Our Mission

Overview

Unified Young Armenians (UYA) has a vision for a world where there would be no more genocides, a world where human rights trump realpolitik, and a world in which each young man and woman takes it upon himself or herself to serve the collective good. We are here to empower the Armenian youths across the world because we believe in their power.

Providing Free Cultural Education

We understand that not everyone can afford providing Armenian language, history, and culture lessons for their children because of various reasons. Therefore, we have aimed to providing this opportunity to the public at large free of charge. Every Saturday over 60 students attend the Armenian school which is provided by Unified Young Armenians (UYA).

Genocide Recognition and Prevention

We firmly believe that Genocide is the most horrendous crime in the human history. While killing a person is greatly condemned, at various times, Genocides which are committed by world governments and regimes go unpunished and unrecognized.

The Armenian Genocide which took place from 1915-1923 is the prime example of such Genocide gone unpunished and unrecognized.

Just a week before invading Poland, in a speech to his Wehrmacht commanders at his Obersalzberg home on August 22, 1939, a week before the German invasion of Poland, Adolf Hitler said: "Our strength consists in our speed and in our brutality. Genghis Khan led millions of women and children to slaughter—with premeditation and a happy heart. History sees in him solely the founder of a state. It’s a matter of indifference to me what a weak western European civilization will say about me. I have issued the command—and I’ll have anybody who utters but one word of criticism executed by a firing squad—that our war aim does not consist in reaching certain lines, but in the physical destruction of the enemy. Accordingly, I have placed my death-head formation in readiness—for the present only in the East—with orders to them to send to death mercilessly and without compassion, men, women, and children of Polish derivation and language. Only thus shall we gain the living space (Lebensraum) which we need. Who, after all, speaks to-day of the annihilation of the Armenians?"

Because the world failed to recognize the Armenian Genocide, consequent Genocides were orchestrated by Nazi Germany in 1948, which resulted in deaths of over 6,000,000 Jews, in Cambodia 1.2-1.7 million people were killed by the Khmar Rouge regime in 1970s, and in Rwanda, over 1,000,000 people were killed as recently as 1994.

Today, the Genocide is Darfur is what serves to remind us the great suffering of Genocide. From 2003 until today, over 450,000 people have been killed in Darfur and many more are killed on daily basis.

Unified Young Armenians condemn the Genocide that is taking place in Darfur in the hands of the Sudanese regime headed by Omar al-Bashir, and works hard to bring awareness to this great tragedy.

Ironically, the al-Bashir regime has very close ties to and is supported by Turkish government. In 2009, even after the warrant issued by the International Criminal Court to arrest Omar al-Bashir, contrary to all international and moral norms, Turkey refused to arrest him.

Promote Civic Participation, Volunteerism, and Community Service

"Serving our country is not just something that we should expect our members of our armed forces to do. That's something that we should expect all of us as citizens to do." - President Barrack Obama

Even before the call for national service by the President, Unified Young Armenians has been a catalyst for volunteerism. Our members have completed tens of thousands of hours of community service in their communities through the programs of UYA. From voter registration to adopting street blocks within our communities, and from serving food to homeless through the Salvation Army to raising awareness for the environment, our members have been a force for change.

Adhering to the call for national service by President Obama, we continue serving our communities and via the service provide the new generation the leadership skills necessary to make America a better place to live for all of us.