Virtual social events are an important part of the AVC curriculum and a modern and entertaining way to learn about Armenia’s history, culture, traditions and celebrations. These online group activities give the students a feeling of presence, create opportunities for interaction with other participants and help them build emotional connections with Armenia.

The AVC staff regularly prepares new social programs and virtual tours that cover a variety of topics, and make the online education both informative and entertaining.

Last October, the AVC educational team visited the village of Areni in Vayots Dzor region, where an annual wine festival takes place every fall since 2009. The festival has become increasingly popular among locals and tourists, and wine makers and agricultural producers from across the region come to Areni to showcase the best of their products. The AVC team members visited the agricultural fair, learned about the region’s centuries-old tradition of wine making and participated in folk dances. The trip culminated in a visit to the cave of Areni, where the world’s oldest leather shoe and 6,000-year-old winery were recently discovered by an international team of archaeologists.

AVC’s team took photos and videos of all the cultural activities and archaeological sites. With stories and visuals from the trip, a new program telling about Areni’s ancient history and cultural attractions was prepared to be presented to the students during the upcoming online social events.