AUA Volunteers’ League Joins Celebrations Marking International Volunteering Day

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YEREVAN, Armenia – Beginning November 28, acknowledged worldwide as Giving Tuesday, the American University of Armenia (AUA) Volunteers’ League has joined the Armenian Volunteer Corps (AVC) and Birthright Armenia to mark International Volunteering Day with a week-long celebration and to encourage AUA students and the community to be more environmentally friendly. The events are aimed at connecting diverse groups of individuals, communities, and organizations for a common purpose. This year’s theme is “7 Ways to Go Green,” intended to help communities become cleaner and healthier. The goal of the campaign is not only to help the environment but also to promote ways of raising public awareness about the benefits of a healthy environment.

Within the scope of the event, seven specific environmental challenges have been identified as needing to be addressed by each individual joining the campaign. The challenges include: re-purposing things that are no longer used by donating or creatively repairing them; picking up a piece of trash and putting it in the garbage bin; refusing a plastic bag at a store by saying “toprak petq che,” (“I don’t need a plastic bag”) and bringing your own tote-bag; and avoiding excessive use of cars in order to limit air pollution. Participants are also encouraged to walk or cycle instead of driving; save water and energy by turning them off whenever not in use; stop smoking in public areas so as not to promote second-hand smoke; and buy local “Made in Armenia” products, in addition to any other environmentally friendly actions. The hashtags identified for the campaign are #7DaysOfGiving and #7WaysofGreening to encourage others to join the challenge.

Participants who successfully perform these actions for seven days and share photos of themselves doing so on social media will not only be contributing to creating a cleaner environment but will also receive tote-bags and stickers from the campaign organizers.

Within the scope of this campaign, the Volunteers’ League is going to have a movie screening event, which is scheduled on December 4 at 6:15 pm at AUA’s Alex and Marie Manoogian Hall. The movies will be devoted to the current environmental issues.

Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia and affiliated with the University of California. AUA provides a global education in Armenia and the region, offering high-quality, graduate and undergraduate studies, encouraging civic engagement, and promoting public service and democratic values.