March 14, 2018

On Saturday April 7, 2018, the AGBU Hye Geen and Young Circle will host their 12th Annual International Conference entitled “How the Youth Needs to Impact Our Future.” The significantly relevant topic will focus on the Armenian youth in Southern California, and how the future of Armenia is dependent on today’s youth. The Conference will be held at the AGBU Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Center, located at 2495 Mountain Street, Pasadena, California 91104. Registration will begin promptly at 9:00 a.m. and the conference is scheduled from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. To purchase a ticket, please visit itsmyseat.com/HyeGeen.

The AGBU Hye Geen and Young Circle organize annual conferences on the status of Armenian communities living in the United States. Each year, the group brings together researchers, educators, professionals and community groups to explore psychological, social, and cultural issues related to Armenians living in the United States. Past conferences have focused on a variety of topics including media, television, mental health, women’s issues, music, and symbolism in art, architecture and design. Every year, the group strives to cover new topics that entice and impact the community.

This year’s conference aims to examine issues the Armenian youth in Southern California are currently facing. The Armenian youth of today are the future of the Armenian people, and through this conference Hye Geen and the Young Circle hope to start much needed discussions with multiple generations. Elizabeth Kebayan, chair of the 12^th Annual Conference expressed, “The effort we’re putting into this conference is solely to help the Armenian youth connect with their deepest values in order to set them up for success as the carriers of the Armenian heritage.”

The conference will begin with an introduction and explanation on concepts of race, country and citizenship followed by a discussion on the historical background of the Armenian community in California. More discussions will follow on the role of family, community and the call of the motherland, and on finding and adjusting to the reality of one’s identity. Four distinguished members of the community will each present and share their expertise on these topics. Among the speakers will be, Gegham Mughnetsyan (Research Associate of Armenian Studies at USC), Daniel Fittante (Candidate of Philosophy of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at UCLA), Gregory S. Krikorian (Vice President of the Glendale Unified School Board of Education), and Richard Chambers (Videographer and Lecturer at CSUN). In addition, a panel of youth will be in attendance to discuss hot topics regarding the youth today.

“The youth needs to take over. They have the opportunity of getting the best education and have so much information at their fingertips. If they want our nation to survive, they need to get involved,” said Sona Yacoubian, Founder and Chair of Hye Geen, when expressing the importance of this year’s conference.