AYF Welcomes New “Artsakh” Chapter

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GRANADA HILLS, Calif. — The Armenian Youth Federation – Western United States welcomed the inception of the North Valley “Artsakh” Chapter on Sept. 14, 2014.

Twenty-nine activists gathered at the North Valley Armenian Center in Granada Hills and discussed various issues facing youth in the region. The new chapter established their name and discussed their course of action for the upcoming year.

“We are ready,” said Zohrab Kejejian, the newly elected chairperson of the chapter. “We are ready to embrace the name ‘Artsakh’ and work towards our ultimate goal of a free, independent, and united Armenia.”

The AYF has played an important role in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, also known as Artsakh, since the cease-fire that ended the conflict between Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan in 1994.

The AYF was one of the few organizations that implemented a program to rebuild and develop the newly-independent republic’s war-torn villages. To this day, the AYF’s summer volunteer program in Armenia, the AYF Youth Corps, executes day camps throughout villages in Artsakh with underprivileged youth. This year marked the 20th anniversary of the program.

In 2012, the AYF also found the With Our Soldiers program to provide medical aid to war Veterans from Artsakh.

“Mobilizing Armenian youth is our job,” said Arpa Hatzbanian, chairperson of the AYF’s Central Executive. “We are proud that we have created a new hub where active youth can come together to help advance our cause.”

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

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Free Legal Clinic to Bring Pro Bono Services to Armenian Community

Montebello, CA – A free legal clinic will be offered to the community on Sept. 18 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Montebello Armenian Center located at 420 Washington Blvd.

The clinic, conducted in both English and Armenian (Eastern and Western), will focus on legal topics including immigration, landlord/tenant, bankruptcy, criminal matters, wills/trust/estates, as well as business and employment issues.

The event is organized in collaboration between the Armenian Bar Association (ABA), the Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) Montebello “Vahan Cardashian” Chapter, and the Armenian Law Students Association (ALSA) at Pepperdine University School of Law.

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“Every year, thousands of first generations of Armenian families come from around the world to live in America,” explained Armen K. Hovannisian, Chairman of the Armenian Bar Association. “For 25 years, we have tried to soften their landing by providing guidance about their legal rights and civic responsibilities under applicable laws. We are particularly pleased that the AYF Montebello and area law students have picked up the mantle to help our own. We are, indeed, our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers.”

Volunteer attorneys from the Armenian Bar Association will provide free legal guidance to the members of the community. Law school students from the ALSA will assist community members with intake and communicating with the attorneys. Clinics are limited to advice and consultation only.

Attendees are encouraged to bring to the clinic documentation pertaining to their legal issues, such as agreements or contracts (signed or proposed), written rules or policies, court orders, court papers served or that were filed with the court, and specific paperwork related to the case. Attendees will be served on a first come, first served basis. Refreshments will be served, and ample parking is available.

The Armenian Bar Association was formed in 1989 to provide an arena for lawyers of Armenian heritage to come together socially and professionally and to address the legal concerns of the Armenian community.

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

The Armenian Law Students’ Association (ALSA) at Pepperdine University School of Law is dedicated to enriching Pepperdine’s community understanding and appreciation for Armenian history and culture. The ALSA works closely with Armenian organizations at California law schools and universities to expand, strengthen and establish professional ties in the Armenian legal community.

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AYF Convention Sets Course for the Next Fiscal Year

The Armenian Youth Federation – Western United States held its 41st Annual Convention this weekend at AYF Camp. Over 30 delegates from 11 AYF chapters were present at the Annual Convention, the highest legislative body of the organization.

Various topics about the organization were discussed and analyzed to set an outline for the 2014-2015 fiscal year. Topics included the activities of the outgoing Central Executive; the performance of local chapters in relation to their goals and expectations; and the success of AYF initiatives and programs, both locally and in the homeland. The Convention also discussed community activism, plans for the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, and establishing new means of strengthening ties with the Homeland, as well as the latest developments in Nagorno-Karabakh and the recent escalation of violence along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border spurred by aggressive attacks from Azeri forces.

The Convention concluded with the election of the organization’s new Central Executive, whose function is to govern the administrative and organizational aspects of the AYF. The Convention opted for a seven-person body consisting of Arpa Hatzbanian, Gevork Iskajyan, Joseph Kaskanian, Hraché Novruzyan, Raffi Senekeremian, Sevag Tchekidjian and Verginie Touloumian.

Representatives from the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Central Committee, AYF Camp Management Board, the AYF Eastern Region, and other invited guests were also present at the Convention.

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

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AYF Day in Orange County a Huge Success

As the countdown came close to months of prior planning, AYF Day in Orange County was a huge success. Upon driving through the agoump gates, worrying about having enough water, enough food and music, worrying about if the kids will have fun, I am happy to report that we had over two hundred members present in one community center. I do not remember the last time an event like this took place.

