News

Wednesday 5th January 2005
NEW AGBU LONDON YOUTH GROUP MAKE THEIR PRESENCE KNOWN

New York, NY – Attracting undergraduates, graduates, and post-graduates of Armenian descent, the newly established AGBU London Youth Group has discovered in greater London an untapped network of Armenian youth seeking opportunities to connect with each other. Spearheading London’s newest youth group are Sevan Aghajanian, Stephan Yeghiazarian, Robert Aghajanian, Narek Sarkissian, Kegham Shamlian, Armine Afrikian, Khatoun Khorozyan, Alfred Shahverdian, and Karine Kouyoumdjian.

Self-motivated, this group of nine assembled last summer to brainstorm how to best attract and engage Armenian youth in AGBU’s philanthropic and cultural mission. As their kickoff initiative, the group organized a hiking trip last summer to the Cumbrian Lake District as a fundraiser for children in Armenia. With the expense of the trip borne by seven hikers, the group impressively raised £1,500 through the contributions of friends and family.

Champions of the growing youth movement, AGBU London Executive Committee, chaired by Harout Aghajanian, encourages and supports the group’s efforts to galvanize the community’s youth. In fact, AGBU London Trust matched dollar for dollar the amount raised by the hikers bringing the total to £3,000.

Keeping the momentum going, AGBU London Youth Group established in early October 2004 a two-hour excursion every Sunday to a local Sports Center. For the 20 participants enlisted, Sundays are a time to come together to engage in friendly athletic competitions as well as socialize with new Armenian friends. Later that same month on Halloween weekend, the Youth Group hosted its first mixer at a club in Leicester Square with over fifty Armenians attending the exciting event. One university student Armen Asryan commented, “ It was absolutely fantastic and was the first time I met so many Armenians in the UK!”

In less than a year, AGBU London Youth Group has already successfully carved out a niche within their local Armenian community. Empowered by their recent success, they are enthusiastically planning their schedule of events for 2005.

AGBU London, founded in 1910, is dedicated to preserving and promoting the Armenian heritage and culture through humanitarian, educational, and cultural programs in the United Kingdom. For more information, please contact AGBU London by visiting www.agbu.org.uk, e-mailing harout.aghajanian@talk21.com, or writing Harout Aghajanian, P.O. Box 3102, Barnet EN4 0ZL, U.K.

For more information on AGBU and its worldwide chapters, please visit www.agbu.org and click on Global AGBU.