Sireli ungerner, hamagirner,
With 2017 nearing its end, the Armenian Youth Federation—Youth Organization of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (AYF-YOARF) Eastern United States has had yet another successful year of re-energizing our members and strengthening our efforts to further our Cause.
Our three major focal points for the year were the longevity of our junior organization, the importance of our international presence, and the consistency of our senior membership. Realizing the importance of those three issues for our organization, the Central Executive addressed them throughout the year and worked toward achieving our goals.
Our junior organization held many successful events throughout the year, including two winter Olympic games, a capacity-filled Junior Seminar in May, and three Armenian Cultural and Educational (ACE) weekends, with the participation of over 150 juniors. AYF Camp Haiastan saw a record number of campers attend this year. Two new chapters have brought in over 40 juniors to the organization, in addition to the influx from established chapters. With junior conferences approaching next month, we hope to add a few more before the year-end!
We continue to emphasize the importance of bringing juniors together, as often as possible, for both social and educational events, locally and regionally.
Our international programs and overall international image were strengthened throughout the year. Our region came together to support the Armenian Relief Society’s Camp Javakhk (Javakhk Jampar) program and to organize the AYF-YOARF’s Internship program in Armenia. This year, the AYF sent 26 counselors to Javakhk, signifying how much the ARS Javakhk Jampar program has grown in five years. We sent 11 interns to Armenia, extending the longevity of our internship program, which completed its 26th summer. The AYF-YOARF Eastern U.S. also held a tri-regional seminar earlier this year to increase camaraderie among the ungers of the North American regions (Canada, Western Region, and Eastern Region) as well as Australia. We hope to build on this camaraderie in the future to strengthen our organization.
Finally, re-energizing our senior membership has remained an important priority. The Central Executive agreed that all members in our organization play a vital role, no matter which pillar of the AYF-YOARF they feel most comfortable supporting. This approach is proven to be successful when we consider how diverse and present our members were at the events organized by this region. Senior attendance and participation were consistent in 2017, whether as counselors at junior events, as athletes or supporters at the Olympic Games in Milwaukee, or as participants at various educational events.
The Senior membership of the organization continues to show leadership by assuming responsibilities within the AYF and local communities. Our core membership is strong, holding great promise for the future of the AYF-YOARF. Our members have an understanding of the ideals and goals of the AYF and our parent organization, the ARF. We hope to continue encouraging our members to be at the forefront in activism within the Armenian community and society at-large.
As the 100th anniversary of the first Republic of Armenia and the 85th anniversary of the Armenian Youth Federation approach, we call on all of our hamagirs (supporters) to continue our struggle, hand in hand with our ungers (comrades), toward a better future for our youth and the realization of our national goals.
Ungeragan Cherm Parevnerov,
Central Executive
AYF-YOARF Eastern Region United States
The post AYF-YOARF Eastern U.S. 2017 Year-End Update appeared first on The Armenian Weekly.
Source: Armenian Weekly
Link: AYF-YOARF Eastern U.S. 2017 Year-End Update