BY MATTHEW KARANIAN Kharpert is the Voski Dasht, the Golden Plain, of the Armenian Plateau. This area, which is the site of historic Armenian settlement of Tsopk, and which is known in today’s Turkey as Harpoot, is also one of the oldest areas of Armenian habitation. Some scholars believe that Kharpert may even be the…
The Hidden Armenians of Western Armenia
BY MATTHEW KARANIAN The village of Chunkush was home to about 10,000 Armenians, and hardly anyone else, until 1915. That’s when the Armenians were driven out, and were marched for two hours to a ravine known as the Dudan Gorge. Once they arrived at the ravine, they were herded by the force of batons and…
In Memoriam: Dr. Hrair Atikian (1940-2014)
Dr. Hrair Atikian, beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, and uncle, passed away on Tuesday, August 19, 2014 in Burbank, California, due to complications caused by cancer. He was 74.
Why Renovate the Proshyan Youth Center?
From the different regions we volunteered in this summer, Proshyan stood out to me. Proshyan is a small village on the outskirts of Yerevan where the AYF has held summer camps for several years now.
The Boy in the Pilibos Polo
I attended Rose and Alex Pilibos my entire life, so you can only imagine my excitement on our first day of jampar in Askeran, Artsakh, when a young boy came to camp in a Pilibos polo shirt, the same one I had worn for 15 years.
How Youth Corps Changed My Life
If you were to tell me at the beginning of this year that I would have to spend almost all of my summer in a developing country, traveling on rocky dirt roads to remote villages where there was a lack of plumbing and running water, with a group of 13 strangers all under the same roof, I would say you’re crazy and “no, thank you.”
Home
Six weeks passed and here I am sitting in my living room in Los Angeles. Previously I would have called this place “home,” but this summer with AYF Youth Corps has changed a lot of my opinions.
The Ball and the Field
A ball and a field. Not anything written or spoken. A ball is all you need to unite people from completely different parts of the world. I have been to many different parts of Armenia with Youth Corps by now.
Survival Guide
Dear Future Youth Corps Participant: You are about to embark on a journey that will change you forever and I’ll start by telling you that it’s okay to go into this with high expectations – I say this with no hesitation because however high they may be, I give you my word they will be exceeded.
Why?
Nearly six weeks ago one of my closest friends asked me, “Gareen, why are you wasting your summer in Armenia working on a day camp,” and I didn’t have an answer.