Homenetmen Celebrates 100-Year Anniversary

YEREVAN—On July 29, the 100^th anniversary celebrations of the Homenetmen and the 11th pan-Homenetmen Jamboree were concluded with a ‘Victory Dinner Dance’ in Yerevan. The ten-day Jamboree was an occasion where the words and work of the century-old “Army of Volunteers” were introduced to Armenians in Armenia. A monument marking the centennial of the organization was dedicated in Puragan along with a statue of Vahan Cheraz in Gumri. Over two thousand Homenetmen participants from all over the world attended the festivities. Of particular note, over 1200 scouts participated in the jamboree.

On Tuesday, July 22, a celebration was held at the Alexander Spendaryan Opera and Ballet Theater with a capacity crowd in attendance that included Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and President Armen Sarkissian.

In his remarks at the celebration, Pashinyan congratulated the athletic and scouting organization and hailed the fact that centennial jubilee was being held in Armenia after the dramatic events, which ushered in a new era for Armenians around the world.

“Allow me to say that the recent peaceful, velvet, democratic revolution in Armenia in fact brought to life Homenetmen’s motto of ‘elevate yourself and elevate others with you,” said Pashinyan referencing the organization’s traditional maxim. “This is a very important achievement: but this is not all we want to achieve. We should continue… elevating our homeland. We hope the citizens of Armenia will continue their path, will develop it, will take flight toward our national aspirations and dreams.”

“Today we are calling on everyone to come and collectively elevate [our homeland]. We are inviting our Diaspora businessmen to the Republic of Armenia to rise with their civic consciousness, the consciousness of their duty before the law and rise in terms of their personal and business achievements,” explained Pashinyan.

He stated that the Homenetmen has played a critical role in the history of the Armenian people and continues to do so.

Vache Najarian, a member of the Homenetmen Central Executive Board, said that the duty of the scouts is to take the memory of this jamboree back to their regions and spread the message not only within Homenetmen circles but also everywhere there are Armenians.

Another member of the Homenetmen Central Executive Board, Oshin Piroumian, said that the word “homeland” is no longer a dream since the participants in the Homenetmen felt with all their senses the experience of Armenia.

“Standing on the slopes of the second highest mountain of the Armenian Highland, let us turn our eyes to the peak of our sacred mountain [Ararat] and promise that our scouting and national life is purposefully aimed at improving our homeland,” said Piroumian. “Dear scouts, let the breath of the homeland become the good wind that will always direct your life to Armenia.”