Worcester AYF Hosts 80th Annual Convention

The 80^th Annual AYF-YOARF Eastern Region Convention was held from Dec. 26-30, 2013, in Westborough, Mass. About 40 Senior AYF members from the Eastern Region attended to evaluate the current state of the organization, reflect on the past year, and plan for the future. The members’ thoughtfulness and knowledge was both inspiring and motivating as we worked numerous hours to improve the organization.

The Convention was hosted by the Worcester “Aram” AYF Chapter. The chapter’s hospitality helped to create a productive environment. On Saturday night, the members of the AYF Worcester chapter and their parents hosted a delicious dinner. The community also graciously allowed us to use their church for the Saturday night portion of our meeting. We are grateful for the work that the Worcester community put into welcoming us and helping to make our Convention excellent.

The Convention also included guests from other organizations who were invited to speak and report on their activities. Baron David Hamparian, Camp Haiastan’s executive director, discussed how to increase communication and involvement with the AYF at Camp, specifically in developing a curriculum for the Armenian school sessions. Heather Krafian of the Cambridge ARS spoke about how the youth may become involved in ARS programs and cited the many educational opportunities available. Tamar Kanarian represented the ANCA Eastern Region and called on the youth to help with their political initiatives. Ken Topalian reported for the Olympic Governing Body, seeking AYF input on many issues, and Aram Kayserian spoke on behalf of Homenetmen for increased communication between the two organizations.

Former AYF Central Executive member Stepanos Keshishian reported for the AYF Western Region as its executive director. Levon Attarian represented the ARF Eastern Region Central Committee and discussed plans as we approach the 100^th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

One of the greatest differences from past Conventions was the delegates’ discussion of international issues and the Eastern Region’s position within them. Previously, the Eastern Region had focused much of its efforts locally. With many AYF members traveling to Yerevan, Javakhk, Artsakh, and Western Armenia over the past year, we were equipped to discuss the state of the AYF and other efforts internationally. Many members learned from each other and want to deepen their knowledge of these issues.

With the 100^th anniversary of the genocide approaching, the main topic of discussion was how the AYF can be involved in these plans. We decided the “Call to Action” for 2014 would be Western Armenia and “The Centennial” in 2015. We will spend the year planning for the local, regional, national, and international events to take place next year in 2015, with the intention of uniting all Armenians and our supporters across the world for this monumental event.

The final task of the Convention was to elect a new Central Executive. The newly elected CE is comprised of Michelle Hagopian and Stephen Hagopian from the Granite City “Antranig” Chapter; Raffi Varjabedian and Raffi Yaboujian from the Boston “Nejdeh” Chapter; and U. Dalita Getzoyan, Garo Tashian, and Andrew Bagdasarian from the Providence “Varantian” Chapter.

As we begin 2014, the Central Executive of the Eastern Region is confident that our members will be more active and conscientious of the world around them in the coming year. We look forward to what our members will accomplish as we prepare for the future.