A Note From the Director
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In our Five-Year Plan launched over a year ago, the Armenian Communities Department committed to communicate better its activities and decisions, enhancing a culture of transparency and accountability. Henceforth, we are making available to the general public – through our website – the list of the grants and scholarships we have given in 2014. Throughout the year, I have also given a number of media interviews to explain our programming approach; these appeared in English, French, Armenian and Turkish. Some of the links are on our website.
It has been a very busy year. Some of the highlights are:
In 2014, we also launched our series of high-level seminars “Armenians in 2115,” with the first gathering in Lisbon in October. We will continue this series, with subsequent seminars being focussed on specific issues. Our intention is to encourage debate about the future, and develop initiatives that strengthen Armenian identity. Two of the gatherings being organised in 2015 are: a conference about IT and Armenian language/culture, whereby needs will be matched by potential funding sources; and a seminar on innovation in the teaching of Armenian in the diaspora that will lead to specific training initiatives we can support.
Of course, these are only a few of the many projects we are supporting. To have a fuller picture, please browse the lists we have just posted; they enumerate all of our funding initiatives. Once the 2014 Foundation’s Annual Report is released, we will also put on our site the section pertaining to our Department, containing further details.
2015 will be just as busy of a year, no doubt. It is a significant year for the Armenians, with the Centennial of the Genocide fast approaching. The Department will continue to do its utmost to support Armenian culture and language, looking ahead but without forgetting the past.
Razmik Panossian