This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Armenian Church University Students Association ACUSA. 60 years ago, a group of Lebanese Armenian university students, led by His Holiness Karekin I Sarkissian, gathered under the roof of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, and organized themselves around the values of the Armenian church and culture, aiming at empowering the youth and nurturing them to serve their God and community.
To keep this spirit alive, with the blessing of His Holiness Catholicos Aram I and in line with the declaration of 2023 the year of the Armenian Diaspora, the ACUSA members are celebrating the Diamond Jubilee with a series of cultural events including interschool competitions, seminars, and round tables, meeting with former members and spiritual advisors of the ACUSA, and preparation of a special publication.
As such, on Saturday, March 25th, 2023, presided by Catholicos Aram I, a seminar took place at the Catholicosate in Antelias, in participation of high schoolers, university students, and representatives of Armenian youth and student organizations.
The first session was dedicated to a dialogue between the youth and His Holiness Aram I. The participants had the opportunity to ask His Holiness about his insights on issues related to the Armenian Diaspora and shared their thoughts and opinions on reorganizing and reviving Armenian Communities around the globe. The students also expressed concerns about the situation in Armenia, especially in Artsakh, where Azerbaijan continues to suffocate the indigenous Armenians with its blockade, and reiterated their solidarity with Artsakh youth.
In the second session, the participants were able to focus on the topics more thoroughly on a round table facilitated by Araz Kojayan and in participation with Louisa Baboyan (HR and Quality Manager, lecturer at USJ and member of National Economic Social and Environmental Council), Dr. Armen Urneshlian (principal and teacher at Armenian Evangelical College, lecturer at Haigazian University and member of the Haigazian Armenological Review editorial board), and Zakar Keshishian (Conductor, a master performer of the Armenian folk wind instruments, shvi and duduk, lecturer at the Lebanese National Higher Conservatory of Music and the Hamazkayin Parsegh Ganatchian Music School).
Following the lunch break, Dr. Christine Arzoumanian-Ghazarian (founder of Wellness at Work Organization, an organizational psychologist, and a lecturer at Haigazian University) organized a workshop on branding and marketing. Subsequently, the participants were divided into groups and used the skills they acquired to prepare presentations of attributes of the Armenian Culture using 21st-century tools, hence becoming ambassadors of Armenian Culture
