"Ambassadors" of the Armenian art and culture in Europe

The Fashion Road: Dialogue Across Borders project has already enjoyed coverage through various media outlets in the last 2 months and generated a lot of interest. The British Council office and the Armenian Fashion Council received a lot of calls and enquiries about the project and eventually, by the deadline, we had 19 applications from very skilful and talented designers. The selection process was very difficult because each designer presented a unique approach and experience in his or her work. The sources of inspiration of our designers were very diverse, from stones and architecture to music, paintings and just words giving birth to very imaginary and innovative works of art.
 

Eventually, after several meetings and discussions by the selection panel, 10 designers were shortlisted for an interview, and after a long and difficult decision process, five have been selected to be the "ambassadors" of Armenian art and culture in Europe. We are happy to present to you the group of the designers from Armenia participating in the fashion project:

Lusine Kostanyan

Lusine Kostanyan, Designer at "Zatik" Studio
 

Lusine Kostanyan graduated from the Yerevan State Academy of Fine Arts in 2007 and holds an MS Degree in Applied Arts Design. She has participated in different trainings in the sphere of fashion history, trends and fashion business. She is a member of the Union of Designers of Armenia.

 
Kristine Avetisyan, Founder/Fashion Designer at "Cristhas" Fashion Studio

Kristine Avetisyan

  Kristine Avetisyan graduated in 2000 from the Armenian State Pedagogical University named after Kh. Abovyan, and holds an MS Degree in Art and Drawing. She has participated in fashion shows and competitions held in Yerevan and Moscow. Kristine has about three years of working experience outside Armenia, in a multicultural environment in Dubai. 

Aram Nikolyan,

Aram Nikolyan

Director, Chief Designer at "Aram Nikolyan" atelier

Aram Nikolyan graduated from the National Academy of Fine Arts in 2005 and holds a Bachelor's degree in Style and Costume Design. He has participated in different trainings and master classes both inside and outside Armenia in the sphere of Arts and Fashion Trends (Malta, Armenia), Style and Costume Design (Florence).
 

Ani Iskandaryan, Designer (Constructor) at "Atex" Fashion Center

Ani Iskandaryan

Ani Iskandaryan has graduated in 2008 from the Armenian Open University named after Loris Kalashyan and holds a bachelor's degree in Modeling of Textile and Light Industry. She has participated in different contests such as Russian Silhouette as well as other shows in Astral and Club Bar.

Gayane Soghomonyan

Gayane Soghomonyan, Founder/Designer at "Gayane"
Fashion Studio

Gayane Soghomonyan graduated in 1994 from "Atex" Fashion Centre. After graduating, she continued to work for the same centre till 1995. Afterwards, she founded her own company -Gayane Fashion Studio. She has participated in different contests such as Armenian Silhouette, Russian Silhouette and some fashion shows in different Armenian Clubs.

Active Citizens among Best Educational Projects in Yeghegnadzor
 

The Center for Organising Youth Activities, within the Armenian Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs, has recognised Active Citizens as the best educational project in the vayots Dzor region within the framework of which young people have been educated and supported in implementing projects aimed at the development of their community.   
 

Several training sessions were delivered for the project participants.

In the Vayots Dzor region, Active Citizens set the stage towards establishing a sense of global citizenship. As Mary Sargsyan, project participant from the village of Malishka said, "Despite the fact that we are living in villages and towns located close to each other, we know very little about each other. Our communities are quite different from one another, but they have common problems and needs.  Only joint work and cooperation can bring about some progress and change in our towns and villages."
 

In December, several training sessions were delivered for the project participants, which helped them understand their role in the development of their communities. They also realised that it is possible to design and implement effective projects and expect positive outcomes only through the recognition of their own identity, traditions and culture. Towards the end of the training, they were already proposing project ideas, which they felt ready and enthusiastic to develop further and carry on implementing. "This is the first time I have received such comprehensive knowledge, skills and information. I am convinced that this will help me in my future work and activities," said another participant, Laura Gabrielyan from the city of Vayk.

Enhancing Employability through Career Guidance

Statistics suggest that there are more than 35.000 students in the vocational institutions of Armenia. Their decision to seek vocational education was based on their expectations of finding a good job after graduating. In the meantime, current trends show that the knowledge and skills obtained by students in vocational institutions do not always match market demands.
 

