New vacancy – Office Assistant, YMCA Armenia

Start of employment: 15 February, 2010

Duration: Part-time – Long-term, with probation period

Job Description

Assist with administrative tasks and be responsible for logistical support for smooth office operation, including:

* organizing office documentation, filing and record-keeping,
* making arrangements for events, meetings and trips, including for foreign visitors, answering phone calls
* preparation of timely purchase requests, including office supplies and event consumables,
* cashiering.More...

October 25, 2009 was a special day for Spitak YMCA and CEVI Zurich. As you have regularly been informed a new building is being built for Spitak YMCA with the financial support of CEVI Zurich. On this day the construction phase is declared over though there are still certain works unfinished which are planned to be over till 15 December.
A special delegation arrived from Switzerland to participate in the building handover ceremony: Adrian Kuench - CEVI Zurich executive director, Dino Tellenbach – CEVI Zurich construction supervisor, Annette Walder – CEVI Zurich Board member and Karl Walder – CEVI Zurich member. Besides representatives of National YMCA of Armenia, different local YMCAs of Armenia, Spitak YMCA board members, volunteers and friends, the mayor of Spitak and representatives of the construction company were invited to the ceremony too. Vardan Hambardzumyan, the EAY Development Secretary was among the guests, too.
All the people present signed on an old CEVI Zurich flag brought specially for this occasion from Switzerland which was handed to the young volunteers and will belong and be kept in Spitak YMCA in future.
The construction is process is almost over and on behalf of Spitak YMCA members and volunteers and also of the whole community of Spitak we want to thank CEVI Zurich for their great efforts to make our wish come true which was also their wish. Spitak YMCA in the nearest future will restart all its activities in the new community center building and also will have a chance to enlarge the number of activities due to the facilities and possibilities provided by this modern and high quality building.
Spitak YMCA will move to the new building in the nearest future and will start all its activities at full at the beginning of 2010 after the whole building is furnished and equipped. Spitak YMCA and CEVI Zurich in the cooperation with the municipality of Spitak are planning a big opening ceremony which will last for 3 days from April 30-May 2. That will be a great occasion for everyone in the community and not only. A lot of guests are expected on this dates and we hope to see all our good friends and acquaintances, YMCA members and volunteers, supporters and beneficiaries present. This building is a unique present to the community of Spitak where a lot of different programs and projects will be organized for the community members, especially young people who don’t have an opportunity to spend their free time effectively. Many thanks to CEVI Zurich and all those people who worked for this project as well as who supported this project both morally and financially.

Dino Tellenbach, the representative of CEVI Zurich, had to be in Armenia quite often during the whole construction process and in the result became a member of Spitak YMCA and also a good friend of ours. He shared his feeling about the project with us.
“At the beginning of the construction process I was very doubtful that this huge building planned would really be implemented properly. I was just a foreigner and I didn’t know the people here who I would work with. Also I didn’t know Hayk and I didn’t know how far I could rely on him. Meantime I got to know Hayk as a competent and reliable leader also later as a good friend of mine.
In the beginning we did have certain problems with “Surshin”, the construction company, especially in questions concerning the energy saving and environmental issues but we were able to settle all these problems together. The biggest challenge I had about everybody involved in the construction process that we demanded high European standards and we were to realize this with the Armenian possibilities. In this respect during the last 2 years we had to solve different problems but thanks to the competence of Tigran Karapetyan, the head of the “Surshin” construction company, and his profound professionalism and wide knowledge in this sphere. We could achieve such results also due to the great commitment of everybody involved and today we have what we desired to have.
Today when I walk through the building I’m glad to see what it looks like and I’ll be even happier to see it equipped and furnished and when the YMCA activities can start again.
During the 2 years I’ve been here I saw people coming to the YMCA and living like a family, sticking together all the time but the communication with the outside world is lacking. Not many people know what YMCA is and what they are doing. I’m convinced if Spitak YMCA communicates much more with the community, it could be an open door to the population of Spitak. I wish everybody good luck and I’ll miss all of you when I’ve finished my job her”, he said.
We want to express our gratitude to Dino Tellenbach for the great job he did and we hope he will remain a good friend of ours ever. We wish him good luck and all the best.
[Submitted by Spitak YMCA]

On October 4 representatives of CVJM-Ostwerk Thomas Maier and Thomas Koppe who were in Armenia within the Partner Group Meeting visited YMCA Yerevan. CVJM-Ostwerk and YMCA Yerevan have been partner organizations since 1997. They met with YMCA Yerevan volunteers, discuss the present situation and programs of the organization, watch the work of TenSing group. They had presents for our volunteers and participants. Unfortunately our friends from Germany had no much time and had to leave to a meeting. Hopefully the next meeting will not make us to wait for long time.
[[Submitted by Yerevan YMCA]]