Inaugural Alumni Weekend Reunites the Generations

BY GAIANEH AVANESSIAN

WRIGHTWOOD, Calif.—More than 60 alumni from the Armenian Youth Federation joined with 25 current members of the organization to reflect on the past and plan for the future during the AYF’s inaugural Alumni Weekend at AYF Camp.

The event, held on the weekend of August 27-28, was organized by the Alumni Central Council, whose primary goal is to foster a mutually beneficial relationship between the AYF and its alumni.

“The purpose of the event was to reconnect AYF alumni of different generations to current AYF members and their work,” said AYF alumnus and organizing committee member Tamar Baboujian. “The weekend exceeded our expectations, and offered a genuine opportunity for alumni to relive their AYF days, share ideas and support the organization’s ongoing work.”

Following AYF Camp tradition, the weekend began with the raising of the Armenian flag and opening remarks by the director of the weekend, Aram Kaloustian. The participants were then broken into red, blue, orange color groups where they were pinned against each other in a series of friendly competitions.

The first competition was a scavenger hunt, featuring riddles about AYF, Armenian, and Camp history. The team who solved all 10 riddles and arrived at the final destination first became the winner. There was just enough time afterwards for an impromptu game of Steal the Bacon. The game was nostalgic for the alumni reminding them of a time where they would run around the campground with reckless abandon.

Undeniably, the Mock Convention portion of the weekend was the highlight, with participants sitting down in a legislative meeting to hear about the state of the organization and discuss ways to improve relations with alumni. A special tivan and a resolutions committee was appointed, consisting of both current members and alumni. A formal video presentation on the year’s activities was also presented by AYF Central Executive Chair, Arek Santikian, who then took questions from the floor and participated in the discussion.

A lively exchange took place on such topics as expanding the Alumni Association and carrying on the AYF’s mission into the future. Ideas such as creating a mentorship program where alumni would help secure internships for youth to further their career aspirations were also proposed. The main ideas were drafted into formal resolutions and approved by the assembly. They will be officially submitted to the AYF’s Annual Convention taking place later this month.

“Helping AYF members with internships is a great idea”, says Crescenta Valley Zartonk member Christina Der Sarkissian. “We should take advantage of the alumna’s professional skills and bridge the generation gap to strengthen the organization”.

Throughout the weekend, AYF members of different generations were given the opportunity to interact and bond. The weekend served as a means to connect lifelong friends who throughout the years have passed the ranks of the AYF. The celebration held on Saturday night consisted of members young and old eating traditional Armenian food, dancing to live classical Armenian melodies, and singing revolutionary songs.

“The energy level was extremely high and the spirit of the event was outstanding,” noted alumnus Stepan Altounian.

The Alumni Weekend is only the start of efforts directed at reengaging AYF alumni with the current members activities of the AYF. Altounian added, “Once an AYF member, always an AYF member”.

In the spirit of involving alumni with the AYF’s current initiatives in the Diaspora and Homeland, the Alumni weekend also served as a fundraiser for purchasing three new computers for the Armenian Youth Federation chapter in Stepanakert, 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.

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The Las Vegas “Sosse Mayrig” Chapter organized a night full of games and activities for the local youth of the community in the month of July. A promising group of potential members came out excited to interact with one another.

“It’s great to see the kids come together having so much fun.” said Carnie Armenian, a member of the Armenian Youth Federation. “The dynamic between our AYF and the youth is unique to our community and something we don’t have the privilege of seeing every day.”

The youth enjoyed playing games like, “Guess who?”. “Connect Four”, “Twister”, and many more.

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.

BY: GAIANEH AVANESSIAN

GLENDALE, CA — Established in 2010, the Armenian Youth Federation’s Karekin Njdeh Future Leaders Program has quickly become one of the organization’s most acclaimed initiatives. During the 8-week long internship, participants are given an inside look at the AYF, gaining experience in working for a non-profit organization, leading projects, and compiling research.

“Through the Karekin Njdeh internship program, the AYF is paving the way for young Armenians to advance themselves and their nation,” said AYF Central Executive member and internship coordinator Niree Kodaverdian.

Concluding the Spring 2011 session of the program with her final presentation, Nairi Bagramian, is now the third intern to become a Karekin Njdeh “Future Leader.” A La Cañada resident and biology student at Glendale College, Bagramian has always had a passion for helping the community. While at Crescenta Valley High School she was deeply involved in the school’s Armenian Club, raising funds for underprivileged children in Shushi. She was also involved in politics, volunteering for the ANC on multiple local, state, and national elections.

“Even though I wasn’t an AYF member, I chose to participate in this program because I was concerned about the well-being of the local Armenian American community in which I live, and abroad in Armenia,” said Bagramian. “I learned valuable leadership, activism and career building skills which will help me in the future”.

During the course of the internship Bagramian was given a multitude of unique hands-on projects. She researched effective outreach methods to further enhance the AYF’s reach into the community. She also researched past Armenian Genocide resolutions, noting their origins and journey through the US Congress. She compiled her research into a presentation for use in educating the public about resolutions regarding the Genocide.

Every week Bagramian received educationals from Central Executive members, training her on various aspects of being a leader. Also, as part of the internship, Bagramian volunteered as a math and science tutor for the AYF and ANC’s tutoring program in Glendale.

With her interest in biology and medicine, Bagramian’s final project focused on Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF), a disease which largely affects people of Armenian descent. The origin of this disease is of interest to both Armenians and Turks because it suggests which ethnicity is indigenous to the Armenian Plateau. Bagramian researched studies conducted by international laboratories confirming that Armenians, more than any other ethnicity, are carriers of the original gene mutation which causes FMF.

“Having scientific evidence about FMF linking Armenians to their native lands can be used as leverage to reinstate our people as the rightful owners of those lands and gain reparations from Turkey,” expressed Kodaverdian. “It is important that FMF be on the frontline of research by Armenian research groups, especially given that Turkey is making concerted efforts to thwart international findings that might confirm Armenians as the original inhabitants of the now-eastern Turkey lands.”

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.

BY: GAIANEH AVANESSIAN

GLENDALE — St. Mary’s Armenian Apostolic Church was the site of the Armenian Youth Federation’s Community Health Fair this past Saturday. With over a dozenbooths offering a range of free medical services from vision exams to immunizations, the Health Fair provided crucial medical support for community members.

The health fair was organized by the AYF’s Nidus Central Council after months of strategic planning with local health organizations and individual doctors. Representatives from Planned Parenthood and the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry along with volunteer physicians and pediatricians were on-site to offer health consultations to all attendees.

“Health is so vital and it alters everyday life and that’s why I encourage people to take their health into their own hands,” said Dr. Karineh Aboulian. “The primary goal is to help people and who better to help than those you live amongst.”

Participants of the health fair were encouraged to visit the various booths and gainvaluable health and wellness information. Community members young and old took advantage of the free health screenings for blood pressure, hearing, blood glucose, scoliosis and had their general check-up.

“We held this health fair to help educate the community about their own health. We hope to encourage the notion of preventative health care and especially help the uninsured access the proper medical services they need,” said AYF member and organizer of the Health Fair, Sanan Haroun. “Being healthy should come first.”

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