On October 11, 2017, there was no place to sit at the Calouste Gulbenkian Hall of the “Hayartun” Center at the Armenian Diocese in Georgia, as it hosted a meeting that gathered the Armenian students studying at different higher education institutions of Tbilisi and the Armenian youth enrolled in one-year Georgian language preparatory program (the program, referred to as “1+4”).

The initiative to this meeting came from the Youth Department of the Armenian Diocese in Georgia. The Youth Department Director, Valery Badalyan, welcomed everyone and transmitted to the Armenian students studying at different higher education institutions and youth enrolled in preparatory program the blessings and good wishes of the Primate of the Armenian Diocese in Georgia, His Grace Bishop Vazgen Mirzakhanyan. The Youth Department Director told the newcomers about the activity directions, projects and objectives of the Armenian Diocese in Georgia and in particular the Youth Department.

Valery Badalyan stated and appreciated the fact that the Diocese offers support and attention to the Armenian students studying at different higher education institutions of Tbilisi. The speaker informed the attendees about the useful initiative taken by Harutyun Malkhasyan and Stepan Evajyan, who study Social and Political Sciences and Computer Science respectively in Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, the objective of which was to help the Armenian youth enrolled in one-year Georgian language preparatory program on a voluntary basis, by offering additional courses covering different subjects and different areas.

Harutyun Malkhasyan and Stepan Evajyan spoke about the results of their initiative and provided support. Appreciating the Armenian students of other higher education institutions in Tbilisi, as well as Nina Seropova, Students Activities Coordinator, who had joined the initiative, for their readiness to continue the courses, the attendees proposed to hold volunteer training courses covering mathematics and general English, with a tendency to expand in the second half of the year.

The training courses will take place once a week in the Hayartun Center of the Armenian Diocese in Georgia.

In addition to deepening of knowledge and improving Georgian language skills, the training courses will unite the Armenian students and can be a platform for their pro-national efforts and love for the Armenian Church. The volunteer training courses kicked off on October 13 with an English lesson.