We arrived at the quiet streets of Vanadzor late at night, anxious to start the camp. One of our group leaders, Unger Raffi, woke us up with the smell of his delicious pancakes. After our delicious breakfast, topped with the Canadian maple syrup from the Duty Free we had picked up at the Toronto Pearson Airport, we wore our “Varitch” uniforms and made our way to the campsite, knowing very little about the hectic day ahead of us.
We set up the registration desks and Ungerouhi Talia opened the gates of the campsite where we were surprised by the large number of parents and children who approached us to sign up for the camp. The amount of registered campers was just over 300!
The opening ceremony was about to begin. We gathered the impatient campers together as quickly as possible. As cliche as it sounds, we knew our journey was about to begin after we finished singing “Mshag Panvor”. The day started off with ice-breakers to get to know the campers better. After playing a couple games of “Choor-Tsamak”, lunch was ready to be served. The campers quickly gathered in the cafeteria and finished their meals (bologna sandwiches and apple juice). We briefly lectured about the A.R.F. and tested their knowledge about what they had learned. Afterwards, we headed towards the park to play some soccer and hang upside down the monkey-bars.
Even though today was just the first day of camp, we bonded with the campers (they all wanted to take selfies with us…)
I can’t wait to see what else is in store over the next two weeks.
Aren Papissian
AYF Canada – Toronto Simon Zavarian Chapter
Day 2
As an Angeleno participating in the AYF Canada Youth Corps program, I have gotten a lot of “why Vanadzor?” questions. The truth is, I really couldn’t resist two weeks in this beautiful, green, mountainous city populated by some of the friendliest people in all of Armenia. After just two days of camp, this program has already exceeded all of my expectations.
I, along with Unger Shaunt and Ungerouhi Lucy, have been supervising the 13-14 age group. We have some Camp Vanadzor veterans and a few newbies, all of whom greeted us with smiling faces at 10 AM this morning. Our first order of business was coming up with a nickname for our group. Campers suggested names, which one of the ungerouhis wrote down on the blackboard, and we voted on the best option. Collectively, we chose the name “Kaitzak.” However, not every camper was happy with this decision, preferring their own suggestions. We had to explain the importance of respecting the result of an election, even if the outcome is not necessarily what we wanted. We further explained that voting is one of the building blocks of a democratic society, which is one of the fundamental tenets of ARF ideology.
The campers quickly forgot their grievances after we split them into small groups and gave them the task of coming up with a chant for our group. Shaunt, Lucy and I witnessed the boundless creativity of these children, who came up with 2-3 suggestions each with ease. After another round of elections our group settled on a final chant, which they now scream out at lunch breaks and flag ceremonies with complete pride.
Even the simplest activity at camp can turn into a teaching moment. Within the span of an hour or so, our campers worked together, presented their ideas and participated in two elections. My fellow counselors and I understand the responsibility we bear by working with such impressionable young minds, and I can only hope their experience at camp over the next two weeks will be as fulfilling as mine already promises to be.
Anoush Djrbashian
AYF Western USA – Burbank Varak Chapter
