Our partnerships often pave the way for unique opportunities for our beneficiaries, particularly Armenia’s children, as it's important that they see opportunities for promising futures.
One such initiative is FAR’s Byurakan Science Camps (BSC), which FAR has managed for the past seven years. Thanks to our partnership with Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory and the Armenian Astronomical Society (ArAS),we have been able to send children to the observatory for one week where free from distractions, they can learn more about the stars firsthand from expert scientists and researchers.
The BSC program started in 2014, an initiative of Sona Farmanyan and Areg Mikayelyan of Byurakan, and it was strongly supported by the now-deceased founder of FAR's ANSEF program Professor Dr. Yervant Terzian, a cherished friend of our organization. More than 200 schoolchildren from all regions of Armenia and Artsakh have participated in the program since then and it’s a great example of how our Education Program supports so many different ways for children to learn.
This year, 35 kids (ages 12-14) from various regions around Armenia, plus Yerevan and Artsakh, had the chance to participate in BSC at the end of October. The children spent their days learning about astronomy from well-known Armenian astrophysicists like Viktor Hambardzumyan and Areg Mickaelian, and other scholars. This, combined with stargazing and some visits to nearby historic sites, made for a fascinating week.
“Our cooperation with the observatory has become a nice tradition for these children,” said FAR Education Programs Manager Eduard Karapetyan. “Thegrowth and evolution of science itself is partly due to the love of learning and acquiring knowledge, which is the primary product of such programs.”