On the weekend of July 18-21, the Brazilian city of São Paulo was transformed into a hub for the most internationally diverse group of Armenian young professionals ever to attend the AGBU FOCUS summit, a global gathering held in a different destination city every two years.
The group of young innovators and community leaders, along with hundreds of members and friends from the worldwide AGBU Young Professionals (YP) groups, hailed from such unlikely places as South Korea, Lithuania, Chile, and Cyprus, joining counterparts from North and South America, the European Union, the Middle East, Australia and Armenia.
Representing 26 countries in all, together they created a vibrant presence to match the dynamic tempo and color of São Paulo, Brazil’s most populous metropolis with a thriving cosmopolitan cultural life and distinctive architectural tradition.
“We are here to celebrate the friendship, legacy, and values of AGBU,” said Haig Apovian, Chair of AGBU Brazil. “We see FOCUS as our vehicle to reinvigorate our communities not just in Brazil or South America, but all over the world.”
The attendees had much to experience during the event-filled four-day affair, orchestrated by AGBU Central Office and AGBU YP Brazil group. The organizers’ aim was to encourage this special segment of Armenians to explore their Armenian identity in the global age, broaden their social and professional networks, and unite behind a worthy cause through a global fundraising effort.
This time around, it was the women of Armenia who stood to benefit from AGBU Women Entrepreneurs (W.E.)—an economic development program providing qualified women in rural and urban Armenia with the tools and support to start or grow a micro-enterprise or home business.
