Working as a counselor at this camp is perhaps the most exhausting thing I have done in my life. These kids are extremely energetic. Sitting still is not something they do often, and it really takes a lot to keep up with them. However, quieting them down has become the least of worries.

One week down, three more to go! Where has the time gone? I have to say I have never been so exhausted in my life! These kids are definitely a handful—but are the funniest bunch I have ever met. Each of them is more vibrant than the other.

After a near two hour ride from Yerevan, we finally arrived to our destination; Gyumri. This would be our home away from home for the next four weeks. As the van neared the house, we saw Digin Lilig, our host mother, waiting impatiently for us. She was standing by the door with arms wide open, ready to give each one of us a big hug and kiss. Her warm and welcoming nature, along with her excitement put us at ease right away.

After months of fundraising back home and another week of touring throughout the homeland, we finally began our work at Camp Gyumri on Tuesday, July 20. Located at the center of the city in Gyumri’s 6th school, Camp Gyumri is a four week long summer day camp that’s free and open to the public.

Paralleling the zestful feasts that they present on twenty-foot tables and the flamboyant wardrobes that they fashion on the streets of Artsakh, the hearts and personalities of Karabakhtzees are immense. They are not putting on a façade when they greet guests with open arms and huge hearts; that is simply their true nature; their Armenian-ness as I would call it. Our visit to Karabakh was simply proof of the bits and pieces of the colossal nature of the Armenian Culture that we see in America.

I’ve heard that many people who visit Armenia don’t usually get the chance to visit Artsakh. Thankfully, the Youth Corps program was able to secure this opportunity for us. What more logical way to introduce our journey than to address the road we took? In addition to being a physical link between two sections of Miatsyal Hayastan, the drive along the Goris-Stepanagerd Highway has an important ideological significance.Funding for this $10 million roadway – along with the $28.5 million North-South Highway which forms NKR’s backbone – was secured by the All-Armenia Fund; both are unbelievably strong testaments to the Diaspora’s commitment to the homeland and to safeguarding the return of its territories.

In the midst of all the Navasartian Games’ excitement, while nearly the entire Armenian community of Southern California and beyond was cheering for their athletes and enjoying the Diaspora’s largest Armenian Festival, my fellow Youth Corps members and I were on a mission to raise as much money as we could to make our camp for the kids in Gyumri possible. I was expecting this task to be the furthest thing from pleasant. I myself have been a Homenetmen athlete for a decade and have spent the past years at the Games doing nothing but watching basketball, eating soujoukh sandwiches, and having fun with my friends. To think that this year, I had to work instead of play, was daunting to say the least.

In the last few months, the Armenian Youth Federation has been working tirelessly to prepare its summer Youth Corps mission to Gyumri, where AYF volunteers from the Diaspora will operate a free day camp for children in Gyumri.

Saturday June 26, 7:30am. Most people are asleep. Where am I? Loading a 30 pound table, a pile of old Asbarez newspapers, and a neatly folded Armenian flag into my Kia. By 8:30 I arrive at the Albertsons parking lot between Central and Chevy Chase, ready to spend the day washing people’s cars for ANY amount they are willing to donate.

My first week in Gyurmi has been eye opening to say the least and I have felt every emotion one can possibly feel. I decided to come to Gyumri a month before the Youth Corps group (which is set to arrive in Armenia on July 12) to volunteer with Birthright Armenia and I’m so glad I decided to do so. It has given me a chance to spend quality time with the locals, build relationships and integrate myself into the community.

The 15th annual AYF Youth Corps project in Armenia this year successfully managed, for a second time, to run a day camp for 150 underprivileged children in Gyumri. Our goal was to invest in the children of Armenia, because we believe children are our future.