PROSPECT, Pa.—One of the premier events of the entire organization took place during Memorial Day Weekend for the 42nd time and attracted 280 AYFers from east of the Mississippi. Senior and Junior members came together to see their old friends and to make new ones. More importantly, we came together to learn the truth about our motherland, Armenia. The theme of this year’s lectures (or “educationals”) was “Mer Haiastan: #NoFilter—Embrace the Present, Guide the Future,” which was perfect due to the recent events that took place earlier this year in Armenia. Everyone received a combination of eight lectures from the list below. In doing so, we were exposed to the positive and negative aspects of Armenia. Therefore, we could embrace what we currently have as an independent Armenia and strive to create goals for the future betterment of our motherland.
Educationals were even implemented in the night activities to make learning both interactive and fun. Friday night’s activity was called “Reliving 80 Years of the AYF‐YOARF: A Walk through the Struggles and Milestones of the AYF in the Past 80 Years.” With the help of local Seniors and alumni, each chapter had to research, prior to coming to Seminar, and present a decade of our organization’s history.
As part of this year’s theme, the Saturday night activity was called “Reporting live from Haiastan.” Each chapter was responsible for portraying different aspects of Armenia through skits, which were prepared before Seminar. Some examples were dance, education, food, Artsakh, music, elections, sports, dialects, weddings, celebrities in Armenia, and the role of women.
As is tradition, the AYF Juniors held their Junior Page contest. While some activities capture the athletic abilities of our youth, the Junior Page contest highlights the great minds within our organization. Hundreds of article were submitted by the chapters. The judges evaluated each article to name the chapters with the best overall quality. The top three Junior chapters with the most quality articles were, in order, Greater Boston “Nejdeh,” Detroit “Kopernik Tandourjian,” and Chicago “Ararat.”
In addition to the chapter contest, we awarded those Juniors who submitted the most thought-provoking materials. The following winners received a trophy for their abilities: Alek Surenian (Chicago “Ararat”), Katia Bejakian (Greater Boston “Nejdeh”), Hagop Kouchakdjian (Greater Boston “Nejdeh”), and Lara Varjabedian (Greater Boston “Nejdeh”).
Thanks to the great success of the AYF Olympics, which were held in Boston last September, two very special Juniors received half-scholarships to Camp Haiastan. These Juniors were chosen from a competition that asked them to describe “What the AYF means to me.” Patil Tcholakian (Detroit “Kopernik Tandourjian”) and Rachael Minassian (Providence “Varantian”) were chosen from a very competitive collection of submitted articles. These articles, along with the AYF Page winners, will be published by the Armenian Weekly in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.
As you can see, Junior Seminar is one of best experiences an AYFer can have. Not only is it a place where lifelong friendships are created, but it is also a dignified educational experience. For some, it is a spectacular weekend to learn and have fun. For the few who gift their scarce free time to plan the event, it is a deeply cherished and rewarding experience that will never be forgotten. Thank you to all the lecturers and a very special thank you to the Ungers and Ungerouhis who organized the entire event: Sosy Tatarian, Kevork Tenkerian, Ani Megerdichian, Alexander Bagdasarian, Kyle Dinkjian, Audrey Mardoian.
| Junior Seminar 2013 Lecture Topics | |
| Lecturer | Topic |
| Antranig Kasparian | Artsakh |
| Michelle Hagopian | ANCA Efforts for Artsakh |
| Heghine and Satenig Mirzoyan | Youth Living in Armenia |
| Narineh Abrahamian | Healthcare in Armenia |
| Levon Attarian | ARF Misconceptions |
| Houry Geudelekian | ARS Involvement in the UN |
| Stephen Mesrobian | Armenians Living in Turkey |
| Anto Nighoghosian | Armenian Dance |
| Ara Surenian | Economy in Armenia |
| Zohrab Khaligian | Presidential Elections |
| Satenig Mirzoyan | Traditional Armenian Games |
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