Letters of Last Hopes
Firsthand accounts of the Hamidian Massacres through desperate letters to Khrimian Hayrig
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September 05, 2007
East Coast Young Professionals Attend YPGNY's 2nd Annual Retreat at Camp Nubar
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Attendees of the August YPGNY retreat at AGBU's Camp Nubar in upstate New York. -
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Armenian young professionals participate in morning yoga classes as part of the many activities organized during the YPGNY weekend retreat at AGBU Camp Nubar.
Hundreds of campers packed their bags and headed for home on August 18, 2007 as yet another summer in the Catskill Mountains came to a close. Just one week later, however, Camp Nubar would be filled with another group of Armenians looking for rest, relaxation, new friends, memories and an escape from city life.
Forty young professionals from the greater New York area, Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. ventured upstate the weekend of August 24-26 to attend the second annual Young Professionals (YP) Retreat at Camp Nubar hosted by the AGBU Young Professionals of Greater New York (YPGNY). The goal of the weekend is for participants to relax, enjoy the Catskills' majestic scenery, and network amongst newfound peers.
The weekend kicked off with a welcome meal and once the group settled into their semi-private cabins and unpacked their bags, everyone reunited on the basketball courts for a game of "Sing-Thing," a favorite team performing arts activity which has become a Nubar tradition over the years.
Creative talents unveiled along with newly formed friendships as players shed the weight of their work week, singing and dancing with friends, both old and new. "The evening activity was a great icebreaker. Whether you were a Camp alum or a new friend to Nubar, it brought us together and encouraged laughter throughout the night," expressed Sylvia Anserian, Co-Chair of the YP Retreat weekend.
Campers took advantage of the great outdoors with an array of activities. The morning began with a professionally taught yoga class in front of Camp Nubar's beautiful spring-fed Lake Arax. Participants enjoyed the cool water activities, including rowing, canoeing and swimming throughout the day, supervised by certified lifeguard and former Waterfront counselor Kristen Lipari. Led by another camp alum and former Camp Craft counselor George Kalajian, a hiking tour of some of the camp's glorious 365 acres of unspoiled forest land provided a breath of fresh air in the mid-afternoon.
In the end, the YP Retreat proved to be an intimate bonding experience for all, whether alumni of camp or not. "Camp Nubar has been a home away from home to me since my first summer as a camper in 1986. Now, as a member of YPGNY, it brings me great joy to organize these weekend trips so that others can share the experiences unique to Camp Nubar," stated Harout Gebian, alumnus of Camp Nubar and YPGNY Member.
"The weekend was a great opportunity to escape our busy lives and spend a weekend bonding with fellow YPs. As a first timer at Camp Nubar, I was quickly introduced to old camp traditions that have created lasting memories and understood the importance of the camp to the Armenian community," stated Danny Abajian, Co-Chair of the YP Retreat. "I formed many friendships over the weekend, and that, to me, was the most important aspect of the YP Retreat," he added.
For more information on events in the greater New York area, contact YPGNY at ypgny@agbuyp.org. For more information on Camp Nubar, visit www.campnubar.org.
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