On January 14, 1933, which is marked as the founding date of the Armenian Youth Federation, the ARF Central Committee of America decided to create a national youth organization by combining the existing ones and setting up new chapters where such groups did not exist. After the decision was made an invitation was sent to representatives of interested youth groups on the East Coast to join a conference on Sunday, July 16, 1933, in the old Hairenik Hall in Boston. The conference was to discuss the unification of the interested youth groups. Forty youths, from Boston, Brockton, Chelsea, Lawrence, Lynn, Watertown, Whitinsville, and Worcester, were present at the conference. This conference decided to hold a convention in June of 1934, at which time the elections of the first Central Executive of the AYF were to be held. They also decided the ARF should appoint a committee of seniors to assist the organization for the coming year. In the 1933-34 fiscal year many new chapters were formed across the country. It was due to the inspirational teachings of charismatic General Karekin Njdeh that AYF attracted thousands of members and supporters during that one year. Forty chapters were represented during the first AYF Convention that took place at the Hairenik Hall. It was decided that the organization was to be named the ARF Tseghagrons (or young pledgers), which was concerned with stopping assimilation and instilling the youth with Armenian pride. But the main goal remained to work against Kemalist Turkey and Communist Russia for the establishment of a free, independent, and united Armenia. The Convention also elected the first Central Executive composed of five members. The members of the Central Executive were Hamparsoum Gelanian, John Der Hovanessian, Hagop Hagopian, Arthur Giragosian and K. Merton Bozoian. The Armenian Youth Federation worked to define the organization during its first years. Chapters were organizing programs such as the drum and bugle corps, theater troupes and charity service work like Bostons Siamanto Santa. The Armenian Youth Federation, which was often playing the role of an Armenian school, gave priority to its educational program. Each of the forty chapters organized educationals on the chapter level. The Central Executive provided lists of educational topics, printed a songbook of Armenian patriotic songs, published the book Highlights in Armenian History, written by the first AYF executive secretary James Mandalian, and produced biographies of historical figures. Chapters would conduct examinations at the end of each fiscal year, the results of which would be sent to the AYF central office to be graded. Individual participation was encouraged by a three-point educational plan, which was conceived by Harry Sachaklian. In 1935 the AYF established a scholarship fund for worthy and needy students who were pursuing higher education. Whereas other organizations at the time gave students aid in the form of loans, the AYF was the first Armenian organization in the United States to provide grants to the students. One of the centerpieces of the AYF today is the Olympics, which began in 1934 in Brockton and immediately became an annual tradition. The Worcester Aram Chapter won every single event at the first Olympics setting an unsurpassable record. Other aspects of the athletic program included boxing, wrestling, baseball, soccer, and basketball, for which numerous inner chapter tournaments were organized.

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Website: http://www.ayfwest.org/