Interview with the president of the Research on Armenian Architecture Foundation Samvel Karapetyan

23.11.2012 12:37

Mr. Karapetyan, as a president of the Research on Armenian Architecture Foundation, which is collaborating with the Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets (FPWC), how do you evaluate the SOS Culture project?

I have often organized trips to various sites of Armenia. That was the reason why I have accepted the proposal from the Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets to collaborate within the project. First, it is interesting to visit ancient sites of Armenia after 30 years of break, to see in which conditions they are after so many years. Second, the SOS Culture project plays a significant role in everyday life of youth club members.

In your opinion, what are the achievements of the SOS Culture project?

Patriotism begins with knowing your own country. A person who knows his/her own country is tied to it with visible and invisible threads. Such a person does not want to leave his/her homeland and tries to stay and work there. Moreover, he/she cares about it. Evidence of this was the group of six people who were organizing expeditions. I was one of them. We were often visiting historical and cultural sites of Armenia discovering and learning about them. Six of us have different backgrounds, but none of us left Armenia and we do not have any desire to do it in the future. From this perspective, the fact that these children participate in the project, get acquainted with the historical and cultural sites, do measurements, read old records, watch films can have a huge effect on shaping caring and dedicated citizens.

Did you notice any positive changes in young people during your courses within the SOS Culture project?

It is hard for me to make any evaluation. I think children can do it better. There are some interesting episodes that make me think that these children are inspired. For example, one of the members of Varagavan SOS Culture youth club told me that she learnt a lot about Nor Varagavanq, although she had the feeling that she had enough knowledge about it. Once I witnessed how young people from Berdavan youth club collected and burnt empty boxes of juice. They could easily throw them into the nearest gorge. Moreover, they were also collecting garbage left by others. This means that these children care about their environment and about cultural assets.