AYF Promo Video Summer 2014
Check out the new promo video AYF has been working on to showcase our events and programs. Enjoy!
Check out the new promo video AYF has been working on to showcase our events and programs. Enjoy!
The last few years, there have been two things that I have really wanted to do, and this summer, I have the opportunity to do both things.
The first is participating in the Youth Corps program that is organized by the AYF and has been around as long as I have been. This year is the 20th anniversary of Youth Corps, and seeing how I am also twenty, I know that this is an important year. Twenty is the age that you are at the doorstep of manhood and you need to make big decisions. I’m glad I’m going to be part of Youth Corps’ big decisions, like having a camp in Baghanis near the border of Azerbaijan and adding extra weeks to accommodate the high demand for the camps.
The second is owning and completely wrecking a pair of Converse All-Stars. These shoes have been the symbol of coolness and the sign of the all-American kid, yet I have never owned a single pair. Last week, I decided to get a pair but did not want to pay the ridicules $50 price tag that is on them. I went to Downtown and found a couple that was selling an authentic pair for $45, which I was able to bargain down to $38. I am looking forward to taking these shoes with me to Armenia and really breaking them in and testing them out.
AYF Youth Corps and Converse All-Stars are such opposites, one being selfless volunteerism in Armenia and the other a selfish compliance to constant advertisements. Even though they are very dissimilar, they make up who I am: an Armenian-American who has very strong ties with his homeland but also adapts and lives in America.
Stay tuned for pictures, videos, and more blog posts about my time with Youth Corps and how my All-Stars are holding up.
— Puzant Berberian
Click the following links for full-size images in the listed resolution. If you don’t know which link to use, click here.
GRANADA HILLS – The Armenian Youth Federation North Valley Chapter’s “Know Your Rights” forum attracted Armenians and non-Armenians alike in a highly informative discussion about basic civil rights and liberties on June 26.
“Considering the oppressive manner in which the rights of the Armenian people have been violated throughout history, this event had an immense symbolic value,” said AYF Central Executive member Sanan Shirinian regarding the importance of holding this forum. “The Armenian youth, especially members of the AYF, should be armed with the knowledge of what rights they possess even in our current, privileged American reality.”
The forum was held in the Granada Hills Armenian Cultural Center and featured long-tenured California Highway Patrol Officer Tang and former San Bernardino County District Attorney Garo Madenian as the two main speakers.
Both speakers discussed a variety of issues that they deemed most pertinent to the youth, and particularly the Armenian youth, such as vehicle search and seizure rights, police questioning and response rights, protest rights, and how to speak to a police officer, among other things.
After each speaker finished their discussion, the floor was opened for the audience to ask the speakers questions about their rights and liberties.
As the forum came to a close, Madenian had this to say regarding the event: “It’s commendable that the AYF North Valley [Chapter] organized the ‘Know Your Rights’ event, and I was honored to be invited to speak about what to do if contacted by police, individuals’ rights, and lines that the police cannot cross.”
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.
Participating in AYF Youth Corps has always been on my To-Do List. I’ve wanted to participate in this program ever since I was introduced to it as a Badanee. Following Youth Corps, I’ll be staying in Armenia for an additional five weeks to become a Birthright Armenia participant, as well.
Thus, in less than two weeks, I’ll be embarking on the journey of a lifetime. While I’ve been to Armenia once before, I know that this trip will be entirely different. For starters, I’ll be there for longer than two weeks, doing so much more than sightseeing and touring. I have so much to look forward to and I can’t help but be overtaken with excitement. There’s so much I want to do and experience while living and working in Armenia, and what better way to organize those aspirations than with an Armenia To-Do list as my first Youth Corps blog. Of course, I know that the adventures that wait in Armenia are going to exceed this list, greatly.
