On Wednesday, June 25, the annual AYF Youth Corps Farewell Dinner hosted by the AYF Crescenta Valley “Zartonk” Chapter will take place at 7:30 pm at the Crescenta Valley Armenian Center located at 2633 Honolulu Ave., Montrose, CA 91020.

The entrance fee is $20 and includes appetizers, an entree, dessert, and drinks. The attire is semi-formal. All proceeds will be donated to the AYF Youth Corps program. This year’s Youth Corps participants will be recognized at the dinner.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the program. Since 1994, hundreds of volunteers from around the world have spent summers in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabagh to better the foundation and build bridges to the homeland.

Founded in 1933, the Armenian Youth Federation is the largest and most influential Armenian American youth organization in the United States, working to advance the social, political, educational and cultural awareness of Armenian-American youth.

MONTEBELLO – The smell of homemade Armenian manti filled Armenian Mesrobian School’s kitchen last Tuesday night, when the Armenian Youth Federation’s (AYF) Montebello “Vahan Cardashian” chapter kicked off its first cooking class of the year, which will soon be joined by the launch of folk dancing classes later this month.

“Cooking Armenian dishes together is a great way to learn something new and bond  in a social, cultural and educational way,” said Nick Cabraloff, a cooking class participant and member of AYF Montebello.

He and others learned how to make manti, a meat and dumpling dish found in many eastern cultures, with a distinctly Armenian variant since the 13th century that is smaller in size and cooked as opposed to steamed.

“I was delighted to see such interest about Armenian cooking and the eagerness of the participants in attempting to learn the intricate process of making Manti,” said Mariam Samoniantz, a Montebello Armenian community member and former Mesrobian educator who volunteered to teach the first class and provided her personal manti recipe.

The recipe along with all the cooking instructions were made available to attendees and will also be shared on social media.

The Armenian cooking classes will return Tuesday, July 1 at 7:30pm at Mesrobian, joined by Armenian folk dancing classes starting Saturday, June 21 at 12pm, at the Montebello Armenian Center (more details below).

The dance classes will be led by Armenian youth who are currently studying traditional Armenian folk dances and ‘surch pars’. The selection of dances that will be introduced have been restored in their ethnographic form due to the folklorist work done by Karin Traditional Song and Dance Ensemble (and many others who have worked to preserve Armenian ethnographic dances). Background on the traditional folk movements and meanings will also be discussed and explored.

Both classes are proudly offered by AYF Montebello free of charge to all participants as a service to the Armenian community.

The AYF Montebello chapter aims to provide a fun and accessible way to keep Armenian culture thriving in the Montebello Armenian community, and strongly believes culture is a means of resistance against the constant threat of assimilation and erasure of the Diasporan Armenian identity.

Classes are open to individuals of all ages in the Armenian community, as well as individuals of different backgrounds who want to learn, appreciate and continue the long history of Armenian culture.

Armenian cooking classes

When: Every first Tuesday of the month

Next class: Tuesday, July 1 at 7:30pm (Cooking dish to be announced)

Where: Armenian Mesrobian School Cafeteria (8420 Beverly Rd, Pico Rivera, CA)

Armenian folk dance classes

When: Every third Saturday of the month

Next class: Kickoff will be Saturday, June 21 at 12pm

Where: Armenian Center (420 W. Washington Blvd., Montebello, CA)

Individuals interested in signing up or inquiring further can email vahan.cardashian@ayfwest.org.

GLENDALE — On Saturday, May 31, the AYF Crescenta Valley “Zartonk” Chapter hosted its annual Quiz Bowl at the Glendale Youth Center.

This year’s theme was Ancient Armenian History. The four participating chapters were the Glendale “Roupen” Chapter, the Burbank “Varak” Chapter, the San Fernando Valley “Sardarabad” Chapter and North San Fernando Valley Chapter. The participants received study guides in advance to prepare for the anticipated event.

There were a total of 45 questions ranging from the 8th Century B.C. to the introduction of Christianity in Armenia. After a heated competition, the “Sardarabad” Chapter won the Quiz Bowl with a heaping 62 points and received a prize of $400.

Founded in 1933, the Armenian Youth Federation is the largest and most influential Armenian American youth organization in the United States, working to advance the social, political, educational and cultural awareness of Armenian-American youth.