Educational Summer Camps 2013: Call for summer camp participation 2013

Repost of the participation call, for those wo haven't seen it, and wish to check it out.

Educational Summer Camps 2013: Call for summer camp participation 2013: The International Center for Intercultural Research, Learning and Dialogue (ICIRLD) is announcing a call for participants of the Educati...

Alaverdi

 Alaverdi (Armenian: Ալավերդի) is a town in the Lori Province at the northeastern part of Armenia, not far from the border with Georgia. With an approximate population of 16,500 inhabitants (down from 26,300 in 1989), Alaverdi is situated at the bottom of the Debed river gorge. The town is one of the important commercial and industrial centres of the district and the entire republic. It is located at the only direct rail link between Armenia and Georgia. Alaverdi was formerly known as Manes.

 Historically, the area of Manes-Alaverdi was part of Dzoropor canton of Gugark province of Greater Armenia. Starting from the 17th century, the settlement became to be known as Alaverdi which is derived from the name of a 17th-century Turkic tribe leader called Allahverdi Mollaoghlu Tarkhan.

 When the area was annexed to the Russian Empire at the end of the 18th century, a number of Greek miners were resettled in the area to start exploiting the copper, through the efforts of the Argoutinski-Dolgoruki family. Soon after, nearly a quarter of the entire Russian copper was being mined in Alaverdi. At the end of the 19th century, the concession to exploit the mine was sold to a French firm. During the Soviet rule in the 20th century, the city acquired its current socialist industrial appearance. After the independence, the metallurgical plant was privatized to become a major employer for the city and its surroundings.

 Alaverdi has many historical structures, including the 12th-century bridge of Sanahin.

 However, many other important cultural monuments are located in the vicinity of the town, including the monasteries of Sanahin, Haghpat, Kobayr, Akhtala, Khorakert, Khuchap, Ardvi and a basilica in Odzun.

 The area of Alaverdi is rich with historical monuments and natural life. The city itself is built in the valley of Debed river, surrounded with high mountains and green forests.

 

 Source: Wikipedia.org

Jermuk

 Jermuk (Armenian: Ջերմուկ; also Romanized as Djermuk) is a spa town in the southern Armenian province of Vayots Dzor, 53 km east of Yeghegnadzor, the capital of Vayots Dzor. It was a popular destination during the Soviet era and nowadays is still famous for its hot springs and its brand of mineral water that is bottled in the vicinity. The town is considered to be attractive for its huge waterfall, the natural bridge, the lake, its forests with its walking trails and mineral water pools. Jermuk is currently being redeveloped to become a modern centre of tourism and health services. The town is also being set up to become a sort of Chess centre, with numerous chess tournaments hosted or scheduled to be hosted. Finally, Jermuk is well-known among the Armenian people for its distinctively fresh air.

 The name of the town derives from the Armenian word of "jermuk" (ջերմուկ) or "jermook", meaning "warm mineral spring".

 Jermuk occupies an area which is historically considered as part of the Vayots Dzor district of the Syunik province (within Armenia Mayor). It was first mentioned in the 13th century by historian Stepanos Orbelian in his work about the "History of the Sisakan district". But the ruins of an ancient fortress and an 8th-century basilica testify that the human settlement near the fountains of Jermuk has started long before the 13th century. The fortress of Jermuk was built during the rule of the Artaxiad Dynasty.

 In ancient times the mineral water of Jermuk was known for its curing features. The princes of Syunik regarded the Jermuk sources and water as healing and built several pools filled with it, thereby making the little town their holiday destination.

 During the 1830s, a Russian engineer-geologist called "Voskoboynikov" arrived in Armenia and began explorations on Jermuk's geographical depth as well as the contents and characteristics of Jermuk waters. His observations on Jermuk were published in the "Mountain Magazine" journal in 1831, and later in 1855, in the "Caucasian Calenda" magazine. Voskoboynikov’s works were the first scientific talks on Jermuk.

 In 1860s, all the historic pools of Jermuk which were built by the Orbelian princes of Syunik, were renovated by "Gevorg Khanagyan", following a resolution by the Russian government. Today, those baths which are called "Pristav Pools", are preserved as historical monuments.

