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Goals
1. To assist the faculty of Yerevan State University (the
only research university in Armenia) to create Social Work Bachelor’s
and Master’s programs in the Sociology Department.
2. To promote scholarly collaboration and exchanges and joint
publications by faculty members at both universities by supporting the
newly created journal Social Transitions, the official publication
of the Armenian Society of Social Scientists.
3. To create a regular program of faculty and student exchange
programs, including travel and study opportunities for students from both
universities in all academic programs.
4. To assist the government of the Republic of Armenia and society to
develop and integrate the social work profession where no such profession
or tradition had existed. Building on western approaches to social work,
Armenian social workers and faculty will develop a unique Armenian model
of social work to fit Armenian culture and society.
5. To assist in the creation of several national and regional
nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in place of the previous planned and
state controlled economy and social institutions.
6. To create a network of local community centers that will promote
economic development and democracy building, while also delivering social
services through a combination of self-help, mutual aid and professional
intervention.
7. To expand the collaboration between UConn and the Armenian American
Diaspora.
8. To expand Uconn and YSU faculty contacts in order to generate
long-term institutional and faculty collaborations including building on
YSU’s contacts with other universities throughout the NIS in order to
expand UConn’s involvement with a broader set of universities throughout
the former Soviet Union.
9. To secure adequate funding to support the work of the program
through a federal grant as well as from the Armenian American community,
including garnering contributions to the Charles Mosesian Family
Foundation Fund for Armenian Studies, at the School of Social Work.
Major Accomplishments To Date
1. Trained over 60 individuals in a special
six-month training program, in order to get as many people on the ground
and working as quickly as possible.
2. Established a four year Bachelor’s in Social Work program. The
program graduates fifteen students per year with more than 60 students in
the program at a given time. The first graduates completed the program in
June of 2000.
3. Established a two year Master’s in Social Work program, to which
fifteen graduates of the Bachelors program were admitted in September
2000.
4. Assisted in the creation of a scholarly journal Social Transition
which is the official publication of the Armenian Association of Social
Science. Three articles have appeared in this journal authored by Dr.
Humphreys. Drs. Haroutunian and Humphreys have two papers for American and
European journals in process. Numerous presentations have been made about
the project both in Armenia and the U.S.
5. Completed initial work on conceptualizing a unique Armenian model of
social work.
6. Established more than 30 field training sites in Yerevan and two
distance learning centers. Most of these organizations have also hired
graduates from the training or educational programs. For example all the
major hospitals now employ social workers. Similar gains are being made in
schools, local health centers and other speciality health programs. Many
towns have hired social service administrators or planners; most of these
employees have had some contact with the social service training program.
7. Created several NGOs that provide social services and planning
activities.
8. Conducted eight focus groups in one planned city to document the
effect of the social transition on women and children.
9. Assisted in the creation of a women’s community center in Yerevan,
the capital of Armenia.
10. Created the Charles Mosesian Family Foundation Fund for Armenian
Studies at the UConn School of Social Work. Have received funding from
various benefactors within the Armenian Diaspora.
11. Submitted a major funding proposal to the NIS College and
University Partnership Program, Bureau of Educational and Cultural
Affairs, U.S. Department of State .
12. Produced a video, Beginning where the Soviet ends: The story of
the development of social work in Armenia which is being sold and
shown on various cable outlets. |
