Advancing the Heritage of Armenians in Jewellery
Grants for Syrian Armenian Expatriates in Canada
Thanks to support from the Birks Family Foundation, AJF is launching its new educational program in Canada to benefit the newly settled Syrian Armenian refugee community. Thousands of Armenians fleeing war and destruction in Syria have sought refuge in Armenia and elsewhere including many families who chose Canada as their new home. Canada is leading in resettlement of Syrian refugees in general, which has been evident during the past six months. Montreal has welcomed over 1000 Syrian refugees of Armenian origin, and with more on the way, the number is expected to surpass 2000 in 2015. The AJF program will fund training grants for over a dozen young students at the École de Gemmologie de Montréal (EGM) and the École de Joaillerie de Montréal (EJM), two of the prime jewellery academies in Canada. The initiative is fully managed by AJF with support from key community organizations in Montreal