Arman joined the department in 1995 after completing his Economics and Management Bachelor degree at the Catholic University of Lisbon. His current responsibilities include handling the accounting needs of the Department, supervising several projects in Armenia, and managing the IT-centered initiatives funded by the Department.

In July 2014, the Department launched an open call for proposals to develop electronic and online children’s learning games, language programmes, apps, interactive books, cartoons and any other electronic means to encourage children and young adults to learn and maintain Western Armenian in the diaspora. In total 24 proposals were received and were reviewed by an expert selection committee comprised of two external IT-education specialists and three members from the Armenian Communities Department. Arman was one of the members of the selection committee and has continued to closely accompany the 8 selected projects.

Q1. Why did you decide to join the Armenian Communities Department?

I was finishing my bachelor degree when the prospect presented itself. As a graduate student who had just recently started to send out my CV, I was very excited with the prospect of integrating the Department.  It was like the job was made for me and so I quickly took the opportunity. On the downside I did miss my end of college trip to Cuba.

Q2. Can you name one way the department has changed since you first started to work here?

Overtime, as expected, the Department has undergone several modifications and the most evident change was the technological advancement.  I know it is hard to conceive but when I arrived at the department computers were hardly used, everything was mostly done by hand or by typewriter.  Among the various tasks, I was given the responsibility to file the correspondence. This meant I had to go through hundreds of files trying to find names, searching alphabetically by the first and the last name, while interpreting all the possibilities of how the Armenian names were translated into the Latin alphabet. This was extremely time consuming… As soon as I got my first computer I designed a simple database programme to facilitate the recording of the correspondence. Throughout the years I have seen the department become more efficient thanks in part to technological improvement.

Q3. Did you ever consider changing jobs?

I did receive some offers from other entities and at times I considered that the work would become repetitive. Presently, the Department has embraced a new strategy where we have redefined our priorities, re-evaluated the ways we distributed funds and decided to dedicate our efforts to supporting innovative initiatives. Having the opportunity to contribute to the positive development of the Department and working towards helping the Armenians communities are two elements that have always motivated me to stay.

Q4. In your opinion why was it important for the Department to start supporting IT-centered educational projects?

The Department does not possess unlimited financial means so our goal is to employ our resources to the best of our abilities. Initially, we supported in a cyclical manner several entities institutionalizing a long history of collaboration.  At the time, given the resources and communication channels available, this method was the most efficient as it allowed us to have full knowledge of how the money was being spent and as such we could reduce the risk of our grants being misused. Currently, this method is no longer the most proficient. The reality and the needs of the Armenian communities have changed and to remain relevant in the Armenian world the Department has chosen to adapt.   Among other adjustments our approach has become more flexible when it comes to collaborating with new partners and supporting innovative projects.  The way Armenian communities relate to one another has also transformed and it has become vital to encourage communication and interaction between members of the various Diasporan communities. Supporting the use of new technologies to promote Armenian culture allows us to reach the Armenian communities in a new form, as well as to engage with a whole new younger generation.

Q5. What were some of the initial challenges you experienced when the Department decided to support IT-centered initiatives?

This truly is a whole new challenge for me and the Department. Until now we have never fully collaborated with the technological sector and consequently we have limited knowledge about designing and distributing apps.  To address this need we decided to surround ourselves with reliable experts.  Once we started to discuss the possibility of engaging with new technologies, I did an exhaustive research on everything related to the word Armenia in the Android and IOS app stores to increase my understanding about what companies and products were available. We also came up with the idea of launching the open call, which I am very happy to note, received a considerable number of applications. To evaluate the projects submitted we created a selection committee and included two IT-experts who did an initial evaluation focusing on the technological aspects.  After hearing their considerations I, along with other two members of Department, discussed which initiatives would best reflect our priorities. Naturally, we focused on language learning applications since language learning is an area where the Department is determined to have a constructive impact.  A second challenge we faced, was finding projects which prominently featured Western Armenian. We ended up having to negotiate with several of the applicants to include Western Armenian in their products.   This was the first time we did something of this nature, accordingly, we are still testing what works and what doesn’t work.

