One reason that Iranian Alliances Across Borders had its second annual leadership camp for Iranian-American high school students at Hemlock Overlook Park this year was that Ramin Bajoghli remembered the park from his childhood.
The 23-year-old co-executive director of the organization grew up in Springfield and, like many Fairfax County students, went on a class trip to Hemlock during his sixth-grade year at Garfield Elementary. "So I always had it in the back of my head," said Bajoghli, adding that he had pushed for the first camp to be at Hemlock, which is located in the Clifton area. Last year's camp, however, took place on Thompson Island, off the coast of Boston.
The weeklong leadership camp, known as Camp Ayandeh — Iranian for "future" — draws youth from all over the country. Nineteen students attended last year's camp, and this year's session, which ended Saturday, drew 49 campers.
Camp project manager Nasim Hanif Hurd, who hails from Portland, Ore., explained that the camp was designed to strengthen the Iranian-American community by providing its youth with positive role models, teaching them leadership skills and educating them about Iranian culture. The hope, he said, is that campers will go on to make contributions such as leading Iranian-American cultural events or establishing Iranian-American trade associations.
"I never had anything like this when I was growing up," said Hurd, noting that he had seen friends and classmates benefit from similar ventures, such as Hebrew camp. What he ended up enjoying most about the camp was the "family atmosphere" that developed there, he said.
Arjang Navab, 14, a Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology student from the City of Fairfax, said he had been told by his cousin, who is involved in Iranian Alliances Across Borders (IAAB), that the camp would influence him to cherish his culture and become active in the Iranian-American community. Camp Ayandeh, he said, "definitely succeeded" in that measure. "Now, my mission is to educate others and educate myself about the Iranian culture," said Navab.
What he had not expected was that the camp would boost his faith in teamwork, he said. Hemlock's Center for Experiential Education features a series of team-building exercises." And I created bonds that I honestly never expected to make in one week's time," Navab added.
Tina Safaie, 15, a James Madison High School student from Vienna, said she had learned much about both leadership skills and Iranian culture. She noted that one day's activities had included "culture booths" manned by the counselors. Each booth focused on a different aspect of Iranian culture, from poetry to geography.
"I learned a lot, and I had fun with people," said Safaie, adding that she wished the camp lasted longer. "I'm really excited to see who's going to be here next year," she said.
"I think it's great," said Kamran Rowshandel, 14, also of Vienna, noting that, unlike school, where students often separate themselves into groups, the camp provided an environment where everyone interacted with everyone else.
ONE WAY Rowshandel said the camp encouraged him to embrace his culture was through a name game in which each camper said his or her name and told the group either what the name meant or how his or her parents had settled on it. For those who did not know what their names meant, counselors looked up the meanings. Rowshandel noted that Iranians often overlook mispronunciations of their names. "Now, you can say, 'No this is how it's pronounced, and this is what it means," he said.
His favorite activity, however, was "Iranian dodgeball," a variation on the traditional game.
Ranna Khorram, 16, was one of about 15 campers who flew in from California, and she said the week was "definitely" worth the trip. She noted that she had talked about things with other campers that she had not discussed with even her close friends.
Khorram said she especially enjoyed the "gender discussions," in which boys and girls were separated to talk about matters they might not have brought up around members of the opposite sex. For example, she said, "we talked about how our parents feel about dating and how parents are a lot more lenient on boys than girls." The girls found out that most of their parents are "pretty traditional," she said.
IAAB started as a student organization in 2003 and became an official nonprofit organization the next year, said Shirin Hakimzadeh, the group's other co-executive director. The goal of the organization is to strengthen the "Iranian Diaspora community," she said. To that end, a conference takes place every other year. "We were having a hard time attracting younger people to it," Hakimzadeh said of the conference, noting that the dearth of interested youths spawned the idea for a camp.
She said Hemlock was chosen this year in part because it was more accessible than last year's island setting.
Bajoghli noted that the cabins and campfires gave Hemlock more of a "camp" feel and that its proximity to both an airport and the Washington, D.C. area, where many of the campers live, was also an advantage. He said the Hemlock staff had also proved to be very helpful.
"They really participated with us and kind of joined our community," said Hakimzadeh. In return, the campers laid logs along trails and piled mulch around some of the trees at the park.
Brian Goldsmith, a park account manager who lives on-site, noted that it was a pleasant change to have a group stay over the Fourth of July week. "It's usually really slow that week," he said.
The campers celebrated Independence Day with a kebab feast laid out on a huge Fourth of July tablecloth "to make sure we co-exist between the two cultures," said Bajoghli.
Whether or not Camp Ayandeh is held at Hemlock next year will depend on how many campers register, he said.