AYF New York “Hyortik” Chapter hosts 2022 ACE Weekend

DOUGLASTON, NY — Dozens of AYF Junior members of the Mid-Atlantic Chapters arrived at St. Sarkis Church on Saturday to kick off a successful Armenian Cultural Educational (ACE) Weekend hosted by the New York “Hyortik” Chapter. 

The event began with an interactive music lecture given by Hooshere Bezdikian. The AYF Juniors learned about the history of Armenian music and the lyrics of “Soseyin Yerke.” Then, the Juniors competed in three teams of red, blue and orange in a game of “Name That Tune.”

Following the music lecture, the Juniors had fun playing ice breaker games to get to know fellow AYF members from other chapters. “It was a great way to wrap up the year with an AYF event,” said AYF New York “Hyortik” Chapter member Aris Givelekian. “Fellow ungers and ungerouhis made new friends and were able to bond with each other.”

Then, the Juniors spent time in three different interactive stations: a boureg cooking class taught by the NY Armenian Relief Society (ARS) “Erebouni” Chapter, a dance class taught by AYF Seniors Kristine Antanesian and Nairi Diratsouian, and a Christmas ornament painting class. The group enjoyed dinner and dessert together and then played some more games before they began their Junior Conference meeting. “What ACE Weekend does best is bring people together by dancing, singing and hanging out,” said AYF DC “Sevan” Chapter member Sebouh Kassardjian. “That is why it is so important to go to these events to bring our Armenian community together.” 

After the meeting, the AYF Juniors used up all their energy before bedtime in a nighttime dance activity. “I thought ACE weekend was a lot of fun. I got to see a lot of my friends who live outside of New Jersey and got to meet a bunch of new ones as well,” said AYF New Jersey “Arsen” Chapter member Isabel Vartanian. “I felt that the educational was very interesting and informative. The activities were very engaging, and although the night activity didn’t go according to schedule, it turned out for the better, and we had a mini dance,” she continued. 

In the morning, everyone woke up to an amazing breakfast sponsored by the NY ARS “Erebouni” Chapter. “I enjoyed my time at ACE weekend,” said Nishan Boloutian from the Philadelphia “Papken Suni” Chapter. “I thought it was a good break from school for the weekend because I got to see some of my friends, and I also made some new friends. I really liked how everything was set up and everyone was really welcoming, so it felt like a good environment to be in even if you were new to the AYF.”

The AYF New York “Hyortik” Chapter extends its gratitude to St. Sarkis Armenian Church, the St. Sarkis Board of Trustees, the NY ARS “Erebouni” Chapter and guest lecturers for a successful ACE Weekend.

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AYF New York "Hyortik" Chapter

The AYF-YOARF New York “Hyortik” Chapter existed even before the AYF was founded in 1933 and works to unite Armenian youth and organize activities in Queens and Long Island. The chapter has a Senior and Junior chapter. The New York “Hyortik” Chapter sets out to achieve its goals and objectives throughout the year with events such as commemorating the Armenian Genocide every April 24th in NYC; fundraising for our homeland; hosting a fall festival and Christmas dinner with juniors; annual Super Bowl parties; and ski trips. The AYF-YOARF’s five pillars (athletic, cultural, educational, political, social) guide this chapter and help to keep its membership active and at the forefront of the Armenian cause at all times.

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