GRANADA HILLS—In the Armenian Diaspora, the youth face a number of challenges in all aspects of life. These challenges are just about unavoidable, and ignoring them only creates bigger problems for the Armenian population.
In an attempt to bring these issues to light, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation “Shiragian” Gomideh Public Relations Committee on Feb. 21 organized its fourth Town Hall Meeting in the Granada Hills’ North Valley Armenian Center’s “George and Arline Titizian” Hall. The topic at hand was “The Challenges Faced by the Armenian Youth,” specifically social and family issues, school and community issues, and legal issues and rights.
The speakers of the evening were Nora Chitilian-Kelechian, licensed marriage and family therapist; Ara Mgrdichian, behavioral consultant and violence prevention specialist; and Mary Der Parseghian, family law attorney.
Vilma Kouyoumjian welcomed the crowd on behalf of the Public Relations Committee. She acknowledged the committee’s tasks, which include organizing such meetings and discussions, and then presented a brief biography for each speaker. The speakers then took turns to address the topic of the discussion, sharing their expert opinions and experiences with the issues at hand. They also discussed the reasons associated with the challenges faced by the youth, as well as the outcomes such challenges result in. The discussion lasted about two hours.
At the conclusion of the discussion, those in attendance were given a chance to address questions to the speakers. A video of the discussion in its entirety can be found on here.
The “Shiragian” Public Relations Committee, through the organization of such discussions and expert analysis, has brought to light important issues regarding the Armenian youth in the Diaspora. The recognition of such issues is the first step in attaining feasible solutions.
