Q&A with Dr. Arpie Balian: Why Should We Support the AUA for Syrian Armenians Campaign?

Part I

YEREVAN, Armenia – Earlier this week, the American University of Armenia (AUA) launched the AUA for Syrian Armenians campaign in order to raise money for AUA Extension’s Syrian-Armenian assistance program. In this interview, Director of AUA Extension Dr. Arpie Balian, one of the driving forces behind the assistance program, shares more about how the program began, why it has been so popular, and who can benefit from it.

How did AUA Extension’s Syrian-Armenian assistance program start?

The Syrian-Armenian assistance program began as an idea that President Boghosian and I had in the early months of 2012. Our hearts went out to those Syrian Armenians who had fled Syria and were here in Yerevan feeling displaced and desperate for help. As you are aware, hundreds more arrived in Armenia in the later months of that year. An entire generation of children and youth found themselves away from home and deprived of their basic rights to protection and education. We immediately recognized that we could do something within the AUA mission. That is how we started the program back in the second half of 2012.

What exactly is the program?

Our program is modeled as “Learning for a Better Future” and does not only reach out to needy families. Our early assessment showed that even the relatively well-to-do families arrived in Armenia with limited resources. Thus the AUA Extension Program for Syrian Armenians is designed to assist all those who arrived in or after April 2012 when the crisis in Syria escalated. This assistance program is open to any Syrian Armenian who has the documentation attesting to that. Any Syrian Armenian fifteen or older can take up to two courses offered by AUA Extension for free. This includes all courses that AUA Extension offers—including General English and all preparatory courses for admission to our own or other Western style universities that require GRE, TOEFL iBT, SAT, etc.; We also have offered under our “Learning for a Better Future” for Syrian Armenians Armenian, Spanish and French language classes, plus the Women’s Entrepreneurship training and all other management courses in our catalog.

Who can benefit from this program?

We will not turn away any Syrian Armenian. We’ve had people from age 15 up to age 50 taking our English courses. There’s also a generation of refugees who are in high school and university who can really benefit from the program because they are prospective candidates for our undergraduate and graduate degree programs.  Just as many have, more Syrian Armenians can benefit from our English language courses and from our standardized test preparatory courses so that they can apply to AUA. Last year we had students who weren’t ready to go into our degree programs right away, but we were able to prepare them on time to apply and get admitted to our undergraduate and graduate degree programs. This year, we expect to have more.

Who is eligible to be a part of the assistance program?

As I mentioned earlier, we don’t check for eligibility of need. Even if some very rich Syrian Armenians arrive in Armenia with nothing, how good are their assets left behind when they get here with limited cash? So that’s the reason why we don’t check for financial needWe have opened the program to all Syrian Armenians. This is in the form of relief – assisting Syrian Armenians with the goal of relieving some of their daily burdens. The timing was critical at the time we launched this program, and it is still critical now. We are giving them support so they can stand on their feet and build a better future for themselves; to help them get out of their depression; and to help them gain confidence. I believe our program has also provided the moral support that displaced people need so much.  The mere fact that they end up in the same class together has provided support beyond learning.

What courses have been the most popular?

Of all the programs, English has been the most popular because most people who found themselves here with nothing to do immediately took advantage of our “Learning for a Better Future” program.  Our professional courses, particularly management and marketing courses have been more popular with those who have higher education.

As to our Women’s Entrepreneurship Program, in 2012 we dedicated one full class to Syrian-Armenian women and it and it was very successful. They participated subsequently in an exhibit AUA Extension organized in October 2013 and almost a dozen from that class exhibited their products. Indeed, it was very encouraging to witness how those Syrian-Armenian women are looking for ways to launch their small businesses, even if working from home at the start.

Why do you think the program has been so popular?

Your program is as good as the students you put out. They are your best word-of-mouth promotion of your program. People brought people. That’s the reason why it became so popular. And frankly, when you’re very depressed—these are displaced people; when they find help in AUA Extension, when they find a helping hand and people trying to reach out to them – that alone is good for getting them out of their depression in a way. Our program has been therapeutic as well—as many of them have stated. This is the reason why the program has been very popular.

In fact, the popularity is also measured by the number of people we have on our waiting list. We are struggling to get new funding for the program. We don’t want to turn these people away. We want to be able to give these Syrian Armenians the help that we can.

To learn more about the AUA for Syrian Armenians campaign, please click here.

 

contribute 

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.

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Part II

YEREVAN, Armenia – Earlier this month, we sat down with Director of AUA Extension Dr. Arpie Balian to learn more about the importance of the AUA for Syrian Armenians Campaign. In this part of the interview, Dr. Balian explains the value of AUA Extension’s assistance program, “Learning for a Better Future,” to Syrian-Armenian refugees and why it is important to support the AUA for Syrian Armenians Campaign.

What would you say is the most valuable thing that Syrian-Armenian refugees get out of this program?

Education and networking!  I think education is key to personal development for individuals, as well as for groups (in this case, groups of refugees). Being in class with local Armenians, they get accultured to the local Armenian culture. It’s very difficult to deal with the problems of displacement, let alone learn new skills, learn how to do business in Armenia, get the answers to so many how’s and why’s. But I think this program provides the best setting to get the answers ¾ the right medium for networking with graduates from AUA and other universities, with other Syrian Armenians who may be in similar situations, and with people who are interested in helping. For example, in the Women’s Entrepreneurship Program, Syrian-Armenian participants came into contact with experts who coached them in becoming more self-confident, a banker who offered to help them get loans for their small business start-ups, and former graduates to network with.

What is the impact of offering two courses in the Extension program? Isn’t it better to provide a scholarship for a student in one of AUA’s degree programs?

In fact, many of the refugees that come to AUA Extension already have graduate degrees. They need to refresh their education and get employed right away, without waiting two years to complete a degree.  Many of these refugees get back on their feet quicker than others; some have already found work or started their own businesses; others are still working on finding their niche. The courses, for example Project Management, Marketing, or HR Management, teach skills that one can use right away ¾ use when looking for a job, to find the right job, and succeed in the job one finds.

AUA Extension courses are designed to meet the demands of the local market. Particularly in a small country like this, the market changes very quickly. If the market today is showing a higher demand for marketing experts, that may change in two years to HR specialists. That is the reason why we have designed AUA Extension courses to be more flexible, so we are able to offer courses that give participants skills that provide the tools necessary for meeting market demand. In fact, in the HR Management course that I taught recently, there was a Syrian-Armenian lady who had had a long career as a teacher, but she wanted to change her career based on local market demand. So she turned to AUA Extension to develop new skills.

In your opinion, why should people support the AUA for Syrian Armenians campaign?

Supporting the AUA for the Syrian-Armenians Campaign means contributing to something that has a proven track record. This is an investment in a Syrian Armenian’s future. Our program is particularly helpful for those Syrian Armenians who have chosen to stay here in Armenia. For those who will eventually return to their home in Syria or go elsewhere, the program helps alleviate anxiety while teaching them English language skills and other professional Western-style knowledge that will be beneficial wherever they go. However, it appears that most of the Syrian Armenians that have come to AUA Extension are those who will stay in Armenia. We are reaching out to them by getting them started on a better course for their future here.

contribute

To learn more about the AUA for Syrian Armenians campaign, please click here.  

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.

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