-European languages, Indo-European language and the sole member of the independent branch of the Armenian language family. It is the native language of the Armenians, Armenian people and the official language of ...

classes, and weekly forums with guest speakers who talk about different topics regarding Armenia.

Eligibility

Birthright Armenia volunteers on excursion

To participate, applicants must have at least one grandparent of Armenian ethnicity. They must also be aged between 21 and 32, having graduated from

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

. Applicants born in Armenia must have left Armenia before the age of 15 and lived abroad for at least 10 years. Applicants who have primarily resided in Armenia for longer than the last three years are not eligible. Participants must agree to a minimum 9 week stay. Maximum program duration is one year. For the shorter term, there is a subsection of the program called Birthright Lite.

Birthright Lite

The organization has another option for full-time working professionals, regardless of age, who have limited time away from their jobs. They can apply to volunteer for four to nine weeks. Birthright Lite participants pay for travel, lodging, or host family costs.

Alumni

Welcoming 2000th Birthright Armenia volunteer

Birthright Armenia has an alumni network of more than 3000 individuals from 57 countries, 300 of which have

repatriated Repatriation is the return of a thing or person to its or their country of origin, respectively. The term may refer to non-human entities, such as converting a foreign currency into the currency of one's own country, as well as the return of mi ...

to Armenia. The organization supports alumni initiatives through grants, which enable alumni to make positive impacts both in Armenia and around the world. Also, Birthright Armenia supports those who want to stay in Armenia after completing the program. Alumni can receive free temporary housing, as well as employment support, regular consultations with staff members, and access to a network of experienced repatriates.

Similar organizations

Birthright Armenia was inspired by

Birthright Israel Taglit-Birthright Israel (), also known as Birthright Israel or simply Birthright, is a free ten-day heritage trip to Israel, Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights for young adults of Jewish heritage between the ages of 18 and 26. The program is spon ...

, which offers educational and cultural exchange opportunities related to Jewish history and culture. Another similar project is Birthright Greece, aimed at the

Greek Diaspora The Greek diaspora, also known as Omogenia (), are the communities of Greeks living outside of Greece and Cyprus. Such places historically (dating to the ancient period) include, Greeks in Albania, Albania, Greeks in North Macedonia, North Maced ...

References

External links

* {{Official website, http://birthrightarmenia.org/
Birthright Armenia - Subject of USC case study "Moving Forward"

Volunteerism in The Homeland, Part I: Redefining Service: Philanthropist Edele Hovnanian
2003 establishments in Armenia Armenian diaspora Cultural heritage Cultural exchange Youth organizations based in Armenia Organizations based in Yerevan Organizations established in 2003