‘Engage Armenia’ heads to Canada this October after strong turnout
TORONTOHYE—Repat
Armenia’s travelling ‘Engage Armenia’ forum will soon make its way to Canada. The initiative, relaunched in 2024, has been expanding its reach across Armenian diaspora communities and will bring its 2026 program to Toronto and Montreal this October.
According to the repatriation-promoting non-profit, the ‘Engage Armenia’ initiative has connected in person with more than 1,300 diasporans across several countries over the past two years, introducing participants to concrete opportunities in volunteering, repatriation, investment, and professional engagement.
“Since March 2024, we’ve held forums in seven different countries,” explains Nelly Poliakov, Head of Communications at the H. Hovnanian Family Foundation and forum emcee, in a recent sit-down with Torontohye. She says that living in Armenia for the past six years has allowed her to meet many Armenians from Canada who are active in their communities and in Armenia. “Meeting Canadian-Armenians made me realize how fascinating their community is—a community I knew almost nothing about when I was still living in France,” she admits. “I genuinely believe that going there and meeting people in person could take our initiative to a whole new level in terms of impact and interest.”
Its most recent stop—a five-city tour across Germany this November—brought 15 speakers from 13 Armenian organizations to Munich, Frankfurt, Cologne, Hamburg, and Berlin. The delegation included representatives from Birthright Armenia, Armenian Volunteer Corps (AVC), Teach for Armenia, TUMO, VIA Fund, Impact Hub, Health for Armenia, Primavera Foundation, and Repat Armenia. All events were hosted by Poliakov of the H. Hovnanian Family Foundation.
More than 400 people attended the German programs—a turnout organizers described as one of the strongest yet. Despite the country’s size and dispersed communities, audiences were highly engaged, with notable interest in business development, investment, and professional volunteering.
“I came to Armenia three years ago to offer my help and support, but no one really understood what I hoped to contribute,” mused one participant from Berlin. “Today, you came to where I live and answered all the questions I had back then. I was nearly in tears with happiness as I listened to each pitch. I will definitely join AVC to volunteer and put my skills to use. It’s exactly what I wanted to do three years ago!”
For Toronto readers, many of the organizations represented at ‘Engage Armenia’ are already familiar names. Over the years, numerous young professionals, students, senior volunteers, and even families from the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) have taken part in programs such as Birthright Armenia and AVC, and their stories have been frequently highlighted in Torontohye. The upcoming ‘Engage Armenia’ Canada tour offers a new opportunity for local Armenians to connect directly with these programs and explore pathways for contributing to Armenia’s future. The Toronto forum will take place on Thursday, October 22, at the Armenian Youth Centre (50 Hallcrown Place), followed by stops in Montreal on October 24 and 25 across two venues.
“We are hosting our next Engage Armenia Forum in Canada, because of the potential of this destination,” Vartan Marashlyan, Co-founder and Director of Repat Armenia, told Torontohye. “Canada has a highly professional Armenian diaspora, with communities that are well-organized, engaged, and connected to the homeland. Toronto and Montreal together form one of the strongest diaspora ecosystems in the
world, something our 2018 ‘Imagine Armenia’ forums demonstrated, with over 400 participants and outstanding collaboration.”
Launched in 2013 as ‘Imagine Armenia’ and reintroduced in 2024 as ‘Engage Armenia,’ the initiative aims to remove barriers by meeting diasporans where they live. Previous stops include the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Switzerland, and the United Arab Emirates. ‘Imagine Armenia’ took place in Montreal and Toronto in April and May 2018.
More information about ‘Engage Armenia’ is available at https://engagearmenia.org/. ֍
Camp opens to hundreds of participants for another season full of culture and fun
TORONTOHYE—For children and teenagers, summer presents a valuable opportunity for recreation, learning, and personal growth. For over five decades, the Armenian Relief Society (ARS) Summer Camp has offered a vibrant environment where local youth build lifelong friendships and deepen their cultural roots.
Guided by the organization's enduring motto, "With my people, for my people," the initiative began in 1970 as a summer school before evolving into a comprehensive day camp in 1994. Now celebrating its 57th year of programming, the camp continues to experience steady annual growth, reflecting the trust of local families, the dedication of volunteers and staff, and a collective commitment to heritage preservation across the GTA.
Running from late June through late August at the Armenian Youth Centre, the curriculum carefully balances cultural education with traditional summer recreation. Each morning begins with a camp-wide assembly and the national anthem, after which campers divide into age-specific groups proudly named after historically significant towns and regions. The daily schedule features a diverse range of activities designed to engage campers intellectually, artistically, and physically. Interactive language instruction, history modules, traditional folk music, and heritage dance anchor the morning curriculum.
Throughout the afternoon, campers participate in hands-on arts and crafts, painting, theatre games, competitive chess matches, and introductory science workshops. Physical health and social development are equally prioritized through team sports, outdoor games, group competitions, and local field trips. Through these varied experiences, children develop personal confidence, learn the value of collaboration, and build a lasting connection to their heritage.
This season's official opening ceremony took place on July 8 in the Armenian Youth Centre’s Homenetmen Gymnasium, bringing together a large crowd of campers, parents, clergy, and community leaders. Camp Director Lala Bardakjian
delivered the opening remarks, welcoming attendees on behalf of the staff and organizing committee while highlighting the meticulous months of preparation behind the 2026 program. She extended special greetings to several distinguished guests, including Scarborough–Agincourt Member of Parliament Jean Yip, Member of Provincial Parliament Aris Babikian, and Rev. Archpriest Fr. Datev Mikaelian of St. Mary Armenian Apostolic Church, alongside representatives from various community organizations.
