We're on a roll. The Civilitas public forums have taken off and each one draws a different crowd -- a new audience eager to ask questions about the issues which affect us most. The most recent one, on civic activism, brought together the new, young activists as well as those traditional non-governmental leaders who have been the voices of advocacy for the last two decades. The obvious need for better coordination and better information was a reminder that there's much to do.

Towards that end, we continue to promote civil.am as a resource for Armenia's organizations to display their work, and the Diaspora and international community to choose where to partner.

We also continue to promote dialogue -- and we've added a new format. Convinced as we are that citizens have a right to talk to their leaders, and that leaders have a responsibility to answer citizens' questions, we have embarked on a new public forum called 100 QUESTIONS, 100 ANSWERS. The premise is simple -- one person, on stage, ready to answer quest ions from the audience. No speech, no theme. Just open dialogue. The first guest was Vartan Oskanian, someone who never shied away from answering questions, not when he was in office as foreign minister, and not now.  The moderator was veteran journalist Aram Abrahamyan who, together with an active audience shot more than 20 questions at Mr. Oskanian and he responded to them all. Those questions and answers can be found here, and additional questions, asked online, can be found here. As soon as the next guest is confirmed, you will have a chance to ask questions even before the event.

Almost all Civilitas public programs are livestreamed. And when we can't livestream, you can be certain that the program will be uploaded for you to view at a later time. That's what we've done with Civilitas analyst Tatul Hakobyan's discussion in Stepanakert, where he went to present the Civilitas annual report -- 2010, A YEAR OF UNCERTAINTY. You can see an abbreviated version of the lively discussion here. Guests included all sectors of civil society. The event was organized together with the Artsakh Council of Foreign Policy and Security Issues and drew upon questions and comments from all sectors of civil society. Later that day Mr. Hakobyan also gave a lecture on conflict regulation in Artsakh and Armenia-Turkey relations for the members of the European movement.

The next Public Forum in Yerevan, scheduled for March 17 at the Ani Hotel, will focus on an issue of urgency for all Armenian families -- inflation. Details will be forthcoming.

Finally, Armenian Volunteer Corps (AVC) volunteer Rubina Shaldjian of Florida left us last month. As an afterthought of her experience with us she said, “From the second I got there, I began what felt like a three-month crash course in the political and social issues that abound in Armenia “ (AVC Volunteering in Armenia). Birthright/AVC intern Andres Gonzales Kazazian is leaving us this month, but we're looking forward to more good energetic volunteers from both these organizations. These great short-term interns are doing a whole lot more than just their jobs. Together with our staff of 20 or so twentysomethings, they're all creating a new way to be Armenian -- more tolerant, more questioning, more inclusive, more global.

If you're planning to be in Yerevan this summer, come visit Civilitas. There's no other place like it.

And are you still reading the blog?