AYF Day was open to all AYF Juniors and Seniors, and all proceeds are to be donated to Orange County AYF Ashod Yergat chapter’s Gyumri Campaign. The day was filled with activities, discussions, competitions, an oath ceremony, a dinner party, and of course, the singing of our revolutionary songs. Unger Vaché Thomassian was the gnkahaiyr to over ninety Juniors who gave their oath.

The Juniors and Seniors were split up into four teams: Red, Blue, Orange and White-white symbolizing Artsakh. All the games were organized by the Orange County Aghpiur Serop Junior executive members. Everyone’s favorite game seemed to be the big water balloon toss which consisted of over 160 people.

This event allowed for an opportunity to build a bridge between the AYF Juniors and Seniors. All the educationals were given by our AYF Seniors. Dikran Khodanian, Puzant Berberian, Christina Bastagian, Kareen Shatikian, and Marissa Bazikian, who participated in Youth Corps this year, gave the Juniors insight on what Youth Corps is, why the program exists, and how their experience was. The Juniors saw the vision that they are a part of a family that is greater than themselves, and that anything they set their minds to is possible.

Berj Parseghian spoke about current events in Artsakh, followed by Razmig Sarkissian who led a discussion and activity on social identity. While the older Juniors participated in this discussion, our younger Juniors received a dance lesson and learned Armenian dances led by Ani Garibyan.

This event was possible because it started out as a chapter resolution in our Orange County Aghpiur Serop Junior chapter. Their director, Nairy Cherchian, was the backbone to making this resolution into reality.

Everyone who participated and had fun all had separate tasks. Both Juniors and Seniors worked together in unison. Whether one was in charge of music, leading the teams’ calls, giving an educational, leading the revolutionary songs, DJ-ing the dinner party (special thanks to DJ Move On (Vahn Apardian)), serving food, picking up trash, or simply playing cards and bonding with the Juniors, everyone’s presence shed light into making the event bigger and better than any AYF Day that I have ever been to.

The smiles on the faces of the Juniors were priceless. By 10:30 p.m., it seemed as though no one wanted to leave. We look forward to more events like this in our future.

The Armenian Youth Federation has once again illustrated time and time again to lead our youth through its pillars: educational, political, social, cultural and athletics.

“If you want to predict and see the future of a people, then look at its youth”-Karekin Njteh

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Seventeen New Members Join the AYF

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GRANADA HILLS — Seventeen new members joined the ranks of the Armenian Youth Federation on Friday during an oath ceremony at the North Valley Armenian Center in Granada Hills. The ceremony was followed by a reception hosted by the North Valley “Arshavir Shiragian” Gomideh.

“These new, young members have reinvigorated and brought new light to our organization,” said Sanan Shirinian, a member of the AYF-WR Central Executive. “Their enthusiasm keeps our 81-year-old organization forever young.”

Sixteen of the 17 new members join the newly-formed AYF North Valley Chapter, which will have a total of 24 members at the start of the coming fiscal year. “What is important, and I’m sure these new members understand, is that regardless of which chapter you may be from, you represent something very big and work towards the same cause,” said Central Executive members Sarkis Semerjian.

Vatche Donoyan, chairperson of the North Valley Gomideh, also spoke at the ceremony and welcomed the new members to the AYF. He urged them to give their best to the organization.

Friday’s ceremony was the second in the past two months. On July 27, another oath ceremony was held at Ferrahian Armenian School, where 10 members joined the ranks of the AYF.

“I’ve always looked up to AYF members since I was a little kid,” said Aren D. Kurkjian, one of North Valley’s new members. “By taking my oath, it gives me validation – like I belong to something bigger than me, stronger than me.”

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

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Welcome to the new AYFWest.org!

As we enter a new age of mass communication, social interaction, and activism fueled by the internet, it is clear that organizations such as the Armenian Youth Federation, with a purpose to unite, engage and educate, must be better equipped to those ends. This calls for an effective means of upholding the identity and ideals that we stand for on the internet.

With that in mind, for the past several months, the AYF has been collaborating with designers and developers to revamp its primary outlet for news, events, and advocacy. The result is the contemporary design and feature set that we are unveiling today.

Welcome to the new website for the Armenian Youth Federation – Western Region!

This update adds many features and makes some key changes in the way you interact with AYF – WR online.

First, we’ve developed a simplified and fluid experience to help you engage with the AYF – WR’s most popular programs: the AYF Youth Corps and Haytoug websites have been merged with the main site. All the content from the old sites has been migrated and is accessible on the new site. The application process for AYF Youth Corps will remain unchanged.

You can find information on AYF Youth Corps here and keep up with the Youth Corps blog here. Similarly, articles from the Haytoug can be found here.

Combining the websites serves another ultimate purpose: maintaining a single, efficient archive of all AYF activity through news, publications and photos. With this website, we have taken a huge leap forward by creating unified archives for all three, consolidating the many of each that had been scattered across the former websites.

