A group of Syrian refugees trying to re-establish their lives in Montreal is getting a bit of a head start with help from the Armenian Jewellers Foundation (AJF).
The foundation, which works to preserve and promote Armenia’s rich jewellery-making heritage, wants to give a select group of refugees an opportunity to learn the trade at one of the best-known jewellery academies in North America, said Pierre Akkelian, president of AJF.
In collaboration with the Birks Family Foundation, founded by one of the oldest jeweller families in Canada, AJF has launched a scholarship program for Syrian-Armenian refugees to take courses at the École de gemmologie de Montréal (EGM), said Akkelian.
(click to listen to the interview with Pierre Akkelian)
The gemology school created a special class for the Syrian-Armenian refugees to help them overcome the language barrier, and a recent graduate of the program volunteered to help his fellow Armenian students, said Akkelian.
“Most of the students speak English, but for some of them technical words are kind of difficult,” said Akkelian, himself a former Syrian expat who now runs the largest pearl import and distribution company in Canada.
Initially, there were 60 applicants from which the foundation selected 10 candidates. The founder of the gemology school Odile Civitello was so impressed by the candidates she sponsored an additional student, Akkelian said.
“So we had 11 students altogether studying introduction to gemology,” he said. “Some of them already have jewellery background, but more than half don’t have gemology background or jewellery background. They have an interest to get into the field and we’re doing everything possible for them to pursue their dreams.”
The first batch of students – 8 men and three women – graduated in December.
“We’re very, very happy with the results,” said Akkelian. “Most of them came through with flying colours.”
Chandra Horn, academic director at EGM, was so impressed by the class she offered to teach them free diamond grading courses, said Akkelian. The school agreed and over a weekend in December the students did a two-day seminar in diamond grading, which in itself presented a $5,000 bonus, said Akkelian.
The first class of 11 Syrian-Armenian refugees was honoured during a Christmas get-together organized by the Montreal chapter of the Armenian Jewellery Association’s (AJA). During the event, AJA members representing manufacturing, retailing and wholesaling companies shared their knowledge and experiences with their compatriots, said Akkelian.
Over a thousand of Syrian-Armenians fleeing the bloody civil war have found refuge in Canada. So far, Montreal has welcomed the majority of Syrian refugees of Armenian origin, and with more on the way, their number is expected to surpass 2000 in 2015.
Akkelian said they are looking for candidates for a new class. This time, they are hoping to cast a wider net and attract more women. The foundation also wants to offer scholarships to non-Armenian Syrians as well, he said.
People interested in the program can contact AJF by email info@ajf.foundation or on Facebook, Akkelian said.
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