Peace-Building, Conflict Resolution, Empowerment, and Lifting One Another Up
Meaningfulworld Humanitarian Mission in Armenia
Dr. Ani Kalayjian & Marian Weisberg

The Meaningfulworld Humanitarian Mission began on August 28, 2014, with the following goals: 1. Train participants in the 7-Step Integrative Healing Model; 2. Start a Suicide Hotline, as one of the first projects of Meaningfulworld Armenia; 3. Train psychologists to work at the Suicide Hotline; 4. Train psychology faculty and students in trauma healing; 5. Help transform Horizontal Violence; 6. Conduct research on the impact of trauma, forgiveness, and meaning-making; 7. Work with refugees from Syria; 8. Work with orphans in a children’s center; and 9. Start Peace & Forgiveness Gardens. On the first day Dr. Ani met with local collaborators Karen Gargaryan and Aramazt Kalayjian at the Independence Square in Yerevan, Armenia, for an open-air public gathering to conduct the mind-body-eco-spirit healing program. Many people gathered around a banner that said “Meaningfulworld Armenia: When one helps another, both become stronger.” The Armenian TV was also there to interview Dr. Ani on the goals of this Humanitarian Relief. Meaningfulworld’s previous mission in Armenia was in October of 2013.

On August 31 close to 30 psychology professors and masters students gathered at the Yerevan State Apovian Pedagogical University for a workshop on peace-building, conflict transformation, and mindfulness. More than five universities were represented, making our outreach expand to close to 1,000 people. Participants were very enthusiastic, involved, and curious; they asked many questions and shared their feelings. Five of the participants had read V. Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning, and only two practiced yoga and meditation. But they were all eager to commit to an ongoing practice. Forgiveness was a particularly complex concept to grasp, as Armenian soldiers are killed daily at the borders with Azerbaijan, and the conflict rages on with regard to Karabakh. How do we remember while forgiving? was a challenging question for many. Why forgive if the aggressor would repeat the violence? was another challenging concept. Also, How to send love to Turkey and Azerbaijan while they continue oppressing Armenia through blockade and ongoing gunfire?

On September 1 the Meaningfulworld team was invited to speak at the Arno Babajanyan State Philharmonic Hall, organized by Armenian Constitutional Rights Protective Centre (ACRPC). Participants were high-level interdisciplinary leaders of Armenia: Emanuel NGO For Child Rights and Protection, Khazer NGO for Ecology and Climate Change, Inst. for National Education, Inst. of Philosophy, Sociology, and Law, Inst. of Physics, ACRPC, the Armenian Radio, and Shoger NGO, working on Sustainable Development. Dr. Ani presented on “Rights or Privileges: UN MDGs to SDGs: Human Rights For All.” First, Dr. Ani was interviewed on Radio Armenia and the segment aired the same night. A very lively, in-depth, and heated discussion took place regarding where Armenia’s development is at this point. Basically there were many measurable improvements in all eight Millennium Development Goals except the first one, which addresses poverty, as Armenia is suffering from an economic crisis. As for the third goal, promote gender equality and empower women: Although Armenian women enjoy educational, social, and employment rights, they do lag behind in the political arena. Recommendations for future partnership were developed, addressing Goal #8. The program was very well received and the audience was represented by government, academia, and civil society.

On September 2 the Team was joined by Marian Weisberg, a psychotherapist in private practice in New York City. The team traveled three hours to Yerevan State University’s Ijevan Branch. In attendence were 34 students of psychology (including three males) in the age range of 17-21 years. They gathered with open hearts and were attentive, curious, confident, and excited to participate in a long workshop on Peace-Building, Conflict Transformation, Mindfulness, and Self-Care on Mind-Body-Eco-Spirit levels. They clearly accepted the pledge for peace even as close to 50% of them were directly traumatized by the conflict with Azerbaijan, as reflected in the answers to the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ). They live in close proximity (5-15 km) from the border of Azerbaijan. Strengths were: very interested to open up and release tension from their hearts, and being transformed with feelings of joy. Special essential oils were distributed and the participants chose citric/grapefruit essential oil for joy, rather than lavender for calming. In spite of the conflict they showed remarkable zest, attention, and concentration for knowledge on peace-building and transformation of conflict. Challenges were: being able to live within 5-15 km of Azerbaijan and handle the tension while keeping up an appearance of normalcy; integrating and participating in body work as a form of release of their trauma; notably, males in the group have to be ready to be drafted (mandatory) into military service and were uncomfortable with expressing feelings; a general discomfort for participants stemmed from physical touch and physical massage. Recommendations: writing down goals and evaluating them weekly; using diaphragmatic breathing instead of chest breathing; starting neighborhood associations; taking an oath for inner peace in spite of conflict at the border; and being open to exploring new healing modalities. Students expressed that they learned a lot; they were grateful for new modalities, and they felt much relief.