Here we go:
1. Learn to make Sarma (called Dolma in Armenia). Maybe I’ll even be able to pick the grape leaves myself!
2. Have the kids I work with in Armenia and Artsakh teach me how to juggle a soccer ball.
3. Sing a couple of lines from my favorite Sayat Nova song on Sayat Nova St.
4. Make Ճինկալով Հաց in Artsakh.
5. Շուրջպար with my group around the «Ազատ Արցախը Ողջունում է Ձեզ» sign at the entrance of Karabakh.
6. Coordinate an Armenian dance with a group of ճահել kids.
7. Ամէն առիթ օգտագոծել Հայերէն երգելու:
8. Have a memorable experience celebrating Armenia’s second independence on September 21.
9. Dance to a live Dhol and Zurna entourage.
10. Become a family with the other Youth Corps participants.
11. Write a Youth Corps blog entirely in Armenian.
12. Make very second in Armenia matter; the smallest effort and contribution is going to make a huge impact.
13. Visit Areni winery.
14. Witness a wedding.
15. Discover, and fall in love with hidden gems of Armenia and Artsakh that often go unnoticed or unappreciated.
16. To not be a tourist.
17. Learn Artsakh’s national anthem.
18. Have an incredible experience watching the World Cup championship match.
19. Climb a tree. (I’ve never climbed a tree before.)
20. Go hiking in Artsakh.
21. Learn to skip rocks at Parvana Lij in Javakhk.
22. Contribute to Armenia’s development and prosperity through my volunteer work with AYF Youth Corps and the internship I take part in with Birthright Armenia.
23. Survive Vartivar.
24. Try to buy a jazve from Jazve Cafe.
25. Return with stories about life in Armenia and inspire more diasporans to live and experience Armenia the following summer.
26. Lorke wherever, whenever possible.
27. Be fearless, be independent, open-hearted, and open-minded.
28. See Henrikh Mkhitaryan
29. Ամէն առիթ օգտագոծել Հայերէն խօսելու:
30. Have the most remarkable, adventurous, inspirational, educational, and unforgettable, summer
Throughout my time in Armenia, I’ll be consistently writing blogs and I hope that in each one of those blogs I’ll be able to tell an incredible story about an extraordinary experience I had, on my own and with the group. In time, I’ll be gladly crossing off things from my Armenia To-Do List.
Until Հայաստան,
Carla
LA CRESCENTA — On Wednesday, June 25, the Armenian Youth Federation Crescenta Valley “Zartonk” Chapter hosted its annual AYF Youth Corps Farewell Dinner at the Crescenta Valley Armenian Center. There were over 60 people in attendance and the event raised over $1,000 for the Youth Corps program.
The night featured tacos, burritos, and quesadillas for dinner as well as an array of desserts. Attendees were asked to write pieces of advice and farewell wishes on index cards to the participants departing next week. Guests also took pictures in a photobooth.
Afterwards, a presentation titled “A Day in the Life of AYF Youth Corps” was given by Youth Corps alumni about what to expect during the program. The participants were then recognized and given gifts courtesy of the “Zartonk” Chapter.
“The donations we receive from various businesses and members of the community provide a great contribution to the overall growth of the program,” said Arpa Hatzbanian, a member of the AYF Youth Corps Central Council and the AYF Central Executive. “Without their support, services to the children in need would definitely be limited. At this time, we are fortunate enough to include more children in our summer day camp program in Armenia and Artsakh.”
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.
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.
I am less than three weeks away from my departure and currently mixed with many emotions. Last time I was in Armenia, I had a different agenda. I was on a class trip, I was in fifth grade, and I had just an idea of my capabilities in this country. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous about returning and getting a taste of what it’s really like to be living in Armenia, but it’s a different kind of nervousness. Of course, I get emotional every time I think about leaving my friends and family, people who I have spent the past eighteen summers with, but I also get the same sentiment every time I think about going home again, seeing Ararat again, walking on the streets of Yerevan again. I am impatiently waiting for AYF Youth Corps to start, I am excited to meet my family for the next six weeks, and I can’t wait to create memories and give back to a country that has given me so much.
— Ani Khachatourian
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.