The Aurora Humanitarian Initiative will have an online discussion on April 24, 2020, the Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day, at 8:30 am (PDT), 11:30 am (EDT), 3:30 pm (GMT), 6:30 pm (GMT+3), 7:30 pm (GMT+4) to honor those who perished a century ago and celebrate modern heroes, including those fighting the global outbreak of COVID-19. The names of the 2020 Aurora Humanitarians will also be announced during the event, the IDeA Foundation told Armenpress.
“The online discussion will bring together Noubar Afeyan, Vartan Gregorian and Ruben Vardanyan, Co-Founders of the Initiative; Lord Ara Darzi, Chair of the Aurora Prize Selection Committee, and Marguerite Barankitse, Founder of Maison Shalom and inaugural Aurora Prize Laureate (2016). The event, hosted by the Futures Studio discussion platform, will be moderated by Nicola Stanisch, Executive Director of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative.
April 24 has always had a special place in the hearts of all Armenians, but this year, it’s particularly remarkable as we’re honoring the 105th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and the 75th anniversary of the Holocaust, as well as celebrating Aurora’s 5th anniversary. For years, Aurora has been upholding its symbolic traditions of remembering the Armenian Genocide martyrs at a flower-laying Ceremony in Tsitsernakaberd, the Armenian Genocide memorial complex, and honoring modern heroes by announcing the Aurora Humanitarians at Matenadaran, the national repository of ancient manuscripts, and inscribing their names in the Chronicles of Aurora.
Now that the global agenda is focused on COVID-19, we cannot gather at Matenadaran as usual and have to adjust our plans accordingly. But we still stand together, and this online event will give us an opportunity to celebrate the 2020 Aurora Humanitarians while touching upon Aurora’s core philosophy: our strong belief in second chances for everybody and our commitment to turn the gratitude to our ancestors’ saviors into action.
As descendants of the survivors of the Armenian Genocide we understand better than most what some people are going through right now. We treasure the knowledge, gained from a personal experience, that after survival comes revival and thriving, and strive to instill this hope into humanity. We have done this before, and we will be able to do this again – together.
The online event on April 24, 2020 is open to all. The discussion will be held in English, with Armenian and Russian translation available. Participants should register to receive a Zoom link or may watch the discussion via Facebook Live. It should be noted that only the participants who registered via Zoom will have access to Armenian or Russian simultaneous translation.
Join the webinar and help us spread the message of resilience and gratitude”, the statement says.
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About the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative
Founded on behalf of the survivors of the Armenian Genocide and in gratitude to their saviors, the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative seeks to empower modern-day saviors to offer life and hope to those in urgent need of basic humanitarian aid anywhere in the world and thus continue the cycle of giving internationally. The Aurora Humanitarian Initiative is Gratitude in Action. It is an eight-year commitment (2015 to 2023, in remembrance of the eight years of the Armenian Genocide 1915-1923) to support people and promote global projects that tackle the needs of the most helpless and destitute and do so at great risk. This is achieved through the Initiative’s various programs: The Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity, the Aurora Dialogues, the Aurora Humanitarian Index, the Gratitude Projects and the 100 LIVES Initiative. The Aurora Humanitarian Initiative is the vision of philanthropists Vartan Gregorian, Noubar Afeyan and Ruben Vardanyan who have been joined by thousands of supporters and partners. Our Chair, Dr. Tom Catena, draws on his experience is a surgeon, veteran, humanitarian and the 2017 Aurora Prize laureate to spread the message of Gratitude in Action to a global audience. The Initiative welcomes all who embrace a commitment to our shared humanity.
Further information is available at www.auroraprize.com