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Best Experience So Far…

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

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Can’t Wait to Start!

I’ve been to Armenia once before, but as a tourist. I never thought that I would have the opportunity to experience my homeland in such a unique and memorable way. In addition to being able to live in my homeland for 6 weeks, I get to meet other volunteers like myself and create long-lasting friendships. So far, everything is surreal to me to the point that I feel like I never left America. But I know that once we start camp and I get to spend time with the kids, I won’t want to leave my homeland. My friends who have done Youth Corps in past years told me before I left that this is a life changing experience, and I’m ready to take the next step with my fellow volunteers in making sure that it is one.

I can’t wait to see what the next 6 weeks have in store for us!

– Vana Andonian

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An Amazing First Day


This is my first time in Armenia and I’ve been here for two weeks already. I met my fellow AYF Youth Corps participants today, and I felt a connection with them right away.

We met early in the morning and quickly put our bags down to head to Garni and Geghard. Geghard was one of the most amazing places I’ve seen in my life. It was truly astonishing to see how people could carve into a mountain and create such a beautiful place hundreds of years ago.

I had visited Garni earlier this week, but it was nothing like experiencing it today, seeing as today is also Vartevar, or Water Day, in Armenia. I was sitting by the window in the mini bus and, as we were approaching the temple, a kid ran up to us and splashed water all over me through the window. After that, we parked the bus and got out to walk towards the site, and our group was quickly ambushed by five other kids with buckets, drenching all of us. It was a very fun and special experience seeing the whole town happy and splashing water on everyone and everything. 

After seeing Garni, we made our way back to Yerevan. The entire city was out on the streets splashing anyone and everyone they saw. Whether it was from a balcony or on the sidewalk, everywhere was fair game. What an experience. 

The first day with our group exceeded all of my expectations.


– Pierre Moradian


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Barev Yerkir

I love Armenia. I love everything about it. The cute old women selling apricots at the corner of the street, the Soviet style buildings that managed to survive despite all of the development around it, the fact that it is so beautiful that no picture I take will do it any justice, and especially the fact that I am staring at Mt. Ararat as I write this blog. It is for these reasons, and so many more, that I decided to participate in the AYF Youth Corps this summer. I’ve visited Armenia many times before, but this time I will be experiencing it from the other side; living the way the ‘deghatsis’ live, changing the lives of hundreds of kids, and in turn, the kids changing mine. It’s been almost a week since I’ve been in Yerevan and I can’t wait for the program to start. I can’t wait to wake up in Karabagh surrounded by luscious green mountains and be greeted by the kids every morning in Gyumri and Broshian. I’ve talked to previous participants, heard their stories, seen their pictures, read their blogs, and after months of counting down, it’s time for me to make my own memories.

-Ani Der Grigorian

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Standing on the Shoulders of Giants

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

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First Time in Armenia

I have never been to Armenia. While doing Youth Corps this year, I will finally see the land my parents, grandparents, and ancestors lived, loved, and called home. I feel nervous to be away from my family for six weeks. I always hear that your best experiences happen when you leave your comfort zone. Unfortunately, I haven’t left my comfort zone too many times, and so I’m used to the same routine I have built over the years. Youth Corps is definitely a new experience that breaks my usual routine and builds character. I am excited to be more than a tourist in Armenia. I look forward to volunteering with the kids in the summer camps. I feel that I will learn as much from them as they will from us.

– Angelica Kechukyan

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Not So Patiently Waiting

I have waited for years until the day I would be old enough to participate in AYF youth corps, and finally the day is here. I’ve heard stories from people who have done the program before about how much fun they had and how much they enjoyed working with kids in Armenia. I read all the blogs from the previous years, and lived vicariously through the former participants. However, I’m tired of hearing stories and reading blogs and I am ready to experience youth corps for myself.

The wait for the program to begin is filled with excitement and apprehension. Having arrived in Armenia a couple of weeks earlier than the rest of the group has left me wondering. As I walk down the streets of Yerevan I can’t help but wonder what it is going to be like when the rest of the group is here, walking down the streets along side me. My mind constantly keeps drifting to Karabagh and Gyumri and I try to imagine what it’s going to be like there. I eventually give up knowing that what I’m about to experience is not something that can be created by my imagination and I just have to wait for the first hand experience.

