6 March 2015
Project 2015 welcomes applications from students seeking to participate in commemoration
Project 2015, United States-based non-profit group comprised of scholars, academics, activists, and writers of Armenian and Turkish descent, is offering grants of up to $750 to students wishing to participate in the Armenian genocide commemoration events planned in Istanbul in April 2015. The organization is working closely with Turkish civil society organizations to ensure that a large contingent of Armenians be present in Istanbul for the commemoration.
Nicolas Tavitian, director of AGBU Europe, is on the board of the organization and has participated in Armenian genocide commemorations in Istanbul for the past two years. “We feel it is essential for Armenians to be in Turkey on the day of the centenary of the Armenian genocide. We will be commemorating side by side with Turks who are ready for change. This is where it started; it will be so important to be here as well on April 24, 2015,” said Tavitian.
Project 2015 encourages students of all disciplines to travel to Istanbul. “University students committed to the study of genocide and human rights are the future citizen leaders of their communities, so we want to facilitate their participation in the commemoration,” said Dr. Heghnar Watenpaugh, Project 2015 board member and professor at the University of California-Davis.
Participants are expected to arrange credit from the universities and participate actively in the commemoration-related events, including a concert on April 22; various events around the city on April 24, culminating with the commemoration at Taksim Square; and an academic conference on April 26 and 27 at Bilgi University in collaboration with the Richard Hovannisian Endowed Chair in Modern Armenian History at the University of California-Los Angeles between April 22 and April 27. To receive credit, participants will be required to submit a written assignment after their return.
Students enrolled at the universities of any of the Project 2015 board members are asked to contact the board member for guidance in arranging academic credit. Students enrolled at other universities should identify the rules for their university’s independent study credit program and a faculty member willing to serve as a supervisor. They will also be expected to prepare a syllabus and study plan, a sample of which is available on the Project 2015 website.
To apply for a study grant from Project 2015, please submit an application to armenianproject2015@gmail.com by March 15, 2015.
For more information about Project 2015 and the commemoration events, please visit: http://www.armenianproject2015.org/.
Established in 1906, AGBU (www.agbu.org) is the world’s largest non-profit Armenian organization. Headquartered in New York City, AGBU preserves and promotes the Armenian identity and heritage through educational, cultural and humanitarian programs, annually touching the lives of some 400,000 Armenians around the world.
For more information about AGBU and its worldwide programs, please visit www.agbu.org.
