Learn, Serve, Engage

Written for AGBU Impact Magazine 2025 by Lusine Minasyan. Photography by Ruben Otyan.

Meeting the children from Artsakh was a meaningful personal experience, but it’s also particularly helpful in refreshing our sense of reality.

AGBU’s multi-faceted, multi-country youth initiatives not only connect young Armenians with their cultural roots but also empower them to take meaningful actions in their communities and beyond. Central to this mission is Discover Armenia, an AGBU flagship program launched in 2003 for Diaspora youth, ages 15-18. It’s where service and exploration meet to create an unforgettable summer experience for young people who have outgrown summer camp but are not ready to venture off on their own—the proverbial bridge between youth and young adulthood through challenges, learning and self-discovery.

This year, over 66 Armenian teens from Bulgaria, Canada, Egypt, France, Lebanon, Monaco, Spain, the UK, and the U.S. immersed themselves in cultural discovery—touring ancient monasteries, historical landmarks and museums, and enjoying authentic traditions from an ethnic mock wedding in Dilijan to cross-stone carving and lavash and gata-making workshops.

Organized in three sessions, opportunities abounded to interact with as many as 400 local youth in Yerevan, Dilijan, and Gyumri; connect with nearly 100 elderly people at AGBU Senior Dining Centers; help turn an abandoned building into a renovated Youth Center in Aragats village (Armavir region) to benefit over 350 youth, and organize a cleanup crew in Sevan (Gegharkunik region) and Dilijan (Tavush region).

Through these service missions, the teens discovered firsthand the power of giving, and, as a bonus, earned 20-60 hours of community service credit to add to their school requirements and/or college entry criteria.

Director of AGBU Youth Programs Gayane Manukyan emphasized the deep educational component of the program. “Our participants learn about their Armenian roots, connect with the homeland and local counterparts, as well as peers from other communities from diverse cultures worldwide. But what’s more, they are indirectly educated on universal challenges that also affect the homeland—social inequality, environmental issues, and the care needs of elderly and children, especially those affected by conflict. It’s gratifying to watch them develop their sense of compassion and responsibility.” As attested by many participants, one of the most memorable moments was the visit with Artsakh children, now spread across Armenia. Discover Armenia participants organized games, distributed 400 gift kits, and engaged in counseling sessions, bringing moments of joy to children still facing the consequences of displacement and trauma.

Lucene Baroyan (15) from New York, reflected on the experience. “I think this visit was really important, because, if you don’t meet children who are still experiencing the trauma, you can kind of forget what happened over time, while the loss is always there for them. And that’s really dangerous—to forget and ignore. Meeting the children from Artsakh was a meaningful personal experience, but it’s also particularly helpful in refreshing our sense of reality.”

Additionally, meeting children who still live in domiks in Gyumri—temporary housing built after the 1988 earthquake but still in use decades later—left a deep impression on participants, reminding them of the stark inequalities that persist. Manukyan explained: “These firsthand interactions with locals help foster social responsibility and cultivate an awareness that one has obligations toward the wider society.”

It was so interesting to interact with a generation from the Soviet period. I also realized how much they cared about younger generations, as they generously shared advice and experiences to help us discover the world.

Visits also included AGBU Camp Nairi participants who had lost a family member in the 2020 Artsakh War, as well as Syrian Armenian and Artsakh families who benefit from the AGBU Claudia Nazarian Medical Center, a polyclinic dedicated to addressing the physical and mental health needs of new immigrants to Armenia in their own dialects.

Equally impactful was the group’s time with the elderly at AGBU Senior Dining Centers, housed within AGBU Children’s Centers and operating in partnership with the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. They engaged in friendly conversation with seniors who come for warm nutritious meals and good company in a secure and caring environment. This intergenerational interaction proved transformative for both sides, especially for the elderly, whose emotional needs are just as critical to health as medical care. Sixteen-year-old Vardan Mihran Vartanyan from London said that the elderly truly enjoyed their company, describing how the seniors were eager to open up about their families and, when the time came for the teens to leave, they didn’t want them to go, as they still had so much to share.

Serj Michael (15) from Cairo, Egypt, added: “It was so interesting to interact with a generation from the Soviet period. I also realized how much they cared about younger generations, as they generously shared advice and experiences to help us discover the world. When we listened with genuine interest, they became even more enthusiastic about it.”

Other participants also noted how touched the seniors were, when they presented their newfound friends with gift packages to help them live on a pensioner’s budget.

Beyond human connections, the program also empowered youth to protect Armenia’s natural environment and support community development through The Agriculture and Environmental Protection Department of the Sevan Municipality. The group effort involved clearing the litter along the uphill trail to the Sevan Monastery and, in Dilijan, to clean up the grounds surrounding the town’s central park, leaving a refreshed space for the local community to enjoy.

Lili Setrakian (16) from New Jersey admitted that, at first, many didn’t believe their contribution would make much of a difference. But as they filled bag after bag, the impact became undeniable. “Along the way we realized how much debris was really scattered, and how even one act of volunteering can free the environment from an excessive burden.” The impact of this activism was evident on the ground, as a local passerby in Sevan asked what they were doing, then joined in to help.

The Department’s Chief Specialist Karen Zhamharyan stated that such small voluntary actions, when multiplied by thousands, can restore ecosystems, protect wildlife, and build a culture of care for the environment.

Another transformative service opportunity was working closely with AGBU Armenia’s Humanitarian Department to help renovate an abandoned building in Aragats village, equipping it with a chess room, a hall, and a conference room. Drawing on past experience, Diana Mkrtchyan, administrative head of the village, believes its impact will continue to grow as young people from neighboring villages learn about the opportunities and begin to attend, creating the kind of positive chain reaction that often occurs in small, close-knit communities.

Along the way we realized how much debris was really scattered, and how even one act of volunteering can free the environment from an excessive burden.

By the end of the summer, Discover Armenia participants had done much more than tour Armenia’s landmarks. They bonded over activities that allowed them to carry responsibility, empathize with others, and to act as stewards of both heritage and homeland.

Manukyan put a button on it, saying, “Discover Armenia is that classic coming-of-age story—when the world becomes a much bigger place than where you left it back home.”