Dear IAAB Family,

Hi, my name is Roshan and I am a current IAAB Staff member and previous Camp Ayandeh camper. Camp Ayandeh was the best week of my life and I took with me so from the experience. I learned that I am not the only Iranian-American struggling to define myself. I can be a leader in my school, in my community, and in the world if I work for it. I learned that I had just as much of a right to be self confident and proud of myself as everyone else in the world. I laughed, I ran, I danced and along the way I found myself a family of understanding, amazing Iranian-Americans who truly care about each other.

After my first year of attending in 10^th grade I knew I had found something magical. Not just anything could have filled the void I had and replace it with a sense of community and empowerment; this was something special. So I did everything I could to share it with other Iranian American teens. For the next two years, I helped bring Camp Ayandeh to my friends and family across the country. Finally, after three years of being a devoted camper, I was hired to be a part of IAAB’s Staff to help Ayandeh grow even more.  

The rest of Camp Team and I have been working on Camp Ayandeh 2009 for over a year now. I already know it’s better than ever and with your help we can make Camp Ayandeh bigger than ever as well. The application deadline is coming up on Sunday, June 21, so please email your friends and family and make sure their child doesn’t miss an opportunity to attend Camp Ayandeh 2009!