Western U.S. edition - Armenian Reporter

10 The Armenian Reporter | August 22, 2009
Community
Young Armenian professionals take Windy City by storm
CHICAGO – agbu focus celebrated
its fifth biennial affair with
400 participants from 16 countries
and dozens of American cities in
Chicago from July 16 to 19 with
much style and success. The fourday
event took place around the
Westin Michigan Avenue Hotel,
which is situated in the city’s exhilarating
downtown core and footsteps
away from the relaxing Oak
Street Beach on Lake Michigan.
Networking, cultural, and social
activities throughout the weekend
exposed guests to Chicago’s unique
history and present happenings.
In addition, through the pre-event
efforts of the focus Organizing
Committee, the agbu program
raised over $35,000 for the agbu
Hye Geen Pregnant Women’s Project
in Armenia.
First initiated in 2001, focus was
created not only to bring together
young Armenian professionals to
share their international perspectives
on a variety of important issues,
but to showcase notable contributions
and achievements made
by agbu’s diverse programs.
Over the years, this biennial affair
has become the most highly anticipated
event for young Armenian
professionals across the globe with
over 2,000 participants, setting a
standard for other gatherings of
its kind and cultivating a new generation
of agbu members. In fact,
tickets for focus events were sold
out well over a week before the festivities
even began.
Raising awareness and
giving back
“While focus is a great reunion of
friends old and new, packed with
both cultural and social activities,
it is also a time for our generation
to give back,” said Arda Berberian,
who, along with Aline Markarian,
co-chaired the weekend.
Every two years, focus highlights
a specific agbu program
and educates its attendees about
the true spirit, generosity, and diversity
of the organization’s work
throughout the world, launching
a large-scale pre-event fundraising
program with international donors.
“As young professionals, it was
quite evident at focus that we are
prepared and eager to continue
agbu’s mission into the next generation,”
said Ms. Markarian. “This
year, we chose to honor the Hye
Geen Pregnant Women’s Project in
Armenia and are so grateful to all
the individuals who supported our
efforts and donated over $35,000
for this amazing cause.”
agbu Hye Geen is a Los Angeles–
based volunteer committee that
works to honor the achievements
of Armenian women and provides
a forum for them throughout the
world. Their Pregnant Women’s
Project looks to help the next generation
in Armenia as a response to
the shortage of resources for many
potential mothers in Armenia.
The first Pregnant Women’s Center
opened its doors in Gyumri in
2002, followed by the establishment
of a second location in Vanadzor
in 2004. This year, through
funds raised by focus, there are
plans to reallocate resources from
the first center to a new location in
Talin, where there are many poor
and underserved villages.
The Hye Geen Project helped establish
community-based health
resource centers that provide
critical prenatal care to pregnant
women who often suffer from malnutrition,
lack the funds for proper
medical care, and have limited access
to accurate health information.
Expectant mothers can visit
the centers daily to benefit from
vital medical exams, meetings with
Guests from Chicago, Los Angeles, and New Jersey enjoy Saturday’s focus 2009 Gala.
counselors, peer support, nutritious
meals, and vitamins.
To date, over 700 healthy babies
have been born to the mothers who
have attended centers sponsored
by agbu Hye Geen.
“The focus Organizing Committee
is extremely grateful for the outpouring
support of the Hye Geen
program. We are going to make a
huge difference in the lives of so
many present and future mothers
giving life and opportunity to the
next generation in Armenia,” said
Berberian.
Exchanging
perspectives and
defining the “agbu YP”
generation
For this year’s festivities, guests
flew to Chicago from Argentina,
Armenia, Canada, France, Israel, Italy,
Lebanon, Mexico, Russia, Spain,
Switzerland, Syria, the United Arab
Emirates, the United Kingdom,
Uruguay, and over twenty American
states.
The schedule of events included
Thursday night’s Perspectives, a
networking forum featuring a panel
discussion; Friday’s Club Night at
a private club in the heart of downtown
Chicago; Saturday afternoon’s
focus on Art with an architectural
boat cruise; a closing Sunday
brunch; and the weekend’s most
anticipated Saturday-evening gala
at the internationally renowned
and newly opened Modern Wing of
the Art Institute of Chicago.
Thursday’s Perspectives has become
the traditional kickoff event
of focus, bringing guests together
to network and discuss a specific
current issue facing a generation
of young Armenian professionals.
This year’s panel took place at the
River East Art Center, which houses
many of the city’s art galleries.
The evening’s discussion centered
around the legacy Armenian
young professionals want to leave
as Armenians to the next generation
and how the Armenian community
can engage them to take
part and make a difference. The
dialogue was moderated by ABC
News Dubai Correspondent/Digital
Reporter Lara Setrakian, who
was joined by three guest speakers:
Harry Onnig Madanyan from
Chicago, Ignacio Balassanian
from Buenos Aires, and Valentina
Poghosyan from London.