 The foundation of the modern town of Jermuk took place only in 1940, when the first sanatorium was opened to the public, thus setting for the fertile activity of the Jermuk health resort centre. Development programmes were implemented to turn Jermuk into a modern resort for all Soviet nationals. In 1980 the population of Jermuk reached 10,000. After the collapse of the Soviet Union and as a result of the economic crisis in Armenia during the 1990s, the population dropped to 7000 in the beginning of the 21st century. Recently however, the Armenian authorities took steps in order to further develop the Jermuk town-resort including the settlement of Kechut. As a result of those new resolutions the town has experiencеd unprecedented success as a tourist destination.

 The town is located at a height of 2080 meters above sea level, within the mountains of Vayots Dzor, among thick forests, on a plateau divided into two parts by the gorge of Arpa River, 170 km south-east of Yerevan. Surrounding mountains of Vayots Dzor, Vardenis and Syunik are all covered with forests and alpine meadows at a height of 2500–3000 meters.

 The forests of Jermuk are rich with oak and hornbeam trees, as well as with dog rose, wild pear, plum and juniper plants. Animals like foxes, rabbits, badgers and bears could be found there.

 Jermuk is full of natural hot springs (Geysers). The name itself is derived from this fact, as the word "jermuk" means "geyser" in the Armenian language. The waterfall of Jermuk on Arpa river has a height of 70 meters.

 The average temperature of Jermuk is +15.3C during summer and -9C in winter with a level of 800 mm (31.50 in) of annual precipitation.

 Source: Wikipedia.org

Stepanavan

 Stepanavan (Armenian: Ստեփանավան), is a town in the Lori Province of Armenia. It is located 139 km north of the capital Yerevan and 24 km north of the provincial centre Vanadzor, in the centre of Yerevan-Tbilisi highway.

 Stepanavan was one of Armenia's most famous tourist spots during the Soviet era, but it had suffered major destruction during the Spitak Earthquake of 1988. Nowadays, the city is reviving and tourists from all over the world visit Stepanavan to enjoy the beauty of one of Armenia's most picturesque towns.

 The area of present Stepanavan was inhabited since the ancient times, but, in fact, the city in its current location on the southern bank of Dzoraget river was founded in the 12th century, as evidenced by Surb Sargis Armenian Apostolic church in the center of town. The territory was the home of Kingdom of Lori (known also as Kingdom of Tashir-Dzoraget) of the 10th century where the Fortress of Lori (a medieval royal palace complex) was built. At Lori Berd (or Lori Fortress), the ruins of a 10th-century royal bathhouse and palace could be found. This medieval town-fortress was founded by one of the powerful kings of Armenia, David I Anhoghin, between 1005–1020. In 1065, king Kiurike I proclaimed Lori as the capital of the Kyurikid Kingdom after losing the town of Shamshvilde to the Georgian king Bagrat IV. Located on the northern trade route, Lori was a large craft and commercial centre in medieval Armenia. It had a population of more than 10,000 in the 11th century.

 In 1105, Lori was occupied by the Seljuks, then by the Georgian House of Orbeliani. Later it became under the rule of the Armenian Zakarian brothers, Ivaneh and Zakareh. In 1236, Chaghatai Khan, the commander of the Mongolian army took over the town and razed it to the ground.

 Between the 14th and 17th centuries, while under the rule of the Armenian Orbelian Dynasty as governors of Jalayirids, Karakoyunlu, Timurids and Akkoyunlu, Lori remained a strategically important fortress until the 17th century, when it was captured by Turks, Persians and Georgians respectively. During the reign of Catherine the Great of the Russian Empire in the 18th century, the town of Jalaloghly was founded on the same site, by the Armenian Hasan-Jalalyan dynasty from Karabakh. Jalaloghly was part of Borchalu region within the governorate of Tiflis in the Russian Empire.
 The name "Jalaloghly" was used until 1923, when it was renamed "Stepnavan" after the Armenian Bolshevik leader Stepan Shaumyan.

 Stepanavan is situated on Lori plateau to the north of Bazum mountains, on the shores of river Dzoraget at an average height of 1375 meters above sea level. It covers an area of 17 km2 with an estimated population of 16200 inhabitants in 2009. The deep gorge of Dzoraget divides Stepanavan into northern and southern banks, the latter of which has deeper historical roots.

 Surrounded with thick forests and alpine meadows, Stepanavan has a relatively humid climate with an average yearly temperature of 6.6 C. The average temperature of January is -4,2 C while in July it makes +16,7 C. The annual precipitation is 683 mm with snowy winters.

