November 12, 2016

On Thursday, October 27, over 80 members gathered at the AGBU Central Office in New York City to kick off the three-day program for the AGBU 89th General Assembly and AGBU 110th Anniversary. The Delegates Meetings began at 10AM when AGBU President Berge Setrakian took the podium and began discussing the history of the 110-year-old organization as well as its future goals. The theme and goal he highlighted was becoming Global Armenians and developing the Global Armenian nation; this includes Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh, the diaspora and the Church. The goal of AGBU is to help unite Armenians across the globe and propel the motherland forward, helping Armenia become a global force. The meeting continued with numerous speakers from the Central Office who discussed the state of the organization, which encouraged productive discussions among the members.

On Friday, interactive workshops took place at the Harold Pratt House where over 150 people participated in breakout sessions focused on “Empowering Global Armenians.” The four pillars discussed during the breakout discussions were culture and identity; education; humanitarian relief; and socio-economic development of Armenia. After the breakout sessions and lunch, the group reconvened to hear Seta Nazarian speak on “The F Word”—Fundraising—and the importance of learning how to properly fundraise for AGBU and its programs. The final piece of the program was a panel discussion on human rights in Armenia, “Finding a Constructive Way Forward.” Moderator Lara Setrakian invited Human Rights Watch representatives Rachel Denber and Giorgi Gogia as well as Sheila Paylan, a legal Officer of UN-MICT and Serj Tankian, a singer, songwriter and activist to discuss hot topics, including fair elections, domestic violence, and palliative care. The end of the panel discussion brought the first half of the day to a close.

That evening, everyone gathered at New York City Center for HOKIS, which featured the students from the AGBU & Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin Nork Children’s Center and TUMO Center for Creative Technologies. The evening was a beautiful collaboration of music, dance, and impressive acrobatics. Talents of all ages took the stage to carry out the visions of Patrick Malakian, the creative director; Grigor Khachatryan, the performance director; and Arman Julhakyan, the choreographer. The performers captivated the audience from the very first moment the curtains opened to the very last moment the curtains closed. Loud applause resonated in the theater as the audience gave the show a standing ovation. After the show, the record high number of AGBU Young Professionals who attended the weekend gathered for the Last Call After Party hosted by the AGBU Young Professionals of Greater New York at Tanner Smith’s.

On Saturday morning, the AGBU 89th General Assembly took place at the Harvard Club of New York. AGBU members gathered for a delegates’ session at 9:30AM and an open session which took place at 11:30AM. At the meeting, resolutions were passed, two new board members, Eric Esrailian and Armen Sarkissian, were elected to the AGBU Central Board, and numerous people, including past board members, were honored. The Holy See of Etchmiadzin and Catholicos of All Armenians, His Holiness Karekin II, who was in attendance, honored Berge Setrakian with the Knight of Holy Etchmiadzin Medal.

Guests were invited to attend the 110th Anniversary Gala at Jazz at the Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall. His Holiness Karekin II led the guests in a short prayer before Kim Bardakian, the master of ceremonies for the evening, took the stage and delivered her welcoming remarks. The evening had a full program with notable guests and presenters including Serj Tankian, who honored the career of one of the twentieth century’s greatest record producers, George Avakian. Four inspiring Global Armenians who were invited to take part in the weekend—Michael Aram, Nigol Koulajian, Sheila Paylan and Serj Tankian—were also honored for their work and positive representation of the Armenian people.

Toward the end of the evening, as Berge Setrakian went to the stage to give the 110th Anniversary address, AGBU Central Board member Yervant Demirjian took to the stage, while quoting Setrakian: “Power is not given, power is taken.” Demirjian and the rest of the AGBU Central Board had prepared a sweet, humorous slideshow and video as a surprise for Setrakian, highlighting his early days with AGBU as a scout, athlete, and the youngest member of the board under the Presidency of Alex Manoogian. The videos were prepared as a thank you for his dedicated leadership and devotion to the organization. The audience, including Setrakian and his wife, Vera, broke out into uncontrollable laughter during the presentation. Touched, Setrakian took the stage at last and thanked his fellow board members for the entertaining videos. Setrakian continued by thanking the donors who contribute and help fund the projects and programs that AGBU is known for. Specifically, he highlighted lead benefactors Vatche and Tamar Manoukian for their generous donation of $2.5 Million.

The official AGBU weekend came to a close late Saturday with a quote from President Setrakian that all members will take back home with them: “Nobody leaves AGBU. Once you are in, you are in forever.”