AYF Camp Haiastan preparing for a new season, following guidelines

Welcome sign during the first snowstorm of 2021

FRANKLIN, Mass.— Like most years, the off-season is no time for rest at AYF Camp Haiastan. This has never been more true than this past off-season. While the summer of 2020 brought us the first-ever Camp Zoomastan, since then the AYF Camp Haiastan Executive Director and the Board of Directors have been planning and implementing a series of improvements to the facilities and modifying the Camp program in hopes of in-person sessions this summer.

In February, the state of Massachusetts indicated that overnight camps will be allowed to operate this summer, so Camp may look a little different this year because of new guidelines. But it will also look different because of the major refurbishments that have been made to its facilities and updates to the summer program overall.

Campers will notice updates to Dikran Tzamhour Hall and the dock at Uncus Pond. Property Manager John Miller, who has been with the Camp for 16 years, has been working with John Mangassarian (RI), who generously volunteers his time to make improvements to Camp facilities. The two updated Tzamhour Hall with a fresh coat of paint, roofing upgrades and a transformed kitchen into a future game room. In addition to the hall, Mangassarian and Miller worked on crafting a new storage room in the lower camp office and upgrading the flooring in the Board Conference Room. The old washstands have also been refurbished into Bunk 5, additional living space on the grounds. This capital project was made possible by a generous grant from the Armenian Youth Foundation.

The Infrastructure Committee, chaired by Michael Guzelian (MA), has been focused on two major renovations. The first is the replacement of the ceiling fans in the cabins with a more powerful system that required an upgrade of the electrical system. The renovation was made possible through a generous donation from Dan and Nicole Apelian (MA), who have been longtime supporters of the camp.

The second project is the replacement of the dock at Uncas Pond. The new larger floating aluminum dock will have a gangway and ramp to go alongside the new canoe rack, crafted by one of Miller’s boy scout troop members. Memorial contributions from the Minasian families of Massachusetts and New York supported the funding of this new dock.

In addition to physical upgrades at the Camp, digital improvements have been made online. The AYF Camp Haiastan website was restructured by volunteer and Michigan-based web and graphic designer Shoghere Ourlian. Ourlian worked with Executive Director Kenar Charchaflian to update not only the content, but also the design. “We’re committed to providing campers and their parents with the information they need for a successful Camp season, while also maintaining the spirit of Camp Haiastan throughout the year,” said Taline Badrikian (MA), Camp Board member and chair of the PR and Marketing Committee. “We’re working with the Central Camp Council members so that all our online channels are informative and engaging, including the website and social media,” she continued.

The Education Committee, chaired by Camp Board member Hagop Soulakian (IL), announced that the committee has been hard at work preparing guidelines for topics and resources that will be used for Armenian school sessions at the Camp. “The plan is to have a 360-degree emphasis—to integrate Armenian education, language, culture and history into non-Armenian school activities,” said Soulakian. The Committee consists of four teachers, who are former campers and staff members and are fluent in Armenian language, culture and history. The group has made modifications to the program that will utilize modern educational methodologies, including technology, without compromising the character, spirit and atmosphere of the Camp.

One of the major components of the summer Armenian program is the Wednesday evening presentations. The Education Committee, working in conjunction with the AYF Camp Council, is revamping the lecture series. The goal is to make the series more interactive and to invite notable specialists in Armenian culture, history, music and art to help conduct this group activity. In direct response to the recent Artsakh War, the committee plans to direct the programming to focus on education and activism that’s inclusive of all historic Armenian lands. The Camp received a grant from the Armenian Relief Society (ARS) Eastern USA to offset costs associated with this renewed and redefined program.

Certainly, pandemic requirements will bring further change to Camp. “We have new challenges this summer, but we are doing a considerable amount of work to prepare,” said Charchaflian, who has been monitoring updates from the State of Massachusetts, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Camp Association. “We take the safety of our campers and staff seriously, and we will make any necessary changes in order to ensure the health of our campers.” State guidelines for in-person camping have yet to be released. “The health and well-being of our campers is our number one priority and the Camp has already begun to prepare for the possible stringent requirements dictated by the regulatory agencies for this summer,” said Hratch Najarian (VA), Camp Board Chairperson.

Until those guidelines are released, AYF Camp Haiastan continues to have the support of its longstanding medical professionals. Dr. Andre Markarian and Carol Jaffarian, MS, RN, NP-BC continue to actively serve as the Camp’s medical consultants. Jaffarian also serves on the Board as the ARS liaison. The Behavior Health Team has also been created. Dr. Yeraz Markarian, Meliné Topouzian Berberian and Melanie Buchaklian will assist Charchaflian in developing behavior health procedures and a training manual for staff. All three committee members are professionals in the field and have attended Camp as campers and/or staff.

In addition to Najarian, Soulakian and Badrikian, the 2021 AYF Camp Board of Directors includes Raffi Varjabedian (MA), Treasurer; Sarine Adishian (NJ), Secretary; Shant Saroukhanian (MI), Mimi Parseghian (MA), Phil Nigon (PA) and Tsoler Avedissian (MA). Steve Mesrobian (MA) is the Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Eastern Region liaison and Nareh Mkrtschjan (RI) is the AYF-ER liaison.

“This past year was a difficult one for all of our institutions,” said Najarian. “It’s only because of the tireless and generous contributions of our extensive Camp family that we’ve been able to sustain ourselves. And although we prepare for a different Camp this season, it will be the same Camp spirit as all the years before it.”

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Camp Haiastan

Located in Franklin, Massachusetts, AYF Camp Haiastan, was founded in 1951 and is the oldest Armenian camp in the United States. The Camp prides itself on providing a healthy and safe experience to Armenian-American youth to help them foster their Armenian identity and establish lifelong friendships.