Photos by Raffi Sarrafian and Vartkaes Pamboukian
MONTREAL—From November 1-3, over 50 AYF members from the U.S., Canada and Australia gathered in Montreal for a Juniors conference run by the ARF Bureau of Youth Affairs (BOYA). Regions present were the AYF-YOARF Eastern USA, AYF Western United States, AYF Canada and AYF Australia. Along with the Junior delegates, members of each respective region’s Junior Council were present to assist their region’s Juniors throughout the conference.
The AYF-YOARF Eastern Region was represented by:
Juniors
- Haig Adishian, New Jersey
- Kohar Baronian, Philadelphia
- Anna Donabedian, New Jersey
- Carine Markarian, Washington D.C.
- Sarhad Melkonian, New Jersey
- Karine Najarian, Washington D.C.
- Garo Tarbinian, Providence
Seniors
- Vartkaes Pamboukian, Washington, D.C.
- Raffi Sarrafian, Chicago
The conference began the evening of November 1 at Sourp Hagop Armenian School with opening remarks and introductions. Then, each region presented a brief summary of their region, how meetings operate and strengths and weaknesses of the delegates’ respective regions. Presentations were given primarily in Armenian and were prepared by the delegates themselves.
Saturday morning kicked off with breakfast, as delegates interacted with one another and engaged in fraternal conversations. After breakfast, several lecturers spoke to the delegates about a variety of topics that could help the Juniors strive in their respective regions. Lectures ranged from the history of the AYF to project management. The delegates from the Eastern Region greatly enjoyed all of the lectures and actively participated by answering questions and sharing their perspectives.
After the lectures concluded, the delegates were treated to a Canadian delicacy, poutine, for lunch and then went sightseeing in downtown Montreal. During the tour, the delegates got to see many attractions such as a stunning view of the entire city, the Museum of Illusions, the Quebec Parliament Building and La Grande Roue de Montréal. At the end of the tour, delegates were treated to another Canadian classic: beaver tails.
The attendees then went back to Sourp Hagop for a fun surprise. To end the day, a DJ played a variety of music, from Armenian classics to modern music, for the delegates to enjoy. Everyone had a great time and had the opportunity to socialize and connect with their fellow delegates. The night concluded with the singing of numerous patriotic and heghapokhagan songs.
After a long but enjoyable Saturday, the Juniors reconvened at the conference on Sunday morning. Many of the delegates interacted with each other, conducting interviews and exchanging social media accounts to stay in touch.
Sunday’s schedule consisted of two more lectures about Artsakh and the importance of Hai Tahd, which the delegates from the Eastern Region once again actively participated in. Upon the conclusion of the final lecture, the delegates took a group picture and said their goodbyes to one another before traveling back to their respective regions.
The Eastern Region delegates would like to thank the Bureau of Youth Affairs for organizing this conference and the Montreal “Tro” and Laval “Kedashen” chapters for hosting them. Additionally, they would like to thank the AYF-YOARF Eastern Region Central Executive and Central Junior Council for selecting them to represent their region. The delegates look forward to taking what they have learned to continue improving the region while staying in touch with their new ungers from across the world.
The Juniors’ feedback and what they learned at the conference follows.
“Last weekend, I had the opportunity to travel to Montreal for the ARF BOYA Junior Conference. I had a good time with all the other Juniors, and made new friends from different regions and learned about many interesting topics.”
Haig Adishian, New Jersey “Arsen” Chapter
“This past weekend I was able to learn new things and meet new friends. I was able to make lifelong connections and strengthen my Armenian identity. Furthermore, I was able to establish better friendships with my ungers and ungerouhis from all across the globe. I can now take what I have learned back to my region to help benefit our chapters and organization as a whole.”
Kohar Baronian, Philadelphia “Papken Suni” Chapter
“This past weekend, I met so many new people from different regions and chapters who share the same Armenian values as I do and advocate for it. I am forever grateful for these relationships with other Armenian youth. I will share the topics that were learned with my chapter to help them build new connections with other Armenian ungers and to the Armenian cause.”
Anna Donabedian, New Jersey “Arsen” Chapter
“I’m very happy that I had the opportunity to take part in this year’s regional conference in Canada. I had a great time with my fellow ungers and ungerouhis from different regions, and I really enjoyed the lectures, which taught us many new things. It was inspiring to see so many dedicated Juniors come together to learn, share and grow in our shared commitment to the Armenian community.”
Carine Markarian, Washington, D.C. “Sevan” Chapter
“I gained new insights into community life, youth issues and Armenian identity. Now, I can share what I have learned with my own community to strengthen and improve it. I also had the chance to connect with young people from different regions, and we quickly grew close becoming lifelong friends. I am incredibly grateful to all the organizers, facilitators and the Montreal community for helping make this wonderful event possible.”
Sarhad Melkonian, New Jersey “Arsen” Chapter
“Traveling to Montreal to partake in the Junior conference held by the Bureau of Youth Affairs was such an amazing experience and a weekend that I will never forget. Partaking in lectures and activities with delegates from west coast, Canada and Australia was a once-in-a-lifetime learning opportunity to connect with other ungers and ungerouhis. Now that I have learned so much from the other attendees and lecturers, I am able to strengthen my region and chapter to allow them to grow stronger as we work towards our goal of a free, independent and united Armenia.”
Karine Najarian, Washington, D.C. “Sevan” Chapter
“This conference gave me the opportunity to meet new people from other regions that I wouldn’t have gotten the chance to meet. I also got to learn from other regions how to improve myself as a Junior for my chapter and the region. One thing I found interesting was the knowledge that these Juniors had. When it comes to any topic or question, they had an answer. It all being in Armenian was also a very cool and big thing that I found interesting. Even though it was a short weekend I made friendships with fellow Juniors, and it feels like I’ve been friends with them for years. I really enjoyed this opportunity, and I highly recommend it to other Juniors to go.”
Garo Tarbinian, Providence “Varantian” Chapter
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