As an AYF member since 2010, I have made endless memories throughout the years. Some memories have brought me extreme joy and some have brought me extreme sadness, though none of these memories are meaningless or insignificant. My best memories include numerous events like seminar, junior/senior Olympics and NATs shared with my best friends and family. I’ve been a camper and counselor at seminar and Camp Haiastan, spending the whole day cheering on my chapter during every event, as well as participating in meetings and socials within my chapter. I’m also moved by my participation in a number of protests and witnessing tragedy in my homeland.
I have gone through many phases of being an AYF member. I joined the organization when I was 10 years old when I looked forward to the social events and dances. As a teenager, I would impatiently wait for the next annual event to come around. Now, as a senior, I finally recognize the AYF for what it truly stands for. And that is a free, independent and united Armenia.
Even after hearing how difficult it was to live as an Armenian, I find myself perplexed by the fact that I never imagined I would face it in today’s world. I think all of us were taken aback during the Artsakh War…not because we didn’t know of our enemy’s capabilities, but because we were faced with stepping up as an organization in a way that we haven’t had to before (or at least in my time as a member). This was a true test for us members on what it means to be a part of this organization and an eye-opening experience on how deep our influence runs.
Back in 2010, I knew that I loved my culture, community and homeland, but now in 2022 I feel closer to all of it because I finally feel like I have started my unquestionable duty to serve, support and preserve the land that I have been so proud to claim for the past two decades. In retrospect, I realize that when I joined this organization I didn’t comprehend the importance of it beyond the simple joys it brought me. I was compelled to join this organization based on experiences that came from family members, and at such a young age that was enough of a reason for me. I am thankful for being introduced to the AYF so young, even if I wasn’t able to understand it, because it gave me time to process this life and culture I was born into. I understand now, more than ever, the organization that I have been blindly backing for 11 years and know that I will continue to do it for the rest of my life.
Alique Bagdasarian
Latest posts by Alique Bagdasarian (see all)
- What AYF means to me in 2022 - February 21, 2022
Thanks so much for this first-person article, Alique! It’s wonderful to read about your inner journey as an AYF’er, and especially to know that for individual AYF’ers like you, the organization is serving the purpose for which it was established.