Organization

Armenia – Yerevan, Malatya, Zeytun, Komitas, Erebuni, Abovyan, Charentsavan, Hrazdan, Armavir, Etchmiatsin, Martuni/Zorakar, Martuni/Tsovinar, Gyumri, Vedi

Georgia – Akhalkalak, Akhaltskha, Tbilisi

Russia – Moscow

Lebanon – Beirut, Zahle, Tripoli, Bourj Hamoud, Aynjar, Jounieh, Antelias, Jdeydeh, Bawshrieh, Rawda

Syria – Aleppo, Damascus, Latakia, Qamishli, Kessab

Jordan – Amman

Palestine – Jerusalem, Hayfa, Yafa

Egypt – Cairo, Alexandria

Iraq – Baghdad, Mosul

Kuwait – Kuwait

Cyprus – Nicosia

Greece – Athens, Kokina, Thessaloniki

England – London

Austria – Vienna

France – Paris, Valance, Marseille

Netherlands – Almelo, Alkmaar, Arnhem

Germany – Munich

Sweden – Stockholm, Vasteras, Sodertelia

Bulgaria – Sofia, Ruse, Plovdiv, Varna, Shumen, Burgas, Dobrich

Canada – Montreal, Hamilton, Toronto, Cambridge, Saint Catherine’s, Laval

Western United States – Los Angeles, San Francisco, Fresno, Montebello, Pasadena, Glendale, Orange County, San Fernando, San Diego, Inland Empire, Santa Clara, Crescenta Valley, Burbank, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Walnut Creek, North Hollywood, Santa Clarita

Eastern United States – Washington, Boston, New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit, Providence, Florida, Albany, Charlotte, Great Merrimack

South America – Buenos Aires, Cordoba, Montevideo

Australia – Sydney-Antranig, Sydney-Araks, Sydney-Gamk, Sydney-Ararad, Melbourne

Soon after its creation, Homenetmen developed a charter and bylaw to regulate the organization’s operations and activities across its ever-increasing chapters, reinforce the relationship between chapters and the Central Committee, and establish an order for the admittance of new. For that reason, Homenetmen created a committee of three leaders (H. J. Sirouni, Krikor Hagopian and Dikran Khoyian) to manage the task of drafting the organization’s Charter and Bylaw.

H. J. Sirouni (Hagop Jololian), an prominent and experienced figure of the Armenian community in Constantinople and the editor-in-chief of “Azadamard” Daily, drafted Homenetmen’s first Charter and Bylaw composed of 66 articles. Following to discussions and revisions, it was adopted by the 4th Homenetmen General Assembly, held on June 19, 1921 in Constantinople.

Together with the organization’s first Charter and Bylaw, the first Homenetmen Scouting Charter was also developed. It was comprised of 33 articles.

Later on, the Homenetmen Charter and Bylaw and the Homenetmen Scouting Charter were revised during the first Homenetmen General Assembly, held in Paris in 1931.

In modern times, the Homenetmen Charter and Bylaw was subjected to an overall revision. It was approved and adopted by the General Assembly in 1974, in Beirut. This Assembly was the first one with representatives from the organization’s worldwide structure. Since then, the Charter and Bylaw have been revised and improved on nine further occasions.

The introductory paragraph of the Charter and Bylaw declares: “Homenetmen’s General Charter and Bylaw is inspired by the organization’s unwritten character and demographic principles that are the pillars of our youth-focused and idealistic organization”.

Homenetmen’s current Charter and Bylaw is comprised of 143 articles that were last revised and approved by the organization’s 11th General Assembly in Armenia in 2015.

The official Homenetmen Anthem is “Harach Nahadag,” the marching song of Armenian Volunteer Troupes written by Kevork Garvarents and composed by Parsegh Ganachian.

Garvarents was born in Turkey, in 1882. As a teacher and educator, he taught at schools in several cities throughout Turkey. At the same time, he produced essays, studies, and poems, as well as literary prose.

In 1938, he moved to Greece.  As a strong believer in the vision and the goal of the organization, he joined Homenetmen.

Garvarents is the author of four published books of poems: “Dzover”, “Kerezmani dzaghigner”, “Davigh Yevolian”, and “Jagadakris jangeroun mech”.

He passed away in 1946.

Parsegh Ganachian was born in Rodosto in 1885. At a young age he moved with his family first to Bulgaria and then to Romania, where is studied music and the piano. He was a student of Gomidas Vartabed, who played a decisive role in improving his music proficiency. He established the Kousan Choir, which he directed and conducted himself. The Kousan choir performed in several venues in Lebanon, Cyprus, and elsewhere. He died in Beirut in 1967.