 Stepanavan is a health resort known for its pine forests and mountainous climate. The essential oils, isolated by coniferous trees, possess strong bactericidal properties; therefore mountainous air of Stepanavan, filled with the aroma of pine tree, is useful for patients who suffer from respiratory problems.

 Source: Wikipedia.org

Pictures from the Past

 Hey there!

 We've started adding photo albums to our Facebook page. The first album uploaded contains pictures from last year's summer camp in Jermuk. Of course more will follow, we'll add a new album almost everyday during next week. I hope you enjoy this little preview of what you should expect at our camps.

  Please like the album and share t with your friends, and if you really want to see the place up close, please apply to our summer camps.

Thank you for your support!

 Our Facebook page has gathered quite a nice number of followers, but we know we can do even better. I would like to thank you all for your support for this project and these camps. We are working hard on creating the best experiences of your lives, and teach you guys about Intercultural Dialogue and the Culture of Peace.
 There's still a lot of work ahead of us, so appreciate you're continued support. A team is working on drafting individual posts about all 3 locations, so that we can give you some detailed information about where we'll take you guys camping. We'll start putting them on the blog on Monday.

 With this I take my leave of you, and getting back to work. Please check out our Facebook page, share and like it, and if you are interested in the camps, please apply using the link below. Application Form

Call for summer camp participation 2013

 The International Center for Intercultural Research, Learning and Dialogue (ICIRLD) is announcing a call for participants of the Educational Camps 2013. The main aim of these camps is to organize the active leisure time of Armenian young people by recreational activities and equip them with basic knowledge about Intercultural Learning and Culture of Peace.

 The mission of ICIRLD is to build a World where the Cultural Diversity is respected and valorised, where the “Culture of War” in replaced by Culture of Peace, and where people from different cultural backgrounds work hand in hand for solution of Global Problems and for Sustainable Development. Within the framework of the European Voluntary Service, 15 volunteers from Hungary, Latvia, Romania, Slovakia, Russia and Germany will contribute to the organization of the summer camps and add intercultural dimension to these activities.

 Educational summer camps are ongoing summer activities of ICIRLD since 2006. During the summer camps there will be held such activities as hiking in nature and to the historical monuments, team-building activities, educational training modules on intercultural learning, culture of peace, EVS, concept of culture, intercultural evening and interactive discussions around a bonfire. The participants will be accommodated in tents, so having a sleeping bag and mattress is preferred. The participation fee is 10 000 AMD.

Daily Program (draft one, you will get the final version if you are accepted):

Friday:
 08:00 – 12:00 Departure/Transportation to the camping place
 12:00 – 13:00 Arrival and putting tents
 13:00 – 15:00 Lunch Break
 15:00 – 16:00 Presentation of the camp’s program, rules, safety regulations and team
 16:00 – 19:00 Organising team-building and ice breaking activities
 Intercultural evening after dinner

Saturday:
 09:00 – 13:00 Hiking in nature
 13:00 – 15:00 Lunch Break
 15:00 – 17:00 Training module on concept of culture
 17:00 – 19:00 Training module on Intercultural Learning
 Bon-fire Evening after dinner (social activity)

Sunday:
 09:00 – 12:00 Training module on ‘Youth in Action’ Programme (Focusing on EVS)
 12:00 – 13:00 Exercise on European Voluntary Service
 13:00 – 15:00 Lunch Break
 15:00 – 16:00 Preparing for departure
 16:00 Departure

 In the summer of 2013 three camps will be held: Camp 1 in Stepanavan between 9-11 August, Camp 2 in Jermuk between 16-18 August and Camp 3 in Alaverdi between 23-25 August. You can apply for more than one camp but in this case please specify your priority in the application form. Due to high number of application the priority will be given to those who come for the first time.

Participants profile:
 - English speaking abilities on communicative level
  - Age between 18-35
  - Interest and enthusiasm for intercultural dialogue
 - Positive attitude.

  Apply through the following link (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1-PhzxxiSMmv_GgT5i1wMn8SgH-WqZcdtYuddJxwQlp8/viewform) to the following camps:
 - Camp 1, Stepanavan - until 31st July 2013
 - Camp 2, Jermuk - until 7th August 2013
 - Camp 3, Alaverdi - until 14th August 2013

More information at icirld.summercamp@gmail.com or 010585092.