Alycia McCarthy Shares Her Youth Corps Experience

It was this time last year, that I was contemplating what to do with my summer. I had the opportunity to go on a service trip with my college friends to few countries in Africa. But, I always wanted to participate in a service trip in Armenia. So I started looking at my options, and I came across AYF Youth corps. The opportunity I was able to have last summer became the best experience of my life.

With the deadline nearing Adrienne Avanesians encourages everyone to apply

Youth Corps for me was one of the most incredible experiences I have had in my life so far. It was about stepping out of my comfort zone and getting on a plane not knowing what to expect for the next 6 weeks. It was living in a house with 12 strangers and bonding with each one of them. It was an amazing opportunity to live in my country and not be a tourist. It was walking to camp each morning and having these amazing children run up to you and hug you with huge, beautiful smiles on their faces. It was about forming bonds with incredible children.

Meghry Achekian shares her experience with Youth Corps

Going to Armenia this summer was one of the best choices I’ve ever made. Growing up, over the summers I would always go to AYF camp. Being a camper for about seven years and a counselor for one, I had memorized the daily schedule, and every day the whole camp would be divided into garmeer gabooyd and narunchakooyn to compete. For some of the things at our jampars we did the same thing, so I was reminiscing about AYF camp while these new kids were just learning about the color competition.

Youth Corps Participant Nazeli Khodabakhsh Shares Her Story

Whether it was stepping (literally and figuratively) into things I had never stepped into before in Javakhk, attempting, as a self-proclaimed klutz, to walk on unpaved roads in Gyumri, sleeping on top of a box in a “Gazelle” on the way back from Shushi, jumping off a wall to take a cool picture in Noravank, living with and sharing everything with people I had never met before, visiting places I had never heard about before, or swimming in green water in two different places, Youth Corps 2011 for me was all about new experiences, which could not have happened without the friends I made.

Tamar Najarian Shares Her Youth Corps Memory

I chose to share this picture, because it shows the unity between all of us, on the banks of Javakhk’s lakes, looking towards to horizon and making a pledge to never forget any one of our people and to always fight for what is good and right. We are our country’s future and standing there, linked together, we look to be the unbreakable chains that bind our people together. Im anoune Hayasdan e, yeghpors anoune Artsakh, ou krochs anoune Javakhk!

Arpa Hatzbanian Explains Youth Corps

When people ask me about my experience with AYF Youth Corps I’m usually at a loss for words! Not because I don’t know what to say, but because their are too many things. Instead of explaining how great my summer went, I would encourage everyone to go themselves and experience the best summer of their life like I did.” So if you want to find out for yourself, head on over to www.ayfyouthcorps.org/apply and fill out your application now, March 31st is the deadline!

Making All The Difference

After the camps wrapped up and after the long, sad flight back home from Armenia, the most common theme among the 2011 AYF Youth Corps participants was having the ability and confidence to say, “I made a difference.” Whether it be one child or twenty, I know I had some type of influence on them and felt I made an impact. This is what the AYF Youth Corps program is all about: making a difference. Not only on the campers but also, unknowingly, on yourself.

Khachig Joukhajian Reflects On His Youth Corps Experience

We had a rare opportunity, to go from Yerevan to Artsakh, to Gyumri, to Javakhk, to Broshian and now back to Yerevan again, meet comrades from all over this country and from all over the world, develop friendships with all of them, have deep meaningful conversations, drink to heartfelt toasts, and sing songs of our ancestors together.

What lies over the horizon…

Three months ago, sitting in the terminal at LAX, I wrote a blog entitled “Janabar” marking the beginning of the 2011 AYF Youth Corps program. Now, looking back on our group, the 25 different individuals, the 25 different backgrounds and personalities, the 4 different camp sessions, the 6 weeks of volunteer work, the over 600 kids whose lives were touched, I can only think about what’s next.

And the Homesickness Kicks in!

My last blogs were all written in different cities of Armenia with a nameless street. This one in particular has a street, it’s Glenoaks Blvd. At the end of the street you will find a small campus by the name of Woodbury University in the heart of California. As I wait for my turn to introduce myself and tell the class about my summer plans, I wonder where I should begin, which story I should tell my classmates and professor, which memorable kid I should talk about, which city should I describe, which funny story I should narrate, which participant should I talk about..

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