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PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Karine Abalyan
Tel: (212) 686-0710; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.armenianchurch.net
August 14, 2009
___________________
15 ACYOA YOUTH ON ASP TRIP TEACH - AND LEARN - FROM YOUNG CAMPERS
Nestled in the scenic mountains of Vanadzor in Armenia's northern region of
Lori is a modest center offering spiritual and recreational activities to
local children who wouldn't otherwise be able to afford summer camp.
It was here - in the simple but stirring setting of Camp Tzitzernak - that
15 young people from the Eastern Diocese spent a week teaching English and
assisting camp staff as part of the Armenia Service Program (ASP), organized
annually by the Armenian Church Youth Organization of America.
"Camp is always my favorite part of the trip," said Syona Marout, a past ASP
participant who co-led this summer's program with the Rev. Fr. Mesrob
Hovsepyan. "The campers and staff were wonderful, and as always, made us
feel extremely welcome."
Armed with lanyards, crayons, markers, and other materials, the ASP
volunteers designed and introduced an Arts & Crafts class this year. One
morning toward the end of their visit, they also surprised the campers by
dressing up in character costumes for breakfast.
"When we made our entrance, all of the kids and staff started to smile and
laugh, and it absolutely made their morning," Marout recalled.
Run by the Gougark Diocese, Camp Tzitzernak shares a warm relationship with
the Eastern Diocese. Last year, the Eastern Diocese's Sunday School Lenten
Drive collected $16,800 to help underwrite renovation projects at the camp.
Contributions like these, along with the assistance of volunteers, make it
possible for the camp to enroll children at no cost to their families. ASP
group members in turn experience life in Armenia's third largest city, which
is still recovering from the 1988 earthquake and adopting post-independence
changes.
"The interaction between the campers and the ASP participants was the most
important part of the trip," said Fr. Hovsepyan, pastor of the St. James
Armenian Church of Richmond, Va.
"It was not only the campers who learned a few English words and Arts &
Crafts skills from our youth," he added, "but it was our young participants
who also learned from the children about their lives, their schools, and
their interests. They had an opportunity to compare the lifestyle of the
campers with the lifestyle of the children here in the U.S."
The weeklong volunteering session at Camp Tzitzernak is the cornerstone of
the ASP trip, which took place this year between June 21 and July 12. The
program also featured two weeks of sightseeing, including visits to the
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, the Matenadaran manuscript archive, the
Armenian Genocide Museum, Lake Sevan, and a number of other churches,
museums, and monuments.
A highlight was the group's audience with His Holiness Karekin II, the
Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, at the Mother See of Holy
Etchmiadzin.
His Holiness spoke to ASP participants about "the richness of our religion,
history, and culture, and about their important role in the life of the
Armenian Church," Fr. Hovsepyan said.
At the invitation of the Catholicos, the young visitors attended a
children's performance at the Paronian Theater in Yerevan. The show was put
on by children taking courses at the Hayortats Tner or Armenian Church Youth
Centers, jointly sponsored by Holy Etchmiadzin and AGBU.
Armenia's Mysteries Linger
The travelers also had a chance to meet with young people at a church in
Yerevan's Jrvej district. They heard the choir perform sacred hymns and folk
songs, and spent time practicing English and getting to know each other.
"We sang and danced and played games in the church yard, with Mt. Ararat in
the background," said ASP participant Michelle Birky.
Traveling to Nagorno-Karabagh, ASP participants toured the monastery at
Gandzasar and the Soorp Amenaprgich Kazanchetsots Cathedral in Shushi, the
administrative center of the Artsakh Diocese.
Built in 1887, the cathedral was recently restored to remove the damage
caused during the Karabagh war and years of neglect during Soviet rule.
"Architecturally, it is absolutely beautiful," Marout said of the cathedral.
"As Karabagh continues on its road to recovering from the devastations of
the war, I feel that it serves as a beacon of hope and faith."
Group members said they shared a sense of togetherness fostered by their
common interest in exploring Armenia and learning more about their heritage.
They sang the Der Voghormya hymn at one of the chapels of the Geghard cave
monastery, released doves from the Khor Virab monastery overlooking
Armenia's border with Turkey, enjoyed fresh kebab in a private garden not
far from the Garni temple, posed for pictures at the Artashavan complex of
Armenian letters, met with youth service groups from the Western and
Canadian dioceses, and had many opportunities to discover local customs.
