our mission
Mejlis Institute, newly launched in 2019, is a registered non-profit organization that aims to strengthen cultural links between the Caucasus, Anatolia, the Middle East and Iran and promote awareness of such links in the recent and distant past. The word mejlis – common to Arabic, Persian, Turkish and medieval Armenian among many other languages – is used in the name of the organization in its premodern meaning, denoting a symposium or a gathering for the purpose of reciting and discussing poetry, playing music and enjoying conversation. The principal mission of Mejlis Institute is to provide a platform for such gatherings, fostering learning and collegiality. Situated in Yerevan, the Institute aims to celebrate the historical position of Armenia as a meeting point of different cultures and languages and strengthen the role of Yerevan as a hub for international cooperation. To this end, the Institute will organize educational programs, such as language courses (Armenian, Persian, Turkish, Kurdish etc.), history programs, arts workshops (photography, cinematography, music, calligraphy, traditional hand crafts), poetry nights, film screenings, and more.
our vision
- Mejlis Institute exists to build and sustain a community. We hope that our programs will create strong bonds of friendship and collegiality among their participants giving rise to many fruitful collaborations. We condemn all forms of discrimination and oppression and strive to create an environment, in which conversation and learning can take place free from political and social constraints.
- Mejlis Institute is an independent not-for-profit organization. Our operations are sustained through donations made by participants of our programs and other private donors. We use the funds to pay the salaries of our staff, maintain and improve our facilities, develop new programs and support local charitable causes.
- We hope that apart from fulfilling our mission, we can have a positive impact on our local community. In December 2020, we took the decision that henceforth we would dedicate a portion of our income from every program to helping other community projects. We hope that our contributions can help protect Armenia’s beautiful nature and build a healthier, more equitable society.
- Our work would have been impossible without the support of our friends who helped us build our facilities, cultivate our garden and run our programs. If you would like to contribute ideas, skills or financial resources to our projects please be in touch! info@mejlisinstitute.org
financial policy
- Financial transparency is a key element of our vision. We are open to share documentation about our income and expenditures (salaries and taxes, maintenance and equipment purchases, donations) with the participants of our programs and members of the public.
- We believe that our staff members deserve a fair compensation for their labor. In order to maintain financial stability and independence, we raise funds through course participation fees.
- We are often asked: why are our language programs cheaper than analogous programs offered by other organizations? This is because we do not pursue the goal of making a profit. Although many of our applicants enjoy generous financial support of their institutions and scholarship donors, we do not want to take advantage of this reality to charge exorbitant fees. We calculate the fees using a formula which allows us to charge our students as little as possible while making sure that the expenditures associated with the course are covered.
- Why are our language programs more expensive than some courses offered by universities and community centers? This is because we do not have additional sources of funding and must rely on our students' contributions to pay salaries and taxes.
Co-founders
Mehdi Hesamizadeh is a poet and composer. A native of Khorasan, he is now based in Germany and Armenia. He is deeply interested in history of music of premodern Iran as well connections between musical traditions of different regions of the Near East and the Mediterranean.
Polina Ivanova is a historian of premodern Anatolia and the Caucasus. She holds MA and PhD in History from Harvard University. Born in Russia and educated in Turkey, Greece and the US, she came to settle in Armenia to deepen her knowledge of the languages and cultures of Armenia and neighboring Iran.