Harout Kassabian, Armenian Community Centre media coordinator, left, Sevan Hajiartinian, of Homenetmen Toronto, and Sevag Khoshian, Armenian Community Centre president, stand in the parking lot where a new 15,479 square foot expansion of the existing Armenian Youth Centre will take place. – Dan Pearce/Metroland
Users of the Armenian Community Centre’s youth centre are applauding a $4.2-million project to expand and renovate the North York recreational facility.
“We’re very excited because (more) space is always something that we’re looking for as our community grows,” said Sevan Hajiartinian, an executive committee member of Homenetmen Toronto, which runs scouting and athletics programs for Armenian youth at the Armenian Youth Centre (AYC). The facility is “the second home for our youth,” Hajiartinian added.
The AYC, at 50 Hallcrown Pl. near Victoria Park and Sheppard avenues, was built in 2004 and features meeting, conference, theatrical, dance and athletics space.
Construction to expand the facility is expected to begin this summer and be completed in the fall of 2023.
Sevan Hajiartinian is a member of the executive committee of Homenetmen Toronto. Dan Pearce/Metroland
Homenetmen Toronto runs about 10 programs out of the facility for more than 500 youth.
“The sports programs are basketball, volleyball, soccer, floor hockey and chess,” said Hajiartinian, stressing the organization is “running out of space” as “more youth join the programs.”
Scarborough resident Haig Artounian, 18, who has been participating in scouting and sports programs at the AYC since he was five, said the facility is a gathering place for members of the Armenian community to have fun, socialize and stay healthy. The first-year university student said the centre is also a place where he could speak Armenian and practice his culture.
It helps me not forget my roots,” Artounian said, noting he’s “very excited” for the expansion.
The construction project involves a 15,479-square-foot expansion of the AYC and will include six multi-purpose rooms, a music room, a common room and a robotics lab.
“This way, we have everything under one umbrella,” Hajiartinian said.
The project also includes improvements to the AYC such as an expanded gathering lounge, a larger entrance to the facility, new accessible universal washrooms and renovations of the gymnasium floor and HVAC system.
“All of this is going to benefit the youth greatly,” said Hajiartinian.
An architectural rendering of the proposed expansion to the Armenian Youth Centre. Armenian Community Centre image
The project is mostly government funded. The federal government is providing $1.7 million through the Community, Culture and Recreation Infrastructure Stream of the Investing in Canada plan while the province is contributing more than $1.4 million. The Armenian Community Centre (ACC), meanwhile, will spend more than $1.1 million.
“Our needs for different types of facilities have increased, from all angles, from a cultural perspective, from a youth perspective,” ACC president Sevag Khoshian said in a recent interview. “We are really excited and thankful to both governments and also thankful to our community (for) being ready to support (the project) as well.”
The ACC, established in 1968, is a charity that operates out of two centres: the Armenian Community Centre facility at 45 Hallcrown and the adjacent Armenian Youth Centre.
ACC media co-ordinator Harout Kassabian said the two facilities serve more than 50,000 people annually. “With the expansion we look forward to serving 15,000 additional Ontarians per year through 1,600 new community meetings, athletics, social, and cultural programs per year,” he said in an email.
Toronto Armenian community 'very excited' over $4.2 million youth centre expansion | Toronto.com
Khoshian, a Scarborough resident who moved to Canada in 2000, said the two buildings are a hub for Toronto’s Armenian community, noting many community members, including he, live near Victoria Park and Sheppard.
The AYC, he said, gives Armenian youth a sense of belonging. “It’s a building where they feel at home in every sense.”
Kassabian noted about 10 organizations currently use the AYC.
Scarborough-Agincourt MPP Aris Babikian, who’s the first Armenian-Canadian member of the provincial legislature, said in a statement that the project will help “Armenian-Canadian youth fulfil their potential and contribute to the well-being of our society and province.”
Khoshian said his group has formed a construction committee that’s looking into how to minimize program disruptions during the construction period. Currently there are no activities at the AYC due to government pandemic restrictions.
Hajiartinian said the shutdown has been difficult on the community. “We’re hoping as things return to normalcy again, we’re going to be able to go there,” she said. “It’s a very important part of our life, our weekends, our evenings, so it’s a huge part of our community.”
STORY BEHIND THE STORY: When reporter Andrew Palamarchuk learned about plans to expand and renovate the Armenian Youth Centre, he wanted to hear what impact this would have on community members who use the facility.
Andrew Palamarchuk is a reporter with Metroland Media Toronto and toronto.com. He has been covering the crime beat since 2002 and has a passion for giving a voice to those affected by tragedy and looking at societal