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.

This past week we have been walking around the parts of Gyumri that we have not had the chance to explore yet. Although Gyumri is a relatively small city, there is a lot to see. Furthermore, if you do not have a Gyumri native to point out interesting sights, a lot of the city will pass by without you noticing. Luckily, we have had some great tour guides to show us around and make sure we don’t miss anything important.

On Friday the 7th, the group went to the home of the Shirak Gen.Gen. chair, Unger Artak. As we sat down to the smorgasbord of delicacies placed before us, Unger Artak’s mother told us her experience from the day of the earthquake in ‘88. The vividness of her story turned the events that happened more than 20 years ago into a reality and reinforced the fact that this region still needs our assistance in whatever way we can. The next day, we took a two-hour ride to a camp site called Lastdeever; a truly enchanting place that met us with many surprises. As if it was pre-planned, the second we got out of the van, it started raining. So, in the rain, we all began what would become an hour and a half hike down the mountain. The hike consisted of extremely muddy terrain, slippery rocks and a constant supply of rain to keep us company. We were also limited in our mobility because we each had our hands full with either sleeping bags or other camping materials. Also, our tour guide was a lumberjack-esque man dressed head-to-toe in camouflage, carrying a multitude of seemingly unnecessary weaponry, including a very loud, sawed-off shotgun he enjoyed shooting at inopportune moments.

Monday marked the beginning of the second session of Youth Corps in Gyumri. We had about 80 kids; many of the campers who were extremely satisfied with the first two weeks of camp came again hoping to register for this session as well. The campers were very enthusiastic, ready to begin a fun-filled week of activities and games.

This weekend was a well needed one. Kevork and I arrived in Yerevan on Friday while the rest arrived Saturday; we got an extra night of fun. The Pan-Armenia games’ opening was the main reason for us taking this road trip and it was well worth it.

After a long night of fun in Yerevan, we returned to Gyumri to get back to work. It was the second to last day of camp and all the color groups were practicing for the song competition to take place on Friday. We then had our English lessons, which went as smoothly as it could with 20 energetic kids. Our group activity for the day was a quizbowl on general Armenian knowledge. It was really interesting to see what the campers knew and didn’t considering they live in Armenia.

It all started with an intense game of UNO with some of the kids before the day started. After lining up and singing Mer Hayrenik, a small white and black puppy was found outside, shaking from the cold. The puppy looked so helpless and we immediately gave her some food and water. After taking care of the puppy for a little bit, the kids did some exercises followed by English class.