Writer reflects on AYF's formative role in Armenian identity
A thank-you is in order to the AYF
An opinion piece in The Armenian Weekly chronicles one writer's multi-generational connection to the Armenian Youth Federation, particularly through Camp Haiastan in Massachusetts and AYF Camp in California. The author, whose grandparents helped establish early AYF chapters in the West, describes how the organization instilled Armenian national pride and community belonging throughout her youth. She recounts her experience as a staff-in-training counselor at Camp Haiastan during college, where she discovered an Armenian world beyond her native California. The piece emphasizes how AYF camps and regional events like Senior Olympics and NATs facilitated lasting friendships across diaspora communities. The author credits the AYF's influence, alongside family and Armenian school education, as instrumental in shaping her identity and life decisions, including her choice to attend university on the East Coast.