“Perspectives 2009 was a timely
and important discourse on the
community our generation wants
to leave behind,” Ms. Setrakian reflected.
“Valentina emphasized Armenian
culture and history in the
home, as our community sees more
families of mixed cultural backgrounds.
Harry encouraged building
more ‘touch points’ between
members of the diaspora and community
structures – opportunities
to engage and participate at different
stages of life. And Ignacio
pointed out the need to leverage
both social networking and face
time as members of our generation
connect in person and online.”
In addition to insight from Ms.
Setrakian and the panelists, Perspectives
featured a lively discussion
that included a great amount
of participation from audience
members who contributed their
ideas on issues like the importance
of language on cultural sustainability,
the Genocide and its role in
our consciousness, and how to live
an Armenian life in the 21st century.
A speaker from France even
described his generation’s legacy as
“a new pipeline,” and the need to reengineer
the way his peers engage
each other and cross traditional
community barriers.
The discussion was followed by
a catered reception in the fine-art
setting.
Following Perspectives, Friday’s
Club Night at Griffin Lounge gave
guests access to a private and exclusive
venue to socialize and dance
until late in the evening. Everyone
enjoyed a modern mix of music
supplied by a local DJ throughout
the night and mingled in the club’s
uniquely decorated rooms.
Beyond the official focus activities,
the weekend was also the setting
for the agbu Young Professionals
(YP) Biennial Assembly. Twentyfive
YPs representing the leadership
of a dozen YP groups and partner
organizations from seven countries
(Argentina, Armenia, Canada,
France, Russia, the United Arab
Emirates and the United States)
convened Friday morning to engage
in cross cooperation and collaboration
with the end purpose in mind
of strengthening and advancing the
worldwide agbu YP Network.
Co-facilitated by YP Liaison Kim
Yacoubian and YP Northern California
Member Alison Ekizian,
YP representatives, several meeting
for the very first time, participated
in an open exchange on partnership
opportunities and best practices,
with a special presentation
made by agbu YP Yerevan chairperson
Harutyun Poghosyan on
available projects in Armenia.
“Representing the largest and
most diverse attendance for an
agbu YP meeting ever with a clear
focus on international cooperation,”
said Ms. Yacoubian, “this year’s assembly
is testament to the accelerated
growth and popularity of the
YP Network, and the dedication of
the young Armenians belonging to
it who are committed to working
together as a cohesive whole to give
back to the community at large to
preserve our time-honored identity
and heritage.”
focus 2009 Co-Chairs Aline Markarian and Arda Berberian
greet guests during Thursday night’s kick-off event,
Perspectives, at Chicago’s River East Art Center.
Harry Onnig Madanyan from Chicago shares his thoughts about the possible legacy of today’s young Armenian professionals
during Thursday night’s Perspectives event, which was moderated by Lara Setrakian.
A view of Friday’s agbu Young ProfessionalsBiennial Assembly, which included
the participation of 25 leaders from a dozen YP groups and partner organizations
from seven countries.
Cruising for art
and celebrating an
achievement
After a successful debut during focus
Montreal in 2003, the fourth
focus on Art event took place on
Saturday afternoon with a popular
architectural boat cruise on
the Chicago River. Guests enjoyed
a sunny afternoon and gourmet
lunch while marveling at Chicago’s
soaring towers during a tour guideled
discovery of the city and its architectural
treasures.
“As a lifelong Chicagoan, I was
happy to hear the participants’ reaction
to the cruise event and the
weekend overall. They saw our architecture,
our treasures, enjoyed
the food and culture and made
new friends at the same time,” said
Houri Gueyikian, the local member
of the focus 2009 committee.
The highlight and most anticipated
event of the weekend was
the Saturday-night gala, held at
the newly opened Modern Wing of
Chicago’s Art Institute. Beginning
with cocktails in the Museum’s
Grand Staircase surrounded by
fine art, guests had the privilege to
walk through the Alsdorf gallery of
South East Asian Art before being
welcomed into the soaring modern
wing for a multimedia presentation
on the Hye Geen Pregnant Women’s
Centers and an evening with
the Kevork Artinian Melody Band,
which played a selection of Armenian
and international music.
The evening’s master of ceremonies
was Steve Odabashian from
Philadelphia, who introduced focus
co-chairs Arda Berberian and
Aline Markarian.
“This year we invaded the Windy
City and have had the pleasure of
taking in so many of its cultural attributes,”
said Ms. Berberian. “Tonight,
we sit amongst the artwork
of one of the most well-known art
institutions in the world, while
supporting an agbu program. I
hope you will take a moment to
take it all in.”
The co-chairs’ enthusiasm for Hye
Geen was also amplified by a video
presentation illustrating the stories
and faces behind the centers.
Continued on page 11