Three months ago, I made the decision to apply to the AYF Youth Corps program. One week later, my life completely changed. My best friend was diagnosed with stage 3 Hodgkins lymphoma cancer. It’s crazy how life plays out; one day you’re sitting and planning out your summer and the next day you’re watching your best friend go through chemotherapy.

For the average person, these type of circumstances would put a sudden halt to their life and disable them mentally and emotionally. However, she was able to find strength and take this opportunity to create a positive outlook on cancer, not only for herself, but for her family and her surrounding communities. She has inspired so many people with her fight, courage and positive attitude, and I hope one day I too can inspire others.

With her courage and strength in mind, I truly feel honored to have been given the opportunity to spend six weeks in my homeland, creating bonds with the other 23 participants, who will soon become my family.

Many of my fellow AYF members who have participated in the AYF Youth Corps program, have told me that this is going to be the best summer of my life, filled with amazing and unforgettable memories. It has been said that the feeling I get while spending time with the children is indescribable and I won’t want to leave them at the end of the program. We are finally in Hayastan and the feeling is like no other. It feels like home. It has only been our second day in Gyumri and I have fallen in love with the beautiful city. Monday is the long-awaited first day of camp and I, along with all the other participants, am impatiently waiting to finally begin bonding with the children.

My friend has given me the courage and inspiration to be a part of this program and connect with our brothers and sisters in our homeland. This program gives me the opportunity to be in Armenia for 6 weeks and build unbreakable bonds with the other participants and hundreds of children. I cherish this opportunity and look forward to the most exciting 5 weeks of my life.

-Talin Saklarian

Although I’m only four days into the program, I’m amazed at how much I’ve come to love and learn about Armenia. It’s my third time here and I’m surprised by how much I have yet to learn about the country and It’s ancient history.

After the first day, I had learned some truly mind-blowing facts, an example being that the monastery of Geghard was carved out of a mountain and that it is the only church in the world of it’s kind. Vartivar in Armenia was also something I had never expected. Back in San Francisco, when celebrating with my friends and family, we would splash each other a bit and call it a day. In Armenia people embrace and relish the day long tradition. From getting attacked off of balconies, being cornered by children with hoses and surprise attacks from hidden alleyways, it was exhilarating to say the least.

My favorite place we visited so far was Sardarabad. I’ve been to Sardarabad twice before, and each time has been more memorable than the last. Simply standing there and absorbing the magnitude of the events that took place was enough to give me the chills, Singing “Sardarabad” as a group was really something else as well.

Something that I really enjoyed was having an educational from CivilNet. It was a real eye-opener to learn how important a role media and journalism currently play and should play in Armenia.
To top it off, we also went to Lake Sevan today. Although the water was freezing, it was an incredible experience nonetheless, simply because of how endless the lake seems. Afterwards, we traveled to Dilijan. It was very relaxing to sit next to a creek and enjoy some fantastic food from our talented chefs (Rubo and his father).

Youth Corps has been great so far, and I only expect it to get better once we start working!

Krikor Der Abrahamian

Sosé & Allen representing “YC” for Youth Corps at Lake
Parvana in Javakhk

The AYF Youth Corps program has a long and distinguished story that began in 1994, following the Bishkek protocol that set up a ceasefire in Artsakh.  The purpose was to take direct aid to the newly liberated villages and help repair the damage of years of war.  The program took young volunteers from abroad to rural regions to do rebuilding work hand-in-hand with locals…brick by brick.

The generation of AYF members that had the vision and foresight to create the Youth Corps program in 1994 understood the need to overcome the Iron Curtain and tangibly reconnect with our homeland.

Years later, the program was completely renovated with a renewed purpose.  In 2008, Youth Corps established its first day camp in Gyumri.  The purpose was to give kids in Armenia a fun, educational, and exciting summer, and at the same time introduce diasporan youth to more than just a superficial picture of Armenia.  The new concept has since grown to 7 cities, bringing dozens of volunteers to Armenia each summer, interacting with thousands of kids.

Among those who led the way in the establishment of Youth Corps 2.0 were Sosé Thomassian & Allen Yekikian.  Sosé & Allen wanted to engage young diasporans in Armenia’s future development, but first wanted them to understand Armenia’s realities.  They envisioned having young people from the diaspora teach and learn from youngsters in different regions of Armenia and Artsakh in order to build ties, build understanding and truly build a bridge home.

Sosé served as the Chairperson of the Youth Corps committee for several years beginning in 2008, and Allen served as the Youth Corps group leader in 2010.  The couple continued to be involved in the planning of the program even after they moved to Armenia earlier this year.  They Skyped into meetings each week, provided logistical support on the ground in Yerevan, and were ready to welcome our 2013 group with open arms.  They are sadly unable to greet this year’s group at Zvartnots because their lives were tragically cut short following a car accident on May 10th.

Sosé & Allen, you are not here, but your spirit remains with us.  So, with your spirit we continue.

With your spirit that views Armenia as a home to be explored, rather than a tourist destination, we continue.

With your spirit that sees opportunity where others see despair, we continue.

With your spirit that believes in connecting young people from the diaspora to young people in Armenia, we continue.

With your spirit that believes in thoughtful solutions, rather than blind criticism, we continue.

With your spirit that that knows that real results come from real effort, we continue.

With your spirit that has love for your people and love for your country, we continue.

You put your hearts in this program because you believe in our nation’s future.  Thank you for your guidance and we promise you our generation will continue.

With Love,

AYF Youth Corps 2013…and on