(2014) Sosé & Allen’s Legacy Foundation Announces Youth Corps Fellowships

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GLENDALE—The Sosé & Allen’s Legacy Foundation announced Thursday the establishment of the AYF Youth Corps “Sosé & Allen’s Legacy Fellowship,” which will provide financial assistance to participants of the Armenian Youth Federation’s summer volunteer program in Armenia and Artsakh.

Sosé & Allen, long-time members of the AYF, who passed away as a result of a tragic automobile accident last year, were instrumental in the expansion of the Youth Corps program and shared a strong belief in its mission of strengthening the ties between the Diaspora and Armenia.

Each year, two $1000 grants will be awarded to deserving individuals applying to the AYF’s Youth Corps summer program. The funds can be used to help recipients pay travel costs and other expenses in order to help alleviate the financial burden on young volunteers. Interested individuals are encouraged to visit SoseandAllen.org/YouthCorps to access the application form. Completed applications must be submitted by May 1st.

“We thought that establishing a fellowship to support young volunteers in Armenia would be a great way to honor Sosé & Allen’s memory,” said Vaché Thomassian, Sosé’s brother and the director of the Legacy Foundation. “They placed high value on direct meaningful participation of Diasporan youth in the development of our homeland and worked for years to coordinate countless volunteers in Armenia. They would be proud to see more and more young Armenians visiting Armenia, doing positive work.”

The AYF Youth Crops program was established in 1994, in the aftermath of the Artsakh Movement to help rebuild the war-torn areas of liberated territories. Since then, the program has been transformed into a summer camp for underprivileged children in various locations across Armenia and Artsakh, including Gyumri, Proshyan and Stepanakert. The program provides a unique opportunity for young women and men from the Diaspora to experience Armenia first-hand and participate in nation-building activities in the homeland. The deadline for 2014 AYF Youth Corps applications is April 1. Learn more and apply.

Sosé & Allen’s Legacy Foundation works to continue their vision by establishing programs and supporting existing programs aimed at bridging the gap between Armenia and its Diaspora, through an emphasis on education, repatriation, and volunteerism within the homeland.