The “Our Town is Breathing” event took place on August 12th, 2012 in the central square of Spitak and included a photo competition, flash mob and live music.
Because of a very windy morning, our initial set up plans did not work out.
Though we had to re-plan at the last minute, we were still able to prepare a beautiful event, thanks to teamwork and good attitudes.
Prior to the event, we collected pictures for the photo competition. The photos depicted the happy and sad aspects of Spitak. These pictures, taken from around Spitak, were hung in the central square. Our goal was to illustrate the good and bad of Spitak. A jury selected two photos and attendees were invited to vote for their favorite picture. The pictures elicited active and interesting discussion amongst those who came to the event. During the event, students from the Spitak Art School painted scenes and places in Spitak.
At 3pm, we coordinated a flash mob to show that our town is breathing. The flash mob included people of all ages, from small children to adults. More than 50 people took part in the flash mob. During the song honoring Spitak, the mob stood in line with posters to raise awareness.
At the close of the event, we announced the winners of the photo contest, presenting them with certificates and prizes. The three winners’ selected included the most emotionally moving/sad photo, the photo that made us smile, and the favorite of the community (voted on by the attendees).
During the awards ceremony, live Qanon music was expertly played by Elizabeth Makarayan, a highly praised Spitak musician.
We would like to thank our friends, the Mayor of Spitak, the jury of the photos and all the participants of the event for their partnership with Spitak Helsinki Group Human Rights NGO.
