Fresno YPs enjoying the company of their YP NC counterparts at the Slates Restaurant mixer.

The weekend of January 13, 2012, YP Northern California (YP NC) took the show on the road to Fresno and Pasadena to help promote the group’s anticipated annual Winter Gala coming up President’s Day weekend in San Francisco from Feb 17-20. On Friday, YPNC hosted a mixer at Slates Restaurant which 30 area YPs attended to mingle with their peers and learn more about the Winter Gala weekend. Bee lining it to Pasadena the following day, YPNC and its sister chapter, YP Los Angeles, teamed up to co-host another mixer called “North Meets South” at Kings Row Gastropub which, boasted an impressive attendance of 250 YPs. For more pictures from the weekend, visit YPNC on Facebook.

YPNC’s “Sweet Escape” Winter Gala is a three-day weekend of exciting events benefiting AGBU Hye Geen Pregnant Women’s Centers in Armenia. For more information, visit www.agbusfgala.org. Gala videos are available for viewing on YouTube.

Los Angeles guests are all smiles with YPNC Marketing and Publicity Chairman David Ojakian (second from left) in Pasadena at the joint YPNC and YPLA “North Meets South” Mixer at Kings Row Gastropub.

YPNC members taking the time to visit the statue, David of Sassoun, at the Fresno County Court House, including Marketing and Publicity Chairman David Ojakian (middle) and Winter Gala Chairman Steven Cherezian (far right).

“This law will bring the Armenian issue to a different international forum,” said Berge Setrakian, President of the Armenian General Benevolent UNION (AGBU), speaking to FRANCE 24 from New York.

“The major powers will focus more on this issue and hopefully now we can try and find a solution with Turkey. This will be good for Turkey too because they have been in a permanent state of denial about it.”

Setrakian accepted the fallout from the bill could have a detrimental effect on Armenia’s own relations with their neighbours.

“I think it is most likely Turkey will retaliate and render our lives more difficult, but this is a price the Armenians are willing to pay.”

Read the full article here.

Click here to download the PDF (5.29MB) of the January 2012 edition of AGBU Melbourne’s Nor Tsayn Newsletter.

Young professionals of Boston celebrating at Nubar Restaurant and Lounge

Outgoing YP Boston Chairwoman Nicole Meregian (far right) introducing the 2012 YP Boston Committee, including incoming Chairwoman Laura Michael, seated to her left.

On January 7, 2012, the AGBU Young Professionals (YP) of Boston held their annual Christmas party at the Armenian-owned Nubar Restaurant and Lounge, located in the Sheraton Commander Hotel in Cambridge. With an impressive attendance of over 90 young professionals, the event was successful in raising funds for the AGBU Children’s Centers in Armenia.

With an annual enrollment of 3,000 students, and over 300 administrative and staff members, AGBU’s Nork, Malatya and Arapkir Children’s Centers provide an after-school environment for young Armenians, ages 6 to 16, to explore and nurture their skills in various fields such as art, music, dance, gymnastics, language, history, and computer.

To learn more about the work of YP Boston, visit the group on Facebook as follows.

Camp Nubar campers, counselors, and other staff members

Nubar Kids

On January 14, 2012, AGBU Camp Nubar hosted its Annual Winter Reunion at St. Leon Armenian Church in Fair Lawn, New Jersey. Over 90 campers counselors and alumni from Canada, Massachusetts, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and the tri-state area attended the event.

Campers and counselors were eager to reunite, reminisce and rekindle bonds. Nubar Kids, ages one to seven, also joined the fun, and enjoyed face painting and games. Campers and counselors scurried throughout the gymnasium while playing “Human Bingo,” enabling campers to learn new things about their friends and meet campers from other sessions. Attendees also played basketball and balloon games, and enjoyed pizza and snacks.

The room was filled throughout the day with campers excited for the kickoff of the 50th year of AGBU Camp Nubar. Once again, Camp Nubar will offer an unforgettable summer with new and exciting activities and friends from around the world. 2012 online registration has begun for campers. Applications are also currently being accepted for staff positions. For more information about the program, please visit www.campnubar.org.

Click here to download the PDF (1.75MB) of the December 2011 AGBU Armenia Newsletter.

Knowing what an important event the Tournament of the Roses Parade is not just in Southern California, but all over the United States, we were proud to learn that Arman Seuylemezian, an AGBU Eagle Scout, was chosen to carry the Hall of Fame Inductees banner in the annual parade on January 2, 2011. Arman been an AGBU scout for the past 11 years, and is currently a student at the AGBU Vatche & Tamar Manoukian High School in Pasadena, California. He achieved the rank of Eagle Scout in March, 2011.

The AGBU Buenos Aires Chapter is always bustling with activity to serve the local Armenian population, which numbers around 90,000, and its newest program is the Krikor Satamian Theatre Company. The troupe’s first production was the presentation of Hairus Ov Eh?, the Armenian version of Ray Cooney’s comedy play It Runs in the Family, as translated by Krikor Satamian, Director of the AGBU Ardavazt Theatre Company of Pasadena, and adapted by director Silvia Kalfaian. Three full-house performances took place between November 18 and 25, 2011, and Spanish subtitles were offered on a screen above the stage to encourage as many theater enthusiasts as possible to attend.

The Young Professionals of Northern California have created a short online video for their upcoming 2012 Winter Gala, which takes place from February 17 – 20.

The event is an annual tradition that attracts young Armenian professionals from across the West Coast and around the world. The commercial does a great job of giving you a taste of the weekend and its adventures.

For more info: www.agbusfgala.org or LIKE them on Facebook: facebook.com/agbuypnc

On January 2, 2012, AGBU’s GenNext partnered with the Pasadena Junior Chamber of Commerce to host a fundraiser at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California. The event featured a college football game between Oregon and Wisconsin. Following a breakfast gathering and a pep talk by GenNext interim director and event coordinator Saro Ayvazians, three mentors, two GenNext interns, and 14 mentees participated in the event to sell over 400 official game day programs. The programs were sold to tailgaters and football fans, with some of the profits retained for use by GenNext.

All mentees showed great enthusiasm for their volunteer efforts for the day, and kept a positive and motivated attitude while focusing on their aim of selling programs to raise funds. One mentee said about his experience, “At first, when a few of the people rejected my sales pitch, I was upset and disappointed. The first 40 minutes were really tough for me. I sold only one program. But then, I thought, ‘I have a goal, and I am going to reach it no matter what.’”