The Diaspora starts with individuals

Thank you for writing about a difficult subject, namely the state and future of Armenian communities in America. You correctly point out that the communities are sustained by newcomers from the Middle East and that many American Armenians have drifted away from the Church and community. What is to be done? I have several suggestions.
1. Armenians must “reimagine” their communities to be part of One Armenian Nation, whether in the Diaspora or in Armenia. There are several components to this.
2. “Re education” of the youth and the community. Part of this education means having a strong connection to Armenia, as the author point out. It should become a rite of passage for every 18 year old to spend 3 months in Armenia. Another aspect is serving in the Armenian army, but this can only happen after the army reforms itself. Another aspect of re education is increasing and strengthening the quality of Armenian day schools in the US. This will require considerable resources.
3. Armenians need to organize their communities on many levels to marshal resources; local, city, state, national and finally international level. Community members will be asked to give a fraction of their income (tithing) to a community fund. These funds are then collected nationally and spent on worthy projects in their respective countries and in Armenia. In return, the donors will expect a functioning community with high quality Armenian schools, community youth centers, social services and responsive/transparent leadership. The national organization, which will include all political, religious and cultural groups, will decide how the funds are spent. The national group will also advocate for Armenian causes in Washington. It is through a national effort that a much needed university can be built in Los Angeles and in Boston to train future professional leadership. At present leadership comes from community activists, who may have the passion but not necessarily the knowhow to navigate the complex American-Armenian landscape.
4. The national Diaspora groups (US, France, Russia, Lebanon, Argentina, Australia plus smaller communities) will each organize their communities in a parallel fashion. For example, there is a need for universities in Paris and in Moscow to provide leadership to their respective communities. The national groups come together for an annual World Armenian Congress(WAC) that will assess the needs of the Armenian world, coordinate funding for infrastructure projects in Armenia, lobby foreign governments and international NGOs. In return, the WOC will have representation in the Armenian parliament. The WOC will facilitate communication and coordination between different Armenian communities and Armenia. An example it could be support the beleaguered community and church in Istanbul. Philanthropists and big donors can continue their work independently or through the WOC. But it is important to mobilize the Armenian communities at the grass roots level.
5. It is important to mobilize the world wide Armenian people so that there is an Armenia in 2122. Part of this requires an accurate and scientific census of the number of people who identify them selves as Armenians. Instead of throwing numbers in the air ( “ there are about one million Armenians in the US, 2 million in Russia & 3-4 million in Armenia”), lets find out exactly. We may be shocked by the results but lets deal with the truth. Otherwise our enemies will be more than happy to remind us.