The team was inspired for this event from the unique Ikigai philosophy, hence the theme of the event – “Ikigai”.
In his TED Talk, Dan Buettner, a National Geographic’s writer and explorer is talking about the ikigai as one of the reasons for long living. In the culture of Okinawa, ikigai is thought of as “a reason to get up in the morning”; that is, a reason to enjoy life. According to the Japanese, everyone has an ikigai.
Ikigai could be your work, hobbies and raising children. Finding it requires a deep and often lengthy search of self.
The word ikigai is usually used to indicate the source of value in one’s life or the things that make one’s life worthwhile. Also, the word is used to refer to mental and spiritual circumstances under which individuals feel that their lives are valuable. It’s not necessarily linked to one’s economic status or the present state of society. Even if a person feels that the present is dark, but they have a goal in mind, they may feel ikigai.
Behaviors that make us feel ikigai are not actions which we are forced to take—these are natural and spontaneous actions. This last point especially refers to us, Armenians. Usually people feel real ikigai only when, on the basis of personal maturity, the satisfaction of various desires, love and happiness, encounters with others, and a sense of the value of life, they proceed toward self-realization.
Ikigai is a core value for TEDxYerevan team. TED is the ikigai of our team members and it drives our team’s behavior and motivation. We get inspired and motivated from our speakers, partners and their work. So when we had an opportunity to organize another TEDxSalon event we decided to hunt for ikigai driven speakers. Interestingly enough, all our speakers turned to be bold and inspiring women who don’t have much time to talk but instead are deep down working driven by their ikigai.
We have invited unique women to talk about their challenges and inspirations in the business, politics, IT, Media, Art and personal life. Don’t miss your chance to connect with your peers and our speakers by telling them about your ikigai first.
This TEDxYerevanSalon event will serve as a platform for storytelling of our bright women speakers who could break through all traditional, possible and impossible barriers for self-development and success and are at the top of their local or international careers.
Speakers
Victoria Aslanian
Victoria Aslanian was born in Yerevan in 1982, immigrating to the U.S. in 1990. She studied Art History in Florence, Italy, and continued her education at UC Berkeley where she received her BA degree. In 2009, she repatriated to Armenia with her two sons to partake in her father’s vision and venture which involved developments in the agricultural, wine and brandy, and tourism sectors
Victoria received the Best Brand by a Woman Entrepreneur award from the prime minister of Armenia in 2014, and has parlayed the international success of their brand as a platform to promote The Renaissance of Armenian Wine, presenting Armenia’s revived wine legacy at The Council of Europe in Strasbourg in 2013, at The Davos du’Vin, Italy, in 2014 & 2015, at AGBU’s 88th General Assembly “Improving Armenians’ International Standing” in 2015, as a guest lecturer at AUA, “Starting Innovative Wineries in Armenia,” as well as at wine and tourism promotional events in Los Angeles, Berlin, Brussels, Montreal and Friuli. In 2015 Victoria was among the spokesmen for Teach for Armenia, and an ambassador for AWAY (Armenian Young Women’s Association). Along with team ArmAs, she continues to supports the EVN Wine academy, among other educational programs. She was among the first Female Armenian Role Models named by The Embassy of Sweden, and in 2016 began to participate in the U.S. Embassy’s Women’s Mentoring Program. Victoria will complete her Executive MBA at Skolkovo, Russia in April 2018.
Marianna Poghosyan
Marianna Poghosyan was born in Yerevan. In 2007 she graduated from French University of Armenia having her BA in Law and Political Science. Meanwhile, in 2004 was awarded entry to IREX student exchange program to do undergraduate studies in International Relations at Utica College, NY.
In 2008 has perused and obtained her MA degree in Advanced European and International Studies from Institut Européen des Hautes Etudes Internationales (IEHEI), Nice, France. Then, in 2009 she was entitled as Policy Officer to European and International Organizations.In 2013 her Monograph Happiness vs GDP got published in Germany by Lambert Academic Publishing.
Currently Marianna works at the A. Spendiaryan Opera and Ballet National Theatre as a ballerina as well as at the Small Theatre by Yerevan National Aesthetics Centre as an artist, dancer and trainer being one
of the founders of the first inclusive practices in Armenia.
Gayane Abrahamyan
Gayane Abrahamyan is an award winning journalist raising mainly human rights issues, especially women’s rights, gender issues, domestic violence, children’s rights, also specialized in social, economic and political issues. She started her journalistic career at the Armenianow.com internet magazine, covering social fields, raising issues of people suffering from poverty and injustice, as she believed that using the power of journalism it would be possible to bring in some change in people’s lives, provide solutions or at least encourage members of the public to stand up for their rights and not to see solutions to their problems in emigration.
During the past ten years, she has also been a correspondent of Eurasianet.org in Armenia, she regularly contributes to The Guardian, but more actively is working on a TV program that she created on Yerkir Media TV channel – weekly presenting the most complex problems and issues existing in the country through discussions with well-known experts or politicians.
In parallel with activities as a journalist aimed at raising problems and conducting investigations in recent years she decided to expand the scope of her activities – shifting from the journalistic field to the public sector and creating “For Equal Rights” NGO, whose main goal is to work in a more consistent, systematized way on issues of vulnerable groups’ rights, social justice, access to education and balanced development.
The other project that was initiated by Gayane is entitled “# Article3” Club having in mind the 3rd article of the Armenian Constitution referring to human dignity, human rights and fundamental freedoms. The Club is a platform for different stakeholders to voice out issues in the sphere of human rights, discuss and debate over them and find viable solutions. The idea was the creation of public-club space, which will turn into a gathering place, educational centre and in a way alternative education hub for journalists, youth and non formal NGO’s, aiming to raise awareness on different issues of public concern as she believes that only the educated and informed individuals can set a background for equity and equality in the society and pave the way for its development.
Yeva Hyusyan
Yeva is the Co-Founder and CEO of SoloLearn, a global community of mobile code learners engaged in the most entertaining way to learn and simply hangout with each other in the coding world. With about 3M coder profiles, SoloLearn is becoming a popular spot for young people to improve their competitive ranking in today’s world.
A varied background – ranging from startups (a founder of a startup accelerator), to corporate sales (Microsoft GM), to development assistance (US Government) – has made it certain that anyone’s passion can be encouraged by making things fun!
Yeva holds an MBA from Maastricht School of Management (the Netherlands) and is an Executive Program graduate from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. She is married and has two daughters and a son. She loves travel, sunny weather, and positive people.
Armenuhi Kyuregyan
Armenuhi Kyureghyan was born in Vanadzor, Armenia. After graduating from middle school at the age of 14, she entered the faculty of Applied Mathematics in Yerevan State University. Armenuhi had her postgraduate studies at the Computing Center of National Academy of Sciences of Armenia. She received a science degree in Physico-mathematical sciences and became the youngest women-candidate of science in that sphere. She is also a docent.
Since 1992 Armenuhi Kyureghyan has been working in the Informatics chair of Vanadzor State University, as a docent.
Since 2004 she is the head of “Leadership school for women” regional center in Lori.
Mrs. Kyureghyan took part in many conferences and trainings in Samarkand, Kiev, Tbilisi, Yerevan and Tsakhkadzor as a reporter, expert and host.
She is the author of 2 educational and 20 professional books and more than 25 articles covering social and political spheres.
Since 2006 she is member of Armenian Revolutionary Federation and a representative of «Gugarq» committee in Vanadzor. And starting from 2016 Armenuhi is a City Council member.
She is married and has three kids: one son and two daughters.