"It was a very different culture, but one I am proud to call my own," said
ASP participant Christine Quinn, adding that she was touched by the
resourcefulness and optimism of the local population in the face of
hardships.
"Seeing the churches and monasteries, with their thousand-year-old stones
still holding together strong, amazed me at how far we have come and how
strongly our traditions have stayed connected," Quinn said. "I was left with
a certain sense of mystery about the land, a mystery that made me feel like
I should come back."
Others, too, said they felt compelled to make another journey to Armenia in
the future. Marout herself has been on the ASP trip three times - once as a
participant, and twice as an assistant group leader.
"Visiting and serving in Armenia was an amazing and inspiring experience,"
Birky said. "I definitely plan to return some day."
ASP, formerly called the Armenia Studies Program, dates to the late 1960s.
The program was suspended for several years following the 1988 earthquake
but resumed in 1992, with a group visiting Armenia every summer since.
The ACYOA Central Council has already begun preparations for the 2010 ASP,
with plans to announce dates in December. The program is open to college
students and young professionals, ages 19 to 28.
The ASP participants "left Armenia with unforgettable memories," Fr.
Hovsepyan said. "It is one thing to read about Armenia's history in books or
to see pictures of the country's historic sites, and another thing to visit
and experience all those places first hand."
###
Photos attached.
Photo 1: ASP participants pose for a group photo by the "We are Our
Mountains" monument in Karabagh.
Photo 2: ASP participants dance with campers at Camp Tzitzernak in Vanadzor,
Armenia.
Photo 3: An Arts & Crafts class at Camp Tzitzernak in Vanadzor, Armenia.
Photo 4: ASP participants by the St. Arakelotz Church on Lake Sevan.
Photo 5: ASP trip co-leader Syona Marout assists campers with a lanyard
project at Camp Tzitzernak in Vanadzor, Armenia.
Photo 6: The ASP group at the Khor Virab monastery overlooking Armenia's
border with Turkey.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Karine Abalyan
Tel: (212) 686-0710; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.armenianchurch.net
August 14, 2009
___________________
15 ACYOA YOUTH ON ASP TRIP TEACH - AND LEARN - FROM YOUNG CAMPERS
Nestled in the scenic mountains of Vanadzor in Armenia's northern region of
Lori is a modest center offering spiritual and recreational activities to
local children who wouldn't otherwise be able to afford summer camp.
It was here - in the simple but stirring setting of Camp Tzitzernak - that
15 young people from the Eastern Diocese spent a week teaching English and
assisting camp staff as part of the Armenia Service Program (ASP), organized
annually by the Armenian Church Youth Organization of America.
"Camp is always my favorite part of the trip," said Syona Marout, a past ASP
participant who co-led this summer's program with the Rev. Fr. Mesrob
Hovsepyan. "The campers and staff were wonderful, and as always, made us
feel extremely welcome."
Armed with lanyards, crayons, markers, and other materials, the ASP
volunteers designed and introduced an Arts & Crafts class this year. One
morning toward the end of their visit, they also surprised the campers by
dressing up in character costumes for breakfast.
"When we made our entrance, all of the kids and staff started to smile and
laugh, and it absolutely made their morning," Marout recalled.
Run by the Gougark Diocese, Camp Tzitzernak shares a warm relationship with
the Eastern Diocese. Last year, the Eastern Diocese's Sunday School Lenten
Drive collected $16,800 to help underwrite renovation projects at the camp.
Contributions like these, along with the assistance of volunteers, make it
possible for the camp to enroll children at no cost to their families. ASP
group members in turn experience life in Armenia's third largest city, which
is still recovering from the 1988 earthquake and adopting post-independence
changes.
"The interaction between the campers and the ASP participants was the most
important part of the trip," said Fr. Hovsepyan, pastor of the St. James
Armenian Church of Richmond, Va.
"It was not only the campers who learned a few English words and Arts &
Crafts skills from our youth," he added, "but it was our young participants
who also learned from the children about their lives, their schools, and
their interests. They had an opportunity to compare the lifestyle of the
campers with the lifestyle of the children here in the U.S."
