Summer Camps: Cradle of Leaders
History and Impact of AMAA Armenia Summer Camps AMAA's Camp Kar-Kar in Stepanakert, Artsakh, during the mid-1990s.
By Harout Nercessian*
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MAA Armenia camps strive to provide children ̶ especially those from low-income families ̶ with a week of summer adventures, games, excursions, arts & crafts, great food and even a dash of mischief. All served on a tray of Christian love.
1. Creation and History of the Armenia Camps
The creation of the AMAA Armenia camps can be traced back to the pre-independence Soviet period of summer 1990, when a group of Armenian Evangelicals from France and California, led by Rev. Gilbert Léonian, ran a 21-day camp for 150 children at Camp Parvana in Dzaghgatzor. In August 1991, the AMAA sent volunteers from Montreal to run Daily Vacation Bible Schools in cooperation with local churches. The 1992 AMAA Camp season, held in Nor Hajin, 20 kilometers outside of Yerevan, was both historic and consequential. This inaugural camp season launched the AMAA Camp Program that, during ensuing
Camp Bedrosian, Shushi, Artsakh. 12 | AMAA NEWS, July-Aug-Sept 2021
decades, would host thousands of young campers, instilling in them Christian and national values. Several ECA pastors, lay leaders, AMAA employees and volunteers consider the 1992 camp season their spiritual birthplace. In 2003, the AMAA purchased Camp Zepur in the Hankavan region of Armenia and renamed it AMAA Camp Sheen Shoghig. The AMAA Artsakh Camp Program started in the post-war summer of 1995 at Camp Kar-Kar near Stepanakert. These were formative years for the newly independent country. Many AMAA Artsakh employees, volunteers and community members were introduced to the AMAA at Camp Kar-Kar where they first learned about God’s love. The program moved to Shushi in 2003 when the AMAA acquired a property and converted it to a camp, which they named the AMAA Camp Bedrosian. These camps are jointly operated by the Evangelical Church of Armenia (ECA) and the AMAA. They are enjoyed by chil-
Camp Sheen Shoghig, Hankavan, Armenia.
dren and youth from ECA Sunday schools, various AMAA programs, and by other qualifying children. The AMAA also holds day camps in over 30 towns and villages for children who cannot attend the sleep away camps. Every summer, 5,000 children participate in these programs. The AMAA Armenia Summer Camp Program is of personal significance to me. The camps of 1992 and 1995 where I volunteered, left a lasting impact on me. Later, when I moved to Armenia, I directed the AMAA Camp Program from 1996 until 2004.
2. Impact of the Camps
No one disputes that the childhood and young adult years are the most formative periods of one’s life. World views, including belief systems and values are shaped during these early periods. Upon arrival, campers are divided into small groups of 10, each led by a camp counselor. Most activities are done in small groups. Campers and counselors sleep in the same room, eat at the same table, hold group
Camp Sheen Shoghig, Hankavan, Armenia.