On September 3 the Meaningfulworld team conducted a workshop at the State University of Yerevan’s sociology department. The theme of the workshop was Peace-Building, Conflict Transformation, Forgiveness, and Mind-Body-Eco-Spirit Health. Forty third-level students participated with curiosity and eagerness to learn new and integrative healing models. Dr. Ani presented an interactive PowerPoint lecture and discussed coping with difficult feelings such as anger, which interferes with peace-making. The students were asked to describe what angers them. Lying, injustice, and being misunderstood were high on their lists. When questioned about violence against women, the average amount of violence that they estimated to be perpetrated against women was 70%, while the three males in the class felt it was only 10-30%. Participants were encouraged to pledge to peace, and they enthusiastically participated. Also shared was the importance of developing Neighborhood Associations, Peace & Forgiveness Gardens, and Beautification Clubs starting with their neighborhood, the university, and then expanding to their city, Yerevan. The majority responded positively to the Chakra-Balancing Exercises, though three resisted (the only two men in the class and one woman). The male students seemed to struggle with some of the concepts; one of the students said he was too nervous to participate, that he smoked a lot, and the others were making jokes for humor release. A preliminary review of the HTQ revealed: distress regarding the military draft of their family members, death of family members in the border conflict with Azerbaijan, death of grandparents, loss of romantic love, university exam issues, and other emotional issues. Their strengths were: the expressiveness and the access to their feelings, curiosity, and a willingness to learn new modalities. Challenges included: struggles to assert themselves with parents and authority due to cultural values of “respect” of authority and of elders. Only three (all males) knew how to ride a bicycle. When asked why, the women feared that people would see them as strange. This was a moment of education about green Yerevan: the importance of exercise and of building a healthy lifestyle, of lessening the pollution, and of creating social and recreational clubs. Additionally, only the two men knew how to drive a car. The students struggled with the body work and said they are not used to exercising. Recommendations included: beginning a campaign called “Armenia Is My Home,” an ecological club to bring greater aesthetic awareness, starting with the university and expanding to a larger circle. It should also provide gender education to transform unhealthy gender roles and to promote adoption of practices that enhance physical fitness. At the end of the workshop the majority of participants expressed feelings of peacefulness, relaxation, lightness, awareness, and curiosity/excitement about new practices. The training ended with the Heart-to-Heart Circle of Gratitude, warm heart-centered hugs, and the distribution of certificates.

In the evening the Team conducted a workshop on suicide assessment, intervention, and prevention. Twenty professional psychologists, social workers, teachers, and a few students of psychology gathered at the Armenian Center for Health and Education for this workshop. We began with personal and professional sharing about suicide. The majority had both personal and clinical experience with suicide. Feelings expressed about suicide were: helplessness, vulnerability, sadness, fear, and shock. Goals of the workshop were: propose a Suicide Hotline, transform suicide into meaning-making, and transform depression. Although according to the WHO Armenia ranks in the lower third of global suicide rates (3.2 per 100,000), suicide rates have increased in Armenia, especially among those who are 30-65 years old. Within the top 20 countries in the ranking (42 per 100,000), at least 10 are former Soviet republics.

The workshop emphasized the importance of: meaning-making, being open regarding cultural perspectives on suicide such as “shame” and “humiliation,” and motivators such as depression, addiction, and loss – of loved ones, financial status, health, and purpose in life. Appropriate and inappropriate interventions were outlined. However, the connection to meaning-making in suicide prevention was fairly unfamiliar. Challenges in the field are cultural perspectives, which include reluctance to admit or talk about suicidal feelings due to religious restrictions that prohibit burial for suicides and the promulgation of shame about having thoughts of ending one’s life, as well as a general reluctance to confront suicide ideation and guilt regarding not thinking about the survivors. Recommendations shared were: starting a Suicide Hotline, training the police to handle suicide emergencies, defining suicide as a health problem rather than a moral or religious one, and offering peer-support groups for anyone working on a Suicide Hotline.