Q6. As a member of the selection committee what were some of the elements you looked for during the selection process and are still taking into consideration?

For me, the most important thing is that the apps should capture the attention of users-be they kids or adults- and stimulate curiosity. The programs have to be eye-catching, they can’t be confusing since people need to quickly understand what is asked of them and obviously, they can’t have any technical or content glitches. Above all, they have to be enjoyable! The projects we selected are directed particularly at parents and children so together they can learn Armenian in a fun and interactive way, rather than focusing on traditional teaching methods. As I test the prototypes I try to consider how my children would respond. Personally, I think IT-centered initiatives like these can have a positive educational input. For example, my son used to play a math’s game which relied on a fish character eating numbers. Before he could even properly read or write he was solving addition and subtraction math’s equations and acquired an animated understanding of the numbers.

Q7. Which were the projects selected?

Digital Pomegranate-“Playland Armenia”

InConceptLabs-“Armenian Language Learning Mobile Application”

Mediapolis-“Armenian Alphabet”

Vergine and Garo Aprahamian-“PTIT Children’s Periodical”

Hayk Hayotsyan-“Alphabet for Toddlers” and “Spelling Game”

Massis Orer-“Armenian Conjugation”

Anna Sargsyan- “Moolt Game” project

Q8. You have continued to accompany the selected projects. Are you pleased with the results?

We are still at a very early stage for me to accurately evaluate the full impact the projects will have on learning Armenian or if the Department has effectively accomplished its goal.  At the moment, only two of the projects we have supported have been launched: Hayk Hayotsyan-“Alphabet for Toddlers” and Mediapolis – “Armenian Alphabet”. I believe both have had a very successful launch and are receiving a positive feedback. The other projects are still at a developing stage but I am closely monitoring their progress. Overall, it has been a positive experience and I am very optimistic about the final outcomes. I must admit I have enjoyed testing out the various prototypes and can’t wait to be able to share the final versions with my own children!

Q9. How will the Department continue to contribute more to IT-centered initiatives that benefit the learning of Armenian?

I am confident the Department will continue to be involved in supporting the advancement of an Armenian digital footprint. But for the moment we are eager to observe the final results of these initiatives before moving forward with our IT-centered strategy when it comes to apps. In any case, partnerships will continue to be an essential component of our involvement with electronic learning initiatives.  After noting that Western Armenian is weakly represented in the interactive apps sector, I think we should encourage the creation of IT-centered initiatives which promote its daily use and thus, continue to work towards the preservation of Western Armenian.

Q10. How do you feel your role within the Department has progressed throughout these years?

My role gradually developed along with the Department. As a newly graduate college student my first task was to create and monitor computerized databases and computer programmes to help the Department with its daily routines. This was before the Foundation started to hire outside companies aiming to modernize the application of information technologies. From 1995 to 2005, the Armenian Communities Department was always in first place when it came to the technological innovation at the Foundation.  All the prototypes would be tested by the Department and I was responsible for providing the necessary feedback to evaluate how well the programmes met the Foundation’s needs.  With time I moved away from programming and testing databases to focus on managing the department’s accounting. Now I am back on the technological track, as well as, managing a couple of other initiatives in Armenia, and still closely monitoring the department’s accounting.

Q.11 If you could design a language learning App what would it be?

I would design an interactive story book, where each time a child reads it, the story would change based on his or her own actions. I would include letter games and puzzles throughout the book to stimulate critical thinking and comprehensive skills. I would also design funny colorful characters with a comical dialogue. Music would also have to play an important part. But I think it is best to leave the app designing to the experts. For now, I advise everyone to keep a look out for the IT-projects we are supporting since I think people will be pleasantly surprised!