AYF Parties for a Cause Continues to Grow

Niyiri Manougian
niyirianaghchig@netscape.net

The Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) founded its Burbank "Varak" chapter in the 2002-2003 fiscal year. With 20 members last year and 10 new transfers, the "Varak" chapter is looking to take a leadership role within the ranks of AYF this upcoming year.

Vahe Lepedjian, who is a member of AYF’s Social Committee, stated, "The AYF is very interesting in that it kind of changes with the times based on the demand of the Armenian people and the needs of the Armenian people. AYF kind of evolves with that. AYF has been many different things throughout the years and right now in this day and age, you know, when there is such an emphasis on political activism and getting your voice heard, AYF also gives young Armenians the means to play a politically active role in their community."

The Armenian Youth Federation was founded in 1933 in Boston. Today, AYF’s Western Region boasts of 500 members and 14 chapters. Las Vegas was added as the newest chapter in the Western Region in the summer of 2008. AYF is founded on five pillars: education, social, political, cultural, and athletic. Anyone wishing to obtain more information about AYF can log onto their website at http://www.ayfwest.org/.

The Burbank AYF has biweekly general meetings to discuss current issues in the Armenian community. They discuss how as youth they can improve the Armenian community that they inhabit. "Varak" is the name of an old vank or monastery in historic Western Armenia or what is Eastern Turkey today.

As part of their involvement in the community, AYF’s Burbank chapter opened its fiscal year with a charity event to help Armenian orphans in Armenia. On October 30, 2008, AYF’s Burbank "Varak" chapter held its fourth annual Halloween party at Café Rouge in Studio City. All of the proceeds from the event went to the Armenian Relief Society (ARS) Sponsor-A-Child program.

The night started at 9 pm when organizers and members of the Armenian Youth Federa
tion’s Burbank chapter were joined with members of other AYF chapters, various college ASA members, local high school seniors and friends. "The main part of it was just advertising, getting the word out to the youth groups," said Lepedjian, who was also one of the main organizers behind the scenes of the Halloween party. The targeted age group was the youth of the community. Most, appropriate to the event, were decked in costumes ranging from home-made cardboard boxes and simple wigs to elaborate rental costumes.

The members of AYF’s Social Committee, including Vahe Lepedjian, Shahan Boghigian, Lala Aghkhanian, and Nareh Aboolian, had worked on organizing the event for over a month and a half. "I was looking for places with a reasonable deal…aside from that, we needed a DJ. Our original DJ cancelled a week [before the event]. Um, the planning of it went pretty smoothly," said Lepedjian. And no worries about the DJ; Boghigian found a replacement, DJ Crush, pretty quickly. The event was a success, as about 150 to 200 people joined the revelries throughout the night, and helped support a good cause.

When the annual Halloween party started a few years ago, it was a joint event with the AYF’s La Crescenta chapter. When the idea was first proposed, it was to be nothing more than a social event where the Armenian youth of the community would get a chance to spend some time together. Members thought this was a good idea, but they wanted the event to be something more than just a party. As with most of the events that the AYF’s Burbank chapter participates in, the event would be more than just a social gathering; it wouldn’t be an AYF event if it didn’t serve the Armenian community in one form or another.

Lepedjian added, "I think AYF events are great, because in the Diaspora, its very difficult to keep and maintain your identity…AYF social events are great in that Armenians come together, spend time together...I think more than that, events need some type of substance and I think this event actually fulfilled that, because not only are Armenians gathering together but they’re also helping the homeland…its killing two birds with one stone."

The ARS Sponsor-A-Child project is a program that supports orphans in Armenia. It’s a sad situation when the orphanages are filled not only with orphans who have lost their parents, but also with children whose parents are alive but can no longer support them. In the past three years, the AYF has been able to support five to six children annually. "We’ve been sponsoring the same orphans from year to year," said Lepedjian. This year, the AYF’s Burbank chapter’s proceeds went to support six orphans, three of which are currently at a university.

As a result of the advertising of this event, Lepedjian said, "A lot of people have actually approached us since we organized this Halloween party. I believe six or seven people called our executives wanting to just sponsor a child." This was in addition to the children that would be supported by the profits that were made at the event.

The good thing about the Sponsor-A-Child program is that anyone can contribute. All one has to do is go online to the ARS website at www.ars1910.org, look up the contact information, and get in touch with the ARS office directly. The cost is $130 per child to sponsor him or her for an entire year, and sponsors get a picture of the child that they are sponsoring along with details as to how their donation money is being spent.

Other resolutions on the agenda for AYF’s Burbank chapter include holding fundraisers in the upcoming fiscal year to sponsor a child to attend the AYF Camp for one week, as well as to sponsor a youth to attend the Armenia Youth Corps program in the summer of 2009. The Youth Corps program in designed such that youth from around the world get the chance to go to Armenia and spend the summer there. In 2007, the Youth Corps program dedicated itself to renovating a youth center in Stepanagerd, Garapagh.

In 2008, the program opened a day camp for kids to teach them English and how to use the computer. Lepedjian says that it’s important for Armenian youth to participate in the Youth Corps program because "it gives Armenians a chance to go and spend their summer in Armenia not as tourists, but kind of get a taste of the lifestyle that our brothers and sisters in Armenia lead every day." To learn more about these programs, visit www.AYFwest.org/programs.
"I think we’re off to an amazing start…this year we’re taking a leadership role within the ranks of the AYF, and Burbank’s name is getting out there. We started off strong and hopefully we’ll continue strong and finish strong," said Lepedjian.