Ready for summer, AGBU's camps, internship programs and athletic games promise an exciting season for thousands of global Armenian youth.

Still welcoming new campers for its July 1 start date, Camp Nubar in upstate New York has received the highly coveted American Camping Association seal of approval again this year, making it the only Armenian camp to receive the accolade.

The New York Summer Intern Program has begun, and most of the 35 interns from around the world have arrived to reside in Manhattan's East Village, while venturing each day to their internships across the city.

In four weeks, athletes, scouts, YPs and enthusiastic spectators from the four corners of the world will be converging in Beirut, Lebanon, for the AGBU World Games. In other sporting news, AGBU's Antranik Beirut Women's Basketball team arrived home last week with gold when they beat the Algerian, Bahraini, Egyptian, Kuwaiti and Syrian teams at the Arab Champions League in Dubai.

As the Internet continues to grow, new opportunities abound for those interested in making a difference online. The philanthropic search engine, Good Search, allows users to program AGBU as their selected charity. Then, each time a user conducts a search on the web, Good Search will donate a few cents to AGBU, and the best part is that it will cost users nothing.

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Camp Nubar's 2006 Social, Cultural & Spiritual Program Ready to Go
American Camp Association, Red Cross & American Academy of Pediatrics Give Nubar Their Stamp of Approval

Gearing up for an action-packed summer, AGBU Camp Nubar has again received the American Camp Association (ACA) highly prized seal of approval. Only a fraction of the thousands of camps across the nation receive ACA's accreditation and, as part of the process, camps are asked to adhere to 300 strict health, safety and program-quality benchmarks created in cooperation with the American Red Cross and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Camp Nubar Committee Chairman, Mardi Merjian, is proud that Camp Nubar is the only Armenian camp to hold the honor.“ACA accreditation assures parents that the camp has had a regular, independent safety audit that goes beyond regulations in most states. ACA accreditation is the best evidence for parents that a camp is committed to providing a safe and nurturing environment for their children, and in our case, in a spiritually and culturally Armenian environment,” he says....

Hye Geen Co-Hosts Conference on Armenian American Community Issues
On April 8, 2006, AGBU Hye Geen hosted a conference entitled, “The Status of Armenian Communities Living in the United States” at the California State University of Los Angeles (CSULA). Co-organized by Hye Geen's newly formed Forum for Armenian Cultural and Social Studies (FACSS) and CSULA's School of Social Work, the event attracted over 140 people, including students, scholars and interested community members. ...

Sydney Chapter Launches Bridge of Harmony Youth Project Report
The Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) Sydney Chapter recently celebrated the launch of its latest publication, Bridge of Harmony, which is an extensive study on the youth project carried out by the Chapter in 2005. The report is the latest in a series of publications aimed at serving the needs of the Armenian-Australian community in the Sydney area. The book was presented to the public at the AGBU Alexander Primary School's Palm Sunday function on April 9, 2006. ...

With numerous milestones, celebrations and international holidays taking place in 2006, such as the AGBU Centennial, AGBU Armenian Youth Association's (AYA) 75th Anniversary, and International Women's Day on March 8, AGBU women's groups are honoring the contributions and talents of Armenian women around the world. AGBU's Lebanon and Syria Districts, along with the Plovdiv Chapter and Los Angeles Hye Geen have sponsored lectures, conferences and receptions that focus on the important role Armenian women play in their communities. ...

JUNE Calendar of Events

This month American, Australian and Swiss chapters will be feting the organization's 100 years of excellence. Visit this month's online calendar for the complete roster of Centennial events.