անդրադարձաւ ճամբարի երկարամեայ առաքելութեան։
During her address, the director emphasized the society's more than 116 years of service and thanked parents for entrusting the camp with their children. The energy in the hall peaked during the traditional roll call, as each camper group enthusiastically shouted its assigned regional name to announce its pres- ence.
The ceremony continued with remarks from Ani Hotoyan-Joly, Chair of the ARS Toronto Roubina chapter executive, who reflected on the camp's evolution from a modest summer school into a cornerstone of the community. She expressed deep gratitude to the families for their ongoing trust, assuring them that the administration would maintain close communication throughout the summer season. Following her address, MP Jean Yip and MPP Aris Babikian delivered formal greetings and presented official congratulatory certificates to the executive chair in recognition of the organization's enduring community impact. The event concluded with a blessing from Rev. Archpriest Fr. Datev Mikaelian, who wished the campers and staff a safe, joyful, and enriching summer filled with lasting memories. ֍
երեխաները կը մեծնան ազգային
միջավայրի մէջ։
Ան ուրախութեամբ նկատել տուաւ, որ արդէն մէկ շաբաթէ ի վեր անոնք
կը վայելեն ճամբարային կեանքը՝
միասին խաղալով, նոր գիտելիքներ
ձեռք բերելով եւ մասնակցելով հետաքրքրական
մթնոլորտը
Where memory becomes home: Canadian-Armenian artist Marita Bardakjian’s ‘Traces
of Distance’ captivates Yerevan
TORONTOHYE—For anyone who has ever carried the bittersweet weight of migration, memory is not merely a reflection of the past; it is a physical space of return. This delicate intersection of longing, displacement, and enduring love served as the heartbeat of Yerevan-based Canadian-Armenian artist Marita Bardakjian’s latest solo exhibition, ‘Traces of Distance,’ which recently concluded a celebrated run at Yerevan’s premier A1 Art Space on Abovyan Street.
Set inside the intimate gallery space at 1/1 Abovyan Street with free admission to the public, ‘Traces of Distance’ invited viewers into a contemplative sanctuary where absence was transformed into presence. Through a restrained, intentional color palette and emotionally expressive abstract forms, the exhibition featured a stunning and meaningful array of paintings that varied widely in size, style, and media. Each painting served as a visual exploration of the elusive nature of home and the invisible threads that continue to bind us to the people and places we carry within us. Drawing from personal experiences of displacement, her journeys across continents, and the resilient bonds of family, Bardakjian captured a universal diaspora experience—the feeling of being suspended between worlds while remaining deeply rooted in one's cultural heritage.
While her art currently bridges landscapes across the globe, Bardakjian holds strong and enduring ties to the Canadian-Armenian community. Her husband, Raffi, was born and raised in Toronto, establishing deep roots with the city's vibrant Armenian diaspora. Before making the life-changing decision to repatriate to Armenia together, Bardakjian also lived in Montreal, where she was an active and dedicated presence in the local Armenian community. This rich Canadian connection added a profound layer of meaning as she unveiled her latest collection in the Armenian capital on July 4. Originally slated to close on July 10, the exhibition's run was extended through July 15 due to popular demand.
At the core of the exhibition was Bardakjian's philosophy on movement and adaptability. “We move like water, carrying fragments of where we have been, whispers of those we miss, and traces of the paths yet to come,” she reflected when describing the overarching theme of the collection. This fluidity was palpable across the gallery floor, echoed in her artist’s statement: “Nothing in life is stable, and everything is possible. We are moving entities with water flowing within us, and so my art must be like water flowing within.” Whether viewing her more intimate, small-scale works or her expansive, striking canvases, visitors could trace a continuous flow of emotion that captured the grief of separation alongside the quiet, enduring joy of belonging and returning home.
Born in Lebanon in 1995, Bardakjian has been submerged in the world of creativity from her earliest days. At just 14 years old, her exceptional talent earned her a place at the prestigious Fabriano Academy of Art. She went on to major in Fine Arts at the Lebanese University in Beirut, where she developed both her technical mastery and a deep commitment to art as a vehicle for community healing.
During her time in Beirut, Bardakjian spearheaded meaningful initiatives that extended far beyond traditional gallery walls, including a collaboration with a collective of fellow painters to create a vibrant public mural dedicated to autistic children in Lebanon, which was later donated to the local municipality. As an artist and teacher, she has consistently used her fine arts background to bring important community projects to life—a spirit of civic engagement she carried with her from Beirut to Montreal, and now to Yerevan.
Over the years, Bardakjian’s rigorous training and insatiable curiosity have allowed her to master a diverse array of artistic methods. While ‘Traces of Distance’ focused exclusively on paintings of various styles and media, she is equally adept at working with pastels, watercolor, and oil, and even possesses rare craftsmanship in glass and wood carving. Beyond her abstract work, she has developed a newfound passion for one-line art creations that focus on the beauty, elegance, and emotional depth of the female body, using each stroke of her brush to tell an intimate story of women overcoming their struggles.
By stripping away superficial ornament and relying on raw, expressive abstraction in
her Yerevan exhibition, Bardakjian succeeded in leaving her audience in awe—offering a reminder that even across immense distances and borders, the threads of identity, memory, and love remain unbroken. ֍
A scene from the opening of ‘Traces of Distance’. Photo courtesy of A1 Art Space/Marita Bardakjian.
Edwin has a square-based container with a side length of 60 cm and a height of 75 cm. He fills it halfway with water and plans to submerge a solid cube with 30 cm side lengths inside. Once the cube is added, how many centimeters will the water level be from the top of the container?
Armen’s Math Corner
(answers on pg. 26)
Senior problem
Annette’s family is looking for a new apartment, and she hopes to get a pet after they move. Out of 68 apartments found online, 40 are close to a park, 28 allow pets, and 4 offer neither feature. How many of the apartments are close to a park and allow pets?
