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The current mutual work between Yerevan
State University (YSU) and the University of Connecticut (UCONN) began
through Mr. Garbis Moushigian, an Armenian American MSW from
Connecticut, who spent a year in Armenia after the earthquake in 1988,
with support from by a Swiss based foundation. His primary function
was to establish a children’s mental health program in the earthquake
zone. While in country he consulted with Dr. Ludmila Haroutunian, head
of the Department of Sociology at YSU. Dr Harourtunian, a member of
the Supreme Soviet at the time, asked Mr. Moushigian to find an
American school of social work that would be willing to work with
them. Mr Moushigian, while on a visit home, initiated contact with the
then Dean of the UCONN SSW, Dr. Nancy A. Humphreys who agreed to
invite Dr. Haroutunian to visit UCONN.
Drs. Haroutunian and Humphreys met in 1991 to
explore a possible working collaboration. A planned study tour of
local social service agencies was arranged as well as consultations
with UCONN social work faculty. The planned visits included several
social service agencies and programs that might have relevance to the
needs of the newly developing independent Republic of Armenia. In many
of the visits to agencies, Dr. Haroutunian was also able to share
first hand experiences about the transition taking place in the former
Soviet Union. There was extensive local press coverage of her visit as
well as her observations and perspectives (see attached sample of
articles).
During these initial discussions agreements were
reached that UCONN would help initiate the social work profession in
Armenia and would begin by setting up, in cooperation with the
Armenian Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, a series of short-term
training programs to train as many social workers as quickly as
possible. The UCONN SSW helped develop, in consultation with Dr.
Haroutunian, a six month training program and provided resources for
these programs. It was also agreed that the Dean and a delegation from
the UCONN SSW would travel to Armenia in 1992 to meet with government
officials and others to explain social work and its importance to the
new county. During 1994-1995 three six-month training programs were
carried out, graduating more that sixty individuals who were prepared
to assume social service jobs in the emerging private sector or within
the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare.
UCONN School of Social Work faculty sent books and
journals, training plans, and training aides. A module, including
several video demonstrations, on interviewing techniques which had
been developed by the Office of Staff Development Services of the
Connecticut Department of Social Services was translated into Armenian
and used with all of the trainees. To date, UCONN (with the financial
support of the United Armenian Fund) has shipped over 10,000 books and
journals to the new social work library at YSU. We have been able to
supply the YSU Social Work Library with complete sets of several of
the major scholarly and professional journals. Shipments of books,
journal and educational supplies continue on a regular basis. |