The British Council initiated a national seminar in Armenia.

As part of the Skills for Employability project, the British Council initiated a national seminar in Armenia to highlight the careers that are in great demand in the current labour market. The outcomes of the seminar - a series of recommendations - could potentially serve as the basis for the preparation of a national mechanism for career guidance, in order to help students choosing their future professions and universities. From 6 to 8 December 2010, experts invited from the UK and Armenian professionals worked together on the development of these recommendations by identifying shared challenges, experiences and opportunities.

"The event was very useful. It was of significant importance for us and very timely," said Naira Davtyan, one of the participants. Besides getting acquainted with UK expertise, the participants worked on developing a national strategy for career guidance and aligning it with economic development in the country.

"Armenian Children Know so Much about British Culture..."

After a five-day visit to Armenia last year, a group of nine teachers from England went back to their country with great feedback, excited to introduce Armenia and Armenian culture to their pupils through special classes.

Nine teachers from England explored the Armenian education system.

The visit was organised through the Teachers' International Professional Development (TIPD) Project. For five days, representatives of schools in the UK visited several Armenian schools in Yerevan and Gyumri, observed classes, explored the Armenian education system and created strong ties between schools of both countries.

At every school, they were welcomed with artistic performances. In one of the schools in Gyumri, the local teachers organised a lesson about the Beatles for their guests. "It was surprising how much Armenian children learn about British culture - I think we have a lot to learn from that," said Bridget Long from Broad Town CE Primary School.

Inspired with the knowledge of Armenian pupils about the UK, the British teachers decided to organise Armenian days at their schools. After returning home, they shared their impressions and experience with their pupils through the photos and videos from Armenia. "Inspired by the Armenian schools, where children learn about British culture at such an early age, we plan to teach a course at our school in the spring semester about Armenian culture. We're going to focus on the Armenian alphabet and the country," said Jessica Church from Greentrees Primary School.

During their visit, Mrs Deborah Shannon from Mere School in Wiltshire established contact between her school and school N125 in Armenia. Both schools are planning to launch letter-writing classes and, if possible, exchange e-mails. "That school impressed me most because it was the first one we visited and they were so welcoming and kind - that was the school which did the Byron presentation. It was very impressive; the children were very confident and professional," said Deborah Shannon.

This year in March two teachers from school N67  will visit England as a result of the links established between John Jones and Jessica Church from Greentrees Primary School with this school. The visit will be funded by Greentrees Primary School.

In February, we are planning the next visit of the British teachers to Armenia which we hope will result in more links and cultural exchange between our countries and schools.

Take the KET Test and get a Recognised Qualification!

• Do you have basic English skills?
• Can you understand simple written English?
• Can you communicate in familiar situations?
• Can you understand short texts and simple spoken directions?

If this describes your skills now, or describes the level of skills you are working towards, then the Key English Test (KET) is the right exam for you.  KET is Cambridge ESOL's exam which recognises the ability to deal with everyday written and spoken English at a basic level. Thousands of employers, universities and government departments officially recognise KET as a basic qualification in English.
 

There are two versions of KET available - KET and KET for Schools. Both follow exactly the same format and the level of the question papers is identical. The only difference is that the content and treatment of topics in KET for Schools have been particularly targeted towards the interests and experience of school pupils.
 

Cambridge ESOL is a department within the renowned University of Cambridge. Attaining one of its certificates is an achievement and a reward in itself. 
 

The registration deadline for the KET for Schools exam is 5 February (the exam date is 19 March) and for the KET exam is 12 February (the exam date is 12 March).

Upcoming Events
 

A presentation will be organised for the book From Women Politicians to Women Politicans. The book was prepared within the framework of the Wo/Men in Politics project.

When- To be confirmed

Where- To be confirmed

Dear customers, partners and friends!

Please note that from 1 February 2011 the British Council Armenia office will be open to the public on Wednesdays and Fridays from 1400 to 1800.

As the UK's principal cultural relations organisation the British Council is strongly committed to the policy of Equal Opportunity and is keen to reflect diversity at every level within the organisation and in all programmes and activities.

You can find more information about our approach within the organisation and how we build Equal Opportunity & Diversity into our programmes and projects in Armenia and worldwide at our website. 

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