-Areni Der Grigorian

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What the AYF Means to Me

By Joseph Kaskanian

In the past three years, my life has been substantially influenced through my membership in the AYF. Prior to joining the AYF, my involvement in the Armenian community was very limited, and basically consisted of attending the annual April 24th protest on Wilshire Blvd and reading about other annual events. I was that one Armenian who was constantly struggling to find myself in a sea of others. As much as I had learned about my culture through my family and through word of mouth, nothing could substitute for the genuine understanding of my true identity. The AYF has allowed me to gain that understanding by learning about my culture and realizing that our struggle is worth fighting for.

After graduating high school in 2010, I went to Armenia with Hamazkayin forum, a trip that my parents decided to give me as a graduation present. I didn’t quite know how to feel; I didn’t know too much about my heritage and had no idea what to expect, but I was excited to go. When I first stepped foot in Armenia, I saw Mount Ararat. The image that was framed and hanging in my house since I was a little kid stood right before me. I just stood there and thought back on being a kid and saying, “wow, I can’t wait to see this in real life.” At that moment, it finally hit me that I was in Armenia, and that was the moment when my life began to change.

My memory of the experience I had in Armenia will never change or lose its meaning. The friends I met, the places I went… it was as though the stories I read about were alive. I walked around Armenia not as a tourist, but as an Armenian who is temporarily living away from his homeland. Those three weeks truly helped me rediscover my identity. When I came back to the States, I wanted to join an organization that could help me touch base with my roots and through which I could have an impact bring about positive change. I knew about the AYF but never joined because I hadn’t had an interest or a solid understanding of the organization. Looking back, however, I wish I could go back 5 years and yell at myself for not joining sooner.

 

I don’t know where to begin. The AYF has given me the best three years of my life. The knowledge and skills I have gained from AYF has turned me a whole different man. I am currently the chairman of the South Bay “Potorig” Chapter; we are a relatively small chapter, but we manage to get serious work done in our local community. Because of the AYF, I have developed a strong working relationship with my Congresswomen, State Senator, State Assembly member, and local city councilmembers. My networking skills and social skills have improved, my understanding of politics and its inner workings has developed, and my Armenian language skills have improved significantly.

As Gandhi once said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Gandhi brought change to his community and the entire world, and I want all our youth to follow that example by becoming the change they want to see around them. The Armenian Youth Federation has a positive impact not only on the Armenian homeland, but also on the local community. This is important so that we as Diasporans can remember our past and effectively use that memory to work for a more prosperous future for our community. We are one big family with a vision for change, and it’s time we begin acting like one.

The message that I want to get across to the Armenian Youth is that you should never wait to create the change you want to see in the world. When you have a chance to join an organization that has the potential to change your life in so many ways, you should take full advantage of that opportunity.

As the youth, we are the most effective and important catalyst for positive change around the world. We can’t simply sit back and allow others to make decisions for us; we must become that change by turning our ideas into action. We Armenians are few in number, but we are strong in will and in action.

Now let’s prove it.

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A Note on Cultural Chaos

One size does not fit all. Likewise, one’s way of life will not resemble another’s. This reality hit me rather quickly upon getting on the airplane toward Armenia. I can list a million grievances I have with people’s behavior out here, but in return, the list is quite lengthy from their viewpoint toward us.

Stripping yourself of all judgments is a necessity in order to be able to truly discover what this land and people are about. Yet, you need to take it a step further and make yourself humble, accept the way of life you experience as you travel throughout the country, and do all you can to not impose your way of life on the rotating wheel of customs and culture out here. This is the starting point for change. The people will listen to you if they accept you. Otherwise, you are a circus clown to poke fun at and bring entertainment to a rather bored audience.

I’m so proud of our Youth Corps group when it comes down to their behavior and attitude throughout the four weeks of camp we’ve had so far. We were literally slapped in the face by various cultural norms as we worked together with the kids, the local Yeridasartats Tashnagtsootyun  members, and the various city locals we came across. It was especially shocking because our group is almost entirely made up of girls, and the locals love to put pressure on the behavior of women. In the end, we gained their respect in return and planted the seeds we came to sow.

Choosing your battles is a must. It adds flavor to foreign relationships, and it allows concrete ideals to shine. I have grown and expanded as an individual, and I have helped my brothers and sisters in the motherland do the same. There’s a lot of beauty to be discovered in the cultural chaos of Diaspora-Armenia relations, and we can only have a say with programs like Youth Corps that put you in the heart of our meshing Armenian reality. Five camps was a great success this year, now let’s expand.

 

Berj Parseghian

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