The Anthem in Armenian – Յառաջ Նահատակ

Յառա՜ջ, նահատակ ցեղի անմահներ,
Վեց դարու անմոռ վրէժի զրահներ,
Կատարն հայրենի լերանց հեռագոյն,
Երթանք կոթողել դրօշակն եռագոյն:

Հսկայ նուիրման Տորմիղ հրաթեւ,
Կամաւոր բանակ,
Յառա՜ջ, յառաջ անսասան,
Յառա՜ջ անդեդեւ
Դէպի յաղթանակ, յաղթանակ:

Վատին սեւ արիւն մեր հողն ոռոգեց,
Տարագիր հայն իր կեանքը նորոգեց,
Երէկ՝ շղթայուած, այսօր՝ ինքնավար,
Յարեալ վեհօրէն դամբանէն խաւար:

Հսկայ նուիրման Տորմիղ հրաթեւ,
Կամաւոր բանակ,
Յառա՜ջ, յառաջ անսասան,
Յառա՜ջ անդեդեւ
Դէպի յաղթանակ, յաղթանակ:

The Homenetmen slogan is “Rise and Raise”. It was coined by educator and mathematician, Bedros Adrouni.

As part of the organization’s logo, the slogan is written on the hat and the belt of each Homenetmen scout, and is printed on every official publication and membership card of the organization.

The Rise and Raise logo is created by Stepan Agayian. At the center of the logo is Mount Ararat, with the sun shining between both of its peeks. The Araks River flows from the slopes of the mountain through the valley of Ararat. The words “Rise” and “Raise” are written in Armenian along the circumference of the circle.

The logo was crafted by silversmith Nigoghos H. Jizmejian, father of Hayg Jololian of Homenetmen’s founding generation.

The logo was first published on the cover of January 1st, 1920 issue of “Hay Scout” (“Armenian Scout”), which suggests that it, along with the slogan, was adopted in either the summer or the fall of 1919.

The overarching goal of Homenetmen (Հ.Մ.Ը.Մ., Armenian General Union for Physical Education and Scouts) is to:

Develop young Armenians into model citizens with high moral standards, who are physically fit, and possess both academic and emotional intelligence. Educate organization members to become courageous and resilient, respect the law, follow the rules, and love their country.

Cultivate the notion of duty, responsibility, and honor, along with the spirit of solidarity and mutual respect.

Infuse their minds and souls with the noblest essence of sports.

Homenetmen has its governing body that leads, manages, and coordinates its operations. The governing body consists of different committees elected through corresponding assemblies – the Central Committee, Regional Committee, Solitary Committee, and Chapter Committee.

The organization’s bylaw regulates the rights and obligations of each committee and their relations to other committees.

Central Committee

Homenetmen Central Committee is the organization’s supreme executive body. It is elected by the organization’s General Assembly, which is conferred once every four years.

The Central Committee executes the strategic decisions made by the General Assembly and oversees their implementation in the regions.

Regional Committee

Homenetmen Regional Committee is the organization’s executive body within a region. It is elected by the Regional Representative Assembly for a period of two years. A region is a country or a state that has at least three Homenetmen chapters and a combined number of at least 250 members.

The Regional Committee manages the operational activities of Homenetmen within a region and oversees the activities of its affiliate chapters.

Chapter Committee

Homenetmen Chapter Committee is the executive body of a given chapter and is elected for a period of one year by the General Members Assembly. A chapter is a Homenetmen structure functioning within a city or a district that has at least 15 members over the age of 18.

Solitary Committee

The region (country or state) that does not have a Regional Committee is called a Solitary Region and its executive body is called a Solitary Committee.

Chapter

A chapter is a Homenetmen structure that operates in a city or a district. A group of 15 Homenetmen members over the age of 18 are eligible to form a chapter.

Unit

A unit is a Homenetmen structure that only has a scouting, sports or administrative core team without having 15 Homenetmen members.

Shavarsh Krissian
An important aspect of patriotism is loving those, who will one day embody the vision, hopes, and expectations of their nation. The movement that we’ve just created for every Armenian parent and every Armenian child – the Armenian Boy Scouts Movement – should become as sacred as our faith, because it is built on the principles of patriotism and morality.
Our oath should be simple and brief. The call is a national one because the good that it will generate will also become a national one. The oath is as follows: “On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to my nation and my country.” I take this oath with full consciousness, I sign under it and I ask you: Won’t you want to do the same?

Hovhannes Hintlian

Above all else, we need to save the moral energy of the generations to come, and I do not know anything that serves this end better than scouting. Serious thinkers from all nationalities, from heads of states to university professors, appraise scouting in the entirety of its values as an important organization that aims at educating future generations not only based on the most important modern principles in education and psychology, but also on the needs of modern society.

Then onwards we go, as the dear scouts in Constantinople used to sing. Onwards and fearlessly we go dear young people. The action that you are taking is a noble one and the nation’s gratitude will be your reward.

Krikor Hagopian

It is not without reason that the founders of Homenetmen chose “Armenian General Union for Physical Education and Scouts” as the name of the organization. The name “Sports” was simply not strong enough to convey their ideology. It is not only sports that we adopted, but also physical education in its complete and finest sense.

The anguish suffered by the Armenian people also briefly halted Homenetmen’s progress, but could not remove its good seeds. Homenetmen stands firm and embraces the future with confidence. The organization believes in itself, in its strength, in the eternity of its ideology.  It believes that one day we will have the generations that it now envisions.