The ACYO Blog

The ACYO Blog » Burbank Chapter's "Survivor's Walk"

Burbank Chapter's "Survivor's Walk"

Posted on: 2010-04-24 by Anna Arakelyan

Burbank ACYO organized its first annual Silent Walk. The purpose of this walk was to provide a new perspective and deeper understanding of the suffering of genocide victims by walking 15 miles in a desert. Through the walk the youth was enriched with a better understanding of who they are as Armenian "survivors". The participants met at the Diocese at 7:00a.m on April 24, 2010.

There were 20 members including Fr. Avedis Abovyan. We also had Deacon Guj Khachikyan with us, driving the support car. When we reached the destination of the walk, Desert in Lancaster, Fr. Avedis began with a motivating speech that would help keep the youth focused on what they were really there for. He encouraged the youth to think about who they are as Armenian survivors while there were putting their each step. The participants were not talking and thus concentrating on the purpose of the walk. After walking for about approximately 7 miles continuously the youth stopped for a lunch break and a few minutes of relaxation.

Throughout the walk the cargo van was available about every mile or so for water. After continuing for another 7 or 8 miles the participants reached their destination at about 6:00 p.m. After struggling to put up the tents dinner arrived. Later, the youth huddled in a tent to have the discussion and reflections on how they felt about surviving the walk and how that paralleled to the people in deportation marches of genocide. They also reflected on how being a Christian meant that we need to have a "survivor" mentality and eliminate the "victim" mentality of hatred.

At proximately 7:30 a.m. the following morning the cars were loaded up once again and headed toward St. Peters Church in Glendale where during Badaraq the group was united with another group that was doing a 30 hour famine. After receiving Holy Communion everyone had a breakfast served by the church and the day was completed by taking pictures with Archbishop Hovnan Derderian. Though all of the participants were in pain they enjoyed the event and hoped to repeat it next year.