An ever-growing archive of every news update — article, editorial, blog, etc. — ever published online through AYF – WR can be found here. Additionally, you’ll notice that the publication date of this article, shown above, are clickable links. Clicking the month of publication (in the case of this article, August) will take you to the archive of the month in which that post was published. Clicking the year of publication (2014 for this article) will take you to the yearly archive, where you can select a month to view. This makes it easier than ever to traverse the AYF – WR’s vast article archive.

The AYF – WR’s sole print publication, the Haytoug, is a staple among the community. We’ve already mentioned how to view articles from Haytoug magazine on our website. Many will be happy to know that we will continue to offer PDFs of all of our previous issues, dating back as far as 1978! You can view the Haytoug PDF archive here.

A large database of photos from our various events and programs has accumulated over the years. Between AYF Youth Corps and Western Region events/programs, there are nearly 22,000 total images available on the web. You can browse the image library here.

Authors and contributors to our news section will now have their own pages on our website, featuring all of their published articles. You can read about the contributor and also visit their Twitter account, if applicable. Click on my name (Purag Moumdjian) in the top bar, under the article’s title, to be taken to my author page.

We understand that a lot of the web is accessed through mobile phones and tablets nowadays. We want to make sure that we can preserve our image and offer you the same content, no matter which device you’re browsing from. That’s why our website is now fully optimized for mobile and tablet viewing. You can also share every part of the website to your friends and followers on every popular social network by clicking the “share button at the bottom of every page.

We believe that these features, along with the fresh design and social integration that we have built, will help viewers engage with the AYF and its programs more effectively than ever before. Please comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to share this!

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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AYF-WR Announces Winners of Syrian Armenian Scholarship

Glendale, CA — On Thursday, the Armenian Youth Federation – Western Region announced the recipients of the Syrian Armenian Scholarship. The winners were Pierre Afarian of Yerevan State University, and Goruen Soghomonian and Tsoghig Ashekian from the State Engineering School of Armenia.

“As members of the Armenian Youth Federation, we felt that it is our responsibility to help other youth in their time of need, especially students that are barely trying to make ends meet so that they may have a brighter future,” said Serob Abrahamian, the Syrian Armenian Scholarship Coordinator. “Although there were many highly qualified students who applied to the scholarship, we could only choose three.”

The AYF-WR established this scholarship due to the influx of refugees escaping the ongoing war in Syria. Many of these Armenians went to neighboring countries like Lebanon, and others went back to their homeland Armenia.

“While reading the essays of the applicants, it saddened me to hear what my people had to go through and have to continue to battle today,” said Joseph Kaskanian, Syrian Armenian Scholarship Committee member. “But what was amazing was to see that not even war stopped our youth from pursuing their education.”

The Armenian Youth Federation believes that through the help of each and every individual, we can directly influence the lives of the Armenian people.

“Thank you so much to our friends in the United States who have established this selfless initiative for their brothers and sisters,” said Afarian, the first place winner. “I personally want to thank all of you for providing us with this scholarship during the most difficult time of our lives. I will use this scholarship in order to gain an education, with that education I will wholeheartedly serve the Armenian people, both in Armenia and in the Diaspora.”

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

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We Are Gyumri: The Rebuilding of a Community

The “We Are Gyumri” campaign will kick off their first event on Saturday, August 9, at Noor Restaurant in the Sofia Foyer Hall (260 East Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91101) with a Cocktail and Hors D’oeuvres event hosted by the AYF Orange County “Ashod Yergat” Chapter from 8pm to 12am.

“We Are Gyumri” is a campaign focused on raising funds to help unite and strengthen our youth organization in Gyumri, Armenia. The initial step is to upgrade and renovate the youth offices and facilities located at their Armenian Community Center. Currently, the building needs to be completely rebuilt, as it is unsafe and is not in condition to serve as a proper location for communal meetings. The establishment of a community center will create a common ground for the youth to meet, learn, interact, and collaborate. As this is only the first project of an entire campaign, our ultimate goal is to create a lasting positive impact on the youth of the region that is still struggling after the devastation of the 1988 earthquake.

Rebuilding their youth center will serve as a beacon to inspire the children to further their social and academic aspirations. This campaign will bridge the gap between the youth of Gyumri and our AYF Juniors in the West Coast, allowing members from both regions to interact and share information and strengthening the Homeland-Diaspora bond, while also creating opportunities for the advisors to work together and exchange ideas.

The August 9 event will not only mark the beginning of an exciting journey, but it will be a night to acknowledge the work our youth is doing and to help fuel the soil beneath our feet. The “Ashod Yergat” Chapter has dedicated over a year to organizing this project and would be honored to see you at this event to ensure that our vision for Gyumri transpires and that this campaign gets the best start imaginable. The situation in Gyumri demands assistance and with enough support, our campaign will be able to serve as the source for that relief.

For more information, please visit www.facebook.com/WeAreGyumri. For tickets, visit www.itsmyseat.com/Gyumri.

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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