Where Confidence Begins: Marine and Vrezh’s Journey Through Hairdressing

For Vrezh and Marine, hairdressing is not just a profession or a chance to learn something new. It is a safe and welcoming space where they can breathe out, let go of tension, and simply be themselves.

At the James and Marta Batmasian Vocational Training Center in Parakar, students with and without disabilities learn side by side, sharing the same classrooms, the same dreams, and the same laughter. Seventeen-year-old Vrezh Aghababyan and sixteen-year-old Marine Madatyan, who both have mild intellectual disabilities (and in Vrezh’s case, autism as well), study together in the same class.

Vrezh travels from Ashtarak, while Marine comes from Yerevan. During the school week, they live at the center and return home on weekends. What do they both love most? Cutting hair.

“Everything we’ve achieved is thanks to our teacher, Ms. Varsik,” Marine says warmly. She proudly shares that she’s no longer afraid to cut hair — and now she happily braids her little sister’s hair at home.

Vrezh practices on his mom and teachers, but before he even picks up the scissors, he likes to draw the hairstyle he imagines. For him, every haircut begins as a sketch, a small work of art.

Their instructor, Varsenik Avetisyan, believes hairdressing offers so much more than a practical skill for children with special needs. It helps them overcome fear, develop their sense of style, improve fine motor skills, and learn how to communicate with clients — building confidence with every step.

But hairstyling isn’t the only path they explore. Students also try their hands at carpet weaving, cooking, gardening, and other hands-on crafts — real-life skills that nurture independence and open doors for children with disabilities.

Alongside vocational training, they study academic subjects too — languages, mathematics, and more. Their caregiver, Hegnar Simonyan, explains that many of the children arrive deeply dependent on their families. Often, parents — out of love and fear — try to protect them from failure, stepping in before they can even try. But here, something changes. The students grow more independently. They learn to support one another. They form friendships. They begin to believe in themselves.

Vrezh shares how he helps his friend Grigor, who has mobility challenges, moving with him from classroom to classroom. Marine, in her free time, gladly joins carpet weaving classes and her friends, discovering new talents and enjoying the calm rhythm of the craft.

The school in Parakar is more than just a place of learning — it is a second home. It is where young people like Marine and Vrezh find strength, confidence, and hope for a brighter future.

To continue transforming lives, they need our support. Stand with students like Marine and Vrezh — and help them keep building the future they deserve.

Parakar School for Children and Youth with Special Needs, reborn through the generosity of FAR’s incredible donors Marta and James Batmasian, the Mirak-Weissbach Foundation, and the New York Friends of Gavar Special School, stands tall as a beacon in vocational education training for Armenia’s youth, including those with disabilities. Since the completion of our five-year project that completely reshaped the culture of educating children with disabilities in school, the number of students enrolled in the culinary arts program and various other skills training programs at Parakar's new James and Marta Batmasian Vocational Training Center has soared. It's a testament to the transformative power of compassion and commitment.