As a current AYF Camp Haiastan staff member, I have had the pleasure of spending the summer reflecting on my family history. Every day when I wake up and head to the cabin circle, I am greeted by memorial bricks with my family name. As kids, my cousins and I would walk around the cabin circle looking for the stones referencing our grandparents, cousins and even our own names. Even before I was involved with the AYF, I felt I had a home at Camp Haiastan.
After my second year at camp, my cabinmates introduced me to a local AYF chapter that I soon joined. Being a part of this community meant I not only saw my friends at camp every summer, but also at our monthly meetings. At our first general meeting, I felt inspired to run for Junior Executive, where I spent three years volunteering — a year as secretary, a year as treasurer and a year as chairman. These opportunities gave me a well-rounded AYF experience. Throughout my years as a second session camper, I met new friends and reconnected with old ones.
Entering teen session kickstarted my duty to the AYF. At camp, I saw how passionate everyone was. I met people who had gone to Armenian elementary schools, including Hovnanian and St. Stephen’s. I met dancers who dedicated so much of their middle school careers to Hamazkayin and Abaka. It was then that I met many of my closest friends. I also attended my second AYF Senior Olympics that September. Some of my fondest memories are attending the dance with my friends and getting ready in our rooms beforehand. At each event, I met new people. Once I realized this pattern, I started attending as many as possible, always eager to make new friends. I had found my place in the AYF, but I hadn’t comprehended the full meaning and importance of these events.
I attended my first Junior Seminar the following June. After a drive that was twice as long as it should have been, we arrived in Pennsylvania. Both Junior Seminar and Senior Olympics introduced me to a whole population of AYF members who don’t attend camp. We sat through lectures that may seem unbearable to many, but for me they provided an explanation of the events, meetings and the organization that I had dedicated so much of my time to. This was the inevitable transition that all AYF Juniors have from seeing the AYF as a social club to recognizing their full importance as members. One of the lessons that stood out to me was the Armenian responsibility to fight assimilation — something that I was doing without knowing.
One of the lessons that stood out to me was the Armenian responsibility to fight assimilation — something that I was doing without knowing. My personal fight with assimilation occurs every time I don’t go to an Armenian event.
My personal fight with assimilation occurs every time I don’t go to an Armenian event. Once I leave an event, I immediately want to start planning the next one. However, whenever I have a break between seeing my Armenian friends, I fall into the culture of my small town, where I am the only Armenian at my school. I can always tell, because I no longer feel the need to go to events anymore. Part of the struggle is holding yourself accountable. My fight with assimilation is tough, especially because I don’t live in an environment surrounded by Armenians. It is hard to make things work, but I have no regrets for the things I have sacrificed in order to be an active Armenian.
The AYF, for me, was something I could put my focus on. When things weren’t right, I always had a set of welcoming arms to run to. I am eternally grateful for the AYF and the opportunities that have come from it. I cry every time an event is over, but I smile at how lucky I am and look forward to the next one. It makes being away from your best friends a little easier — knowing exactly when you will see them again. I have friends who I only see at Seminar and Olympics, making those two occasions each year that much more special.
My non-Armenian friends are usually confused as to why I put so much emphasis on these random events throughout the year, but the truth is that I am afraid of losing what I value most: my community. The Armenian community has always been something I can count on. Whether we are just dancing and having fun or singing revolutionary songs in honor of our people, I enjoy every moment and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Even writing this now, it is hard for me to put into words all the different ways that the AYF has changed my life.
I look around at beautiful Camp Haiastan in a full circle moment. From playing tavloo with the campers, to preparing them for song night, I see a little bit of myself in each of them. I look for any ways to make a mark on their lives, so that they have the same experiences that I did. I started right where they are now, and it is mind-boggling to see how much has happened in my life since I was in their shoes.
With only a few days left at camp, and as the kids prepared to leave on Saturday, I had the honor of sharing a moment with them, the same way my counselors did with me. I assured them that they will always have a home here, and they will always have a special relationship with their ungers and ungerouhis. They eagerly asked, “Will I see you at the AYF meetings?” and “You have to go to Seniors.” I look forward to the moment when I will see them again, and they will remember me as someone who helped give them the summer of a lifetime.
Grace Asbedian
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I love these stories which bring back memories from the 1950’s when I attended the summer Camp Haiastan as the first registered camper at the camp opening. I was a kid, residing in Brookline Massachusetts and had no Armenian friends, the nearest were my relatives in HAVERHILL AND Lawrence Mass. However moving to Los Angeles allowed me the opportunity to join the AYF. I have visited the Camp on business trips and commend the AYF and ARF volunteers who have improved the experience for youth.
Martin Luther King wanted everyone to assimilate.