The weeklong volunteering session at Camp Tzitzernak is the cornerstone of
the ASP trip, which took place this year between June 21 and July 12. The
program also featured two weeks of sightseeing, including visits to the
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, the Matenadaran manuscript archive, the
Armenian Genocide Museum, Lake Sevan, and a number of other churches,
museums, and monuments.
A highlight was the group's audience with His Holiness Karekin II, the
Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, at the Mother See of Holy
Etchmiadzin.
His Holiness spoke to ASP participants about "the richness of our religion,
history, and culture, and about their important role in the life of the
Armenian Church," Fr. Hovsepyan said.
At the invitation of the Catholicos, the young visitors attended a
children's performance at the Paronian Theater in Yerevan. The show was put
on by children taking courses at the Hayortats Tner or Armenian Church Youth
Centers, jointly sponsored by Holy Etchmiadzin and AGBU.
Armenia's Mysteries Linger
The travelers also had a chance to meet with young people at a church in
Yerevan's Jrvej district. They heard the choir perform sacred hymns and folk
songs, and spent time practicing English and getting to know each other.
"We sang and danced and played games in the church yard, with Mt. Ararat in
the background," said ASP participant Michelle Birky.
Traveling to Nagorno-Karabagh, ASP participants toured the monastery at
Gandzasar and the Soorp Amenaprgich Kazanchetsots Cathedral in Shushi, the
administrative center of the Artsakh Diocese.
Built in 1887, the cathedral was recently restored to remove the damage
caused during the Karabagh war and years of neglect during Soviet rule.
"Architecturally, it is absolutely beautiful," Marout said of the cathedral.
"As Karabagh continues on its road to recovering from the devastations of
the war, I feel that it serves as a beacon of hope and faith."
Group members said they shared a sense of togetherness fostered by their
common interest in exploring Armenia and learning more about their heritage.
They sang the Der Voghormya hymn at one of the chapels of the Geghard cave
monastery, released doves from the Khor Virab monastery overlooking
Armenia's border with Turkey, enjoyed fresh kebab in a private garden not
far from the Garni temple, posed for pictures at the Artashavan complex of
Armenian letters, met with youth service groups from the Western and
Canadian dioceses, and had many opportunities to discover local customs.
"It was a very different culture, but one I am proud to call my own," said
ASP participant Christine Quinn, adding that she was touched by the
resourcefulness and optimism of the local population in the face of
hardships.
"Seeing the churches and monasteries, with their thousand-year-old stones
still holding together strong, amazed me at how far we have come and how
strongly our traditions have stayed connected," Quinn said. "I was left with
a certain sense of mystery about the land, a mystery that made me feel like
I should come back."
Others, too, said they felt compelled to make another journey to Armenia in
the future. Marout herself has been on the ASP trip three times - once as a
participant, and twice as an assistant group leader.
"Visiting and serving in Armenia was an amazing and inspiring experience,"
Birky said. "I definitely plan to return some day."
ASP, formerly called the Armenia Studies Program, dates to the late 1960s.
The program was suspended for several years following the 1988 earthquake
but resumed in 1992, with a group visiting Armenia every summer since.
The ACYOA Central Council has already begun preparations for the 2010 ASP,
with plans to announce dates in December. The program is open to college
students and young professionals, ages 19 to 28.
The ASP participants "left Armenia with unforgettable memories," Fr.
Hovsepyan said. "It is one thing to read about Armenia's history in books or
to see pictures of the country's historic sites, and another thing to visit
and experience all those places first hand."
###
Photos attached.
Photo 1: ASP participants pose for a group photo by the "We are Our
Mountains" monument in Karabagh.
Photo 2: ASP participants dance with campers at Camp Tzitzernak in Vanadzor,
Armenia.
Photo 3: An Arts & Crafts class at Camp Tzitzernak in Vanadzor, Armenia.
Photo 4: ASP participants by the St. Arakelotz Church on Lake Sevan.
Photo 5: ASP trip co-leader Syona Marout assists campers with a lanyard
project at Camp Tzitzernak in Vanadzor, Armenia.
Photo 6: The ASP group at the Khor Virab monastery overlooking Armenia's
border with Turkey.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress