Youth Corps

Background

The Armenian Youth Federation’s Youth Corps program began in 1994 following the signing of the cease-fire between Armenia and Azerbaijan, ending the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

In its first 13 years, Youth Corps sent AYF members to the Nagorno-Karabakh republic in the summers to help rebuild many of the newly independent republic’s war-torn villages. Throughout the years, the Youth Corps program has grown and developed into the most memorable, productive and exciting means for Armenian youth to establish and strengthen their ties with the homeland.

In 2008, Youth Corps switched gears to focus on building connections between Armenian youth in the diaspora with their counterparts in the homeland. Since then, Youth Corps has been operating a summer day camp for underprivileged children in Gyumri, Armenia.

Camp Gyumri, as it has come to be known, gives young Armenians from the United States a chance to make a direct impact on the lives of some of Gyumri’s most impoverished children and families. This 5 week long program accepts hundreds of children every summer and provides them with a fun and safe environment to make new friends, and learn new skills. Through this summer camp experience, the children in Gyumri learn about respect, trust, tolerance, diversity and responsibility—all of which are critical in helping them grow to become members of a healthy civil society. The camp is just as special for its counselors, who spend six months ahead of their trip doing grassroots fundraising in their local communities to raise the money needed to run the day camp and live in Armenia.

Eligibility & Participation

If you have the will to help, you must apply.

The AYF Youth Corps is open to all youth over the age of 18 who are motivated and enthusiastic about helping Armenia. This is a unique opportunity for dedicated individuals to make a tangible contribution to their homeland. Participants can expect memories that they will cherish forever and experiences that will increase their understanding of themselves.

The deadline to apply for the summer AYF Youth Corps program is April 12th.

At this time, all applications have been submitted and the process has been completed. No applications are being accepted for the 2010 summer program, anything submitted will be considered for the 2011 program.

For questions or more information, contact the AYF Office at (818) 507-1933 or AYF@AYFwest.org.