We’re now a registered NGO!

Dear HAYP followers,

We have great news on this cold and grey Tuesday… Yesterday, HAYP Pop Up Gallery was officially registered in Yerevan, Armenia, as an arts NGO! 

The registration process was not easy and obviously impeded by our poor language abilities. Thankfully, we received a great amount of help and advice from Legal Lab before starting the application process.

Anna and I then spent a few hours last month filling in the documents Legal Lab had prepared for us, struggling with Armenian grammar and spelling, and occasionally confusing letters փ and պ.

In the end, we managed to produce an entire, 20-page long application – and we were quite proud ouf it. Obviously, it was bound to be filled with mistakes, but we would have time over the next few weeks to look over it.

To my immense relief, all the employees we dealt with at the State Register Agency were all very accommodating and helpful. “I know Armenian is not your first language so I’ll assist you”, said Lusine, who called me in so we could review the application together. She was kind enough to point out and help me reformulate some of the most wobbly sections of our application.

Yesterday, 21 days after we completed and filed the application, we got the official “ayo”, and I went to the State Registration Office to pick up our licence.

This new official status does not only clarify our legal situation and give us an energy boost before the end of the year, it also opens the possibility for us to receive grants, donations and subsidies. 

It was a first, very important step before taking on our three very big-scale projects in 2016. Stay tuned for news about HAYP Pop Up Gallery (or as we go by officially now: ՀԱՅՓ Փոփ Ափ Պատկերասրահ – գեղարվեստական հասարակական կազմակերպություն)

Charlotte Poulain