On September 4 the ATOP Meaningfulworld Team traveled three hours from Yerevan to Gumri, to the Diramayr Armenian Orphanage to work with the orphans, staff, and teachers. The Team met with Sister Arousyag, who outlined the pressing issues that affect the children and staff of the orphanage, which was founded in 1991. The orphanage has around 30 children ages 5-18, including six boys. Challenges shared were: feelings of abandonment, competition, and jealousy, as well as greed and petty arguments that are complicated by the normal developmental issues of adolescence. Most of the children are either orphaned or abandoned by one or both parents and/or the parents are incapable of caring for them. Other issues included: problems with volunteers who do not follow rules and procedures of the home. Dr. Ani conducted a two-hour workshop with close to 80 people – the children, teachers, staff, as well as principals of other schools – in peace-building, conflict resolution, self-love, respect, forgiveness, healthy communication skills, listening skills, and the Four Agreements (Ruiz), and the workshop concluded with energy-balancing exercises, which were extremely well received, and the signature Heart-to-Heart Circle of Gratitude. At the end the children sang.

Special Meaningfulworld dolls were made by our volunteer Lorraine Simmons in New York, and the students of Ijevan added notes of courage/love/kindness addressed to the children and placed them in the heart pocket of the dolls. This was the active circle of love and kindness from New York to Ijevan to Gumri. The dolls were extremely well received by the children; they decorated them immediately, named them, and enjoyed playing with them – many repeated the chakra-balancing exercises on the dolls. Meaningfulworld also donated two suitcases full of clothing, toys, crayons, and drawing books. Strengths were: having a safe, secure, and loving environment with caring staff and teachers, and having transparent leadership as spearheaded by Sister Arousyag, who is extremely dedicated to the children’s well-being. The children were open to sharing their feelings. Challenges were: children who have a history of abandonment, which causes emotional challenges; having volunteers who are not in harmony with the Center’s philosophy and discipline, and handling the challenge of the sexual acting out of children who have been abused in the past. Recommendations: our Team recommended group therapy with both a female and male psychologist in addition to individual therapy, training in communication and assertiveness, training the staff and volunteers, and connecting Yerevan psychologists with the Center to actualize these recommendations. Our team member Karen Gargaryan was assigned as the liaison to follow up with these recommendations.

On September 5 Dr. Ani was invited to School No 94 to meet with the 10th and 11th graders who were experiencing issues with shyness, lack of confidence, and self-consciousness. About 20 students, 10 teachers, and the principal gathered for a workshop. An amazing open and interactive session took place as students talked openly and freely about their issues. They also wanted to know if discrimination against African-Americans still exists in America. This was a teaching moment. The workshop ended with physical release and chakra balancing.

The team worked with a few groups of Syrian refugees, who are struggling to make ends meet, establish financial security, keep emotionally balanced, and manage local conflicts of Horizontal Violence. In addition to educational empowerment messages, the team facilitated partnerships with local Global Armenian Response Rescue Service NGO, the Red Cross and AGBU.

The team returned to New York with exuberance and a great deal of excitement at having participated in a wonderful empowerment mission as well as connecting with new universities and children’s centers and forging new partnerships with civil society, academia, as well as Ambassadors. A partnership was made with the U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, Mr. John Heffner, who made commitments to supporting the Suicide Hotline.

Marian sums up her thoughts on participating in the mission: “I learned so much about the Armenian people – their cultural values, gender issues, current needs, and their difficult history. Their warmth was engrossing, and I was gratified to work on a Suicide Prevention initiative and offer my support and love with the ATOP Meaningfulworld Mission.”

Your tax-deductible donations are truly appreciated now more than ever to continue our service in Armenia, as well as in the Middle East, Africa, the Caribbean, and Europe. www.Meaningfulworld.com

Our Motto: When one helps another BOTH become stronger