Hey everyone!

For those of you who followed the camp or had loved ones attending this year, none of the following information will be “news” for you. For everyone else, IAAB’s Camp Ayandeh 2009 was a GREAT SUCCESS.

Held in Hinsdale, MA, the camp saw campers/staff/counselors brave through pesky mosquitoes and spontaneous rainstorms in an effort to experience what united them in the first place – learning the skills necessary to become leaders in their communities, while interacting and finding friends amongst their Iranian-American peers. With the guidance of highly-qualified counselors and staff, a thriving environment emerged from the onset and developed throughout the duration of the week.

The camp, as always, served to provide a healthy balance of leadership and culture. Examples of this ranged from various activities concerning essential interpersonal skills (active listening, negotiation, persuasion, etc) to the annual Ta’arof Tournament and Vasati Challenge between campers and counselors. (In case you were wondering, the counselors and staff came out with a decisive victory!)

All in all, though, the camp provided an opportunity for growing Iranian-Americans to share their experience with each other – something they wouldn’t find anywhere else. As one camper put it, “We all come in as strangers but we all leave as family.” So on behalf of the camp team, I would like to thank everyone who followed this year’s camp, as well as those who made our success possible. We hope we see you join the family next year!

P.S. You can see the day-to-day coverage of Camp Ayandeh 2009 at www.campayandeh.org