Welcome

Forging a deeper connection with their land and their people, each summer Discover Armenia participants embark on an incredible three-week journey filled with sightseeing, community service experiences and culturally enriching activities. Youth ages 15-18 form lifelong bonds and return home forever transformed, with heightened respect for their heritage and a greater sense of responsibility towards their community. About Program >

Program Date:
August 3-21, 2019 Application Deadline:
June 1, 2019

Activities and Tours

Activities

Discover Armenia participants engage in a number of cultural and educational activities in addition to the scheduled sightseeing and community service. One of the highlights of the summer is a group hike at Mount Aragats - the tallest mountain in Armenia. The students also enjoy a diverse selection of activities from Armenian folk dance and singing courses, to engaging in the grape benediction ceremony and festivities at the Feast of the Assumption of St. Mary.

Every year, participants spend time at the offices of AGBU Armenia and the Armenian Virtual College where they become better acquainted with AGBU and our vast programming in Armenia and Artsakh. There is ample opportunity for engagement with other youth groups and activities sponsored by AGBU during this time. For example, the group spends time with performance students and instructors at the AGBU Nork Children's Center.

Finally, some of the greatest memories come from the daily interactions. Living together, sharing a simple dinner on the patio or out for a night out at a local restaurant, these moments bond the students who leave each summer feeling like an extended family.

Tours

Throughout their stay, participants visit significant sites around Armenia.

Each summer the group visits the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Tsitsernakaberd Memorial, Khor Virap, the Matenadaran Museum of Ancient Armenian Manuscripts, the medieval monastic complex of Gandzasar and countless other sites.

The program also includes day-trips to significant sights such as Garni, Geghard, Sardarapat, Noravank, Mount Aragats, Lake Sevan, as well as a visit to the ruins of Ani (from the Armenian side of the border).

In addition to the countless locations in the capital and the surrounding regions, the group takes a memorable trip to Artsakh where they tour monuments but also spend time in the villages themselves.

Service Projects

AGBU has a longstanding partnership with the Fuller Center for Housing and together, we carried out construction projects in different regions of Armenia. Most recently, in 2018, program participants helped build a house for a disadvantaged family in the village of Djanfida. In 2009, Discover Armenia participants established a foreign language section in the Children’s Library in Stepanakert. Every year since, the program has continued the tradition of donating books to add to the library. Understanding the importance of access to literature, the students enjoy participating in this project, because each book represents a new opportunity for growth and learning for the people of Stepanakert.

The humanitarian dimension of the trip also includes visits to the AGBU Senior Dining Centers where the students spend time speaking to elders. Creating personal ties to the individuals who benefit from AGBU’s efforts reinforces ties to the organization and continues to deepen the understanding of the value of its global network.

For Parents

Program Dates:
August 3-21, 2019 Application Deadline:
June 1, 2019 Ages:
15 - 18

Fees

The participation fee of 1,000 EUR or 1200 USD (air travel is not included) must be paid in full at the time of registration. The program fee, registration form and participant code of conduct form must be signed and received by AGBU no later than June 1, 2019. The fee includes accommodations and all the activities organized during the program but does not include personal expenses (souvenirs, etc.).

Cancellation conditions: Cancellations must be provided in writing to hduzian@agbueurope.org. Cancellations before June 1, 2019 will be reimbursed 500 EUR or 600 USD. No reimbursement will be granted for cancellations after June 1.

Supervision

Participants spend the three-week program in a supervised environment. The Program Director as well as summer staff (counsellors) stay with participants in the same accommodations and are available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

Participants must respect the code of conduct detailed in the registration form and follow the directions set by AGBU staff, which are designed to guarantee the safety and well-being of all participants.

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