STEPANAKERT-Sixteen members of the Armenian Youth Federation arrived in Artsakh on July 19 to participate in the 2003 AYF Youth Corps program. They will spend the summer in Stepanakert–the capital of Artsakh–helping to rebuild the "Soseh" kindergarten and the Paraplegic Rehabilitation Center in Stepanakert. The participants have also begun teaching English to AYF members in Stepanakert.
The group will have the opportunity to meet with government officials–local ARF representatives–and AYF members. They will spend their weekends sightseeing in Artsakh.
Five participants of the group are currently participating in the "Baze" Youth Camp in Dilijan–where Armenian youth from all over the world will gather to partake in competitive games–educational lectures–and meet other Armenian youth from around the world.
The rest of the 2003 Youth Corps group will leave Stepankert for Ghapan–on August 4 to participate in the 8th ARF Youth and Educational Jamboree. After the Jamboree–the group will spend three days sightseeing in Armenia after which they will return to Los Angeles on August 18th.
The AYF Youth Corps program–founded after the cease-fire in 1994–has sent over 100 Armenian youth to Artsakh and Armenia to assist in the rebuilding efforts of various Armenian structures such as schools–centers–churches–and youth camps damaged during the war.
