Minassians to Armenia 2015: GLOW'ing, the end but really the beginning...

GLOW Camp Day 5

Woman of the Day: Audrey Hepburn

Topics of the Day: Conflict Resolution, Project Design and Management

Yesterday (Thursday) at GLOW was incredible. The girls delved deeply into discussion about sex, gender, and the roles of men and women in society. They did a three corners activity where they had a list of occupations and had to decide if they were only for a woman, only for a man, or could be for both. Then, depending on which corner they chose, they would defend their answer and try to convince the others they were correct. There is a diverse range of opinion and exposure to these topics, making for fascinating discussions. Most dynamic were the professions like make-up artist, baker, and engineer. One of the girls was in the “man only” corner for engineer and I mentioned that my sister was an engineer she looked at me quizzically and then walked to the other side. I sensed very little resistance among them, more curiosity and openness and a willingness to hear a different perspective. The directors were careful to instruct the staff to allow the Armenian counselors to take the lead here. I find the Peace Corps volunteers to be very conscientious of social and cultural norms, careful not to be intrusive or invasive while also committed to a progressive and expansive education. The gentle balance made for a thoughtful and profound conversation amongst the girls.

"For Men and Women Both"--Lianna, second from our left, didn't move from this postion

Days like yesterday render me even more curious about the homes these girls go to at the end of the day. Is what they are learning sinking in? Is it in tandem with or in opposition to what they experience as young women in their homes? These are not unlike the questions I have when I teach back in the states. I remember one year teaching the Armenian Genocide to a newly arrived Turkish immigrant and she was not resistant (that would have been viewed as impolite) but I am certain what I was teaching her at school was directly contrary to what she had learned at home. I wonder so much how that must feel and how, as young women, they will reconcile new buds of resistance and change with traditional and familiar customs. At the same time, there are girls for whom this is aligned with core values they’ve learned at home. For them, I wonder, who helped them see this was possible? Is there an engrained spirit we are born with or is it all learned through our environment? A combination, I am sure. I think about my own upbringing with a strong mother, three incredibly powerful sisters, and a feminist father. Without them, I could have had a very different outcome. Our parents actively chose a path towards progress for women and a place where they knew our full potential as women would be hindered only by the limitations of our own imagination. And while women in America still experience sexism and gender bias on a daily basis, we have tools, access, and well-paved paths to follow. I see this all around me in Armenia as well in my new Armenian friends…Shogher, Tamara; in the young Armenian counselors at this camp who exude power; in the diasporan Armenian women who work here like Sara and Lucy, and of course all of the amazing Peace Corps volunteers, too many to name here, who are serving women and girls (and boys!) across the country about reaching their highest aspirations.

Speaking of powerful young women, Nevart was back to play with Sevan. They are a happy duo working it out in their broken Armenian and English. Nevart is an example of a young woman being raised by a powerful mama (Tamara) and a conscientious, caring, and forward thinking father (Hovig).

In the afternoon, Victoria’s group facilitated a presentation about disability and difference using the life and story of Temple Grandin. The girls identified their own struggles and how they overcome obstacles to achievement or success. The U.S. embassy gifted the camp a set of the book Wonder in Armenian which is about a boy who has a facial disfigurement and has to navigate a new school and a complex social environment. In addition to Wonder, they were given The Julian Chapter which is from the perspective of the bully. The girls will read this and form a book club in a month with the partners at Nor Luyce and Victoria, who is the most excellent volunteer based in Gyumri.

Wonder and The Julian Chapter, gifts from the American Embassy

Today, (Friday), camp started with some impromptu dancing, a combination of Armenian soorch bar, Russian, and Georgian dancing. It won’t surprise anyone back home that these girls can DANCE! They are full of spirit and ruach.

The day is centered around five features of Conflict Resolution: Competing, Accommodating, Avoiding, Compromising, and Collaborating. Depending on the setting, these are all differently appropriate responses to conflict. The rest of the day was dedicated to Project Design and Management. The objective is for the girls to come up with ideas of different community projects. One session is called “Evaluating Needs” where they share ideas and brainstorm the needs of their community, neighborhood, schools, etc. The second session is “Addressing Needs”, including what resources they will need. The third session is “Creating a Plan””, including a framework for design and a timeline.

Finally, the girls created a vision board for the project they want to undertake.

While each girl comes up with their own project, they will find collaborators among one another to work on similarly themed ones. In the long term, GLOW would love to oversee project implementation with mentors in the community, but this gets them thinking about ways to develop their surroundings and how they can be agents of change. When they meet back for the book group, they will check-in on the girls’ projects and help them adjust their objectives.

Project ideas ranged from better nutrition in schools and home to the one issue all of us have noticed, the garbage in town. It's hard to know what infrastructures currently exist to help them achieve their goals, but they are full of ideas for what changes would improve their lives and their community.

Women in Sports

New sports fields

Garbage Clean Up

There are so many beautiful moments at camp, it's hard to capture them all. In their free time, they sing, dance, and play us music. Each of them harnesses a talent for an instrument, for the arts, for poetry, for playing, for writing, and for movement. They personify all the beauty of Armenia and all we've experienced. It lives here in Gyumri, wrapped up in these young Armenians with dark copper eyes, thickly braided hair, brimming with humanity.