Khosh Amadid! Today is the day that all staff and counselors have been eagerly awaiting.

Campers from all over the country – California, Georgia, New York, and everywhere in between – arrived as the first day of Camp Ayandeh commenced. At the airport, our staff ran from terminal to terminal, warmly greeting campers who gave long awaited hugs to old friends and said hi to new faces.

Sivon Paransun, 19, a fourth-time returning camper has built a fond relationship with Camp Ayandeh: “I can’t wait for camp to start every year because at Camp Ayandeh you go into who you are—you form a profoundly deep relationship with other campers and find role models, which helps you figure out your own identity.”

As more campers arrived, we filled the baggage claim area of Logan Airport, sitting in circles playing card games, talking, and laughing. Once all 70

Campers pose for a picture during check-in.

arrived, we began the three-hour bus journey to western Massachusetts, anxious to join the counselors and IAAB staff at the campsite.

After arriving at the lush grounds of Duquette Sports Academy, we all ran out to start our first game of vasati (Iranian dodgeball). Playing vasati has become a time-honored popular tradition here at Camp Ayandeh. As we cheered one another and broke out into dance in the middle of the game (another camp tradition!), the energy that Camp Ayandeh is known for quickly spread.

We took that energy into Camp Café, where the clapping and beshkans began as the most outgoing of our IAAB staff and campers danced between the dinner tables, much to the surprise of the kitchen staff who we are sure have never seen anything like it. Camp Ayandeh 2009 has officially begun!

As we progressed into the second day of Camp Ayandeh training in Western Massachusetts, I couldn’t help but take note of the beautiful grounds of Duquette Sports Academy. The 22-acre site nestled amongst 100 acres of land and beautiful trees makes the Sports Academy the ideal location for a week at Camp Ayandeh. Located in Hinsdale, Massachusetts among the Berkshire Hills, the Sports Academy provides a quiet, secluded environment for campers as they reflect upon what it means to be an Iranian-American and engage in cultural discussion and awareness with other campers their age.

Duquette Sports Academy is set along Plunkett Reservoir

I sat down with Kent Qualls, the Academy Director of Duquette Sports Academy, who has been here every year for the past seven summers. He described Duquette as his family’s “home away from home”, and shared a brief history of the Sports Academy. Dan Duquette, the founder of the Sports Academy, has served as the General Manager of the Boston Red Sox and Montreal Expos. As Mr. Duquette raised his family in Western Massachusetts, he aimed to build a healthy, positive environment that could deliver a valuable camp experience to nearby student athletes and their families. Hinsdale was the perfect place for Mr. Duquette to persue his goal and establish the Sports Academy.

Seven summers later, the IAAB family is excited to be holding Camp Ayandeh in the nurturing environment of Duquette Sports Academy, and we look forward to the campers joining us tomorrow!

Camp Ayandeh 2009 is set to begin in just a few days, and 36 counselors and staff have gathered in the countryside of Massachusetts at Duquette Academy for staff training. Arash Majdi, director of this year’s camp said of the group, “Another amazing group of counselors have arrived and are training to make sure that this year’s Camp Ayandeh will continue to have a huge impact on all involved because of its unique blend of culture and leadership. I am sure that these counselors will do an excellent job of nurturing the future leaders of our community.”

IAAB counselors Idin Sany and Arian Nakhiaie participate in the Human Knot Ice Breaker

The training started off with icebreakers aimed to develop a base of trust between the participants and to build a level of comfort among the team that is characteristic of Camp Ayandeh. We introduced the history of IAAB and the Camp to the new counselors and began training the counselors on the curriculum, including the activity booths, which will be 75-minute workshops on topics such as Iranian literature, cinema, music, and games, among others. These groups will differ from counselor groups, giving campers a chance to get to know a different group of people outside their age groups.

We also discussed the “mentor-mentee” groups, which will consist of one older camper and three younger campers, who will then decide to focus on an issue they want to promote in their local communities. The older campers will serve to moderate the groups, giving them the chance to be placed in leadership roles, while the counselors are only there to provide assistance when needed.

All the counselors and staff here at Camp Ayandeh are excited to see the new and old campers, and look forward to seeing you all on Sunday!

Camp Ayandeh 2009 is less than a month away and all of us at IAAB are will filled with excitement.  Camp Ayandeh is a summer highlight for all of us, but this year is especially momentous, as the majority of IAAB‘s 2008-2009 staff started as a Camp Ayandeh counselor or camper, and thus had a major hand in the improvements and expansion that have gone into planning the 2009 Camp.  In only its fourth year, Camp Ayandeh boasts an alumni base of over two hundred young Iranian-Americans, and this year promises to be even bigger and better.  This year is also momentous, as it marks the launch of our new dynamic blog, campayandeh.org!

Why are we launching a separate website for IAAB’s 2009 Camp Ayandeh blog?

At our inaugural Camp in 2006, we blogged daily updates on different activities and happenings at camp in an effort to share some of the highlights of the Camp experience with parents and community members.  We offered photographs, journal entries, and daily wrap-ups and that tradition has continued ever since.  But we want to do more.  So this year, we invite our community to Camp Ayandeh 2009 by launching an interactive web portal of blog posts, videos, podcasts, and an opportunity for you to communicate online with campers and staff.  Through campayandeh.org, we hope to bring the same joy and excitement the Camp has for our participants home to you.

CampAyandeh.org will offer:

• Two embedded bloggers reporting on activities while profiling campers and staff,
• Podcasts highlighting some of the behind the scenes action of Camp Ayandeh,
• Daily video updates offering clips to summarize the day’s events,
• Op-ed articles exploring topics raised at Camp Ayandeh,
• And for the first time, members of our community can leave video and audio comments/feedback for campers and counselors!

In the coming days we will introduce the 2009 Camp Ayandeh staff on this site and we hope you take the opportunity to meet the wonderful and dedicated young staff who have volunteered their time to empower young Iranian-Americans and continue the development of our diaspora community.

Welcome to Camp Ayandeh!

-Ramin Bajoghli, President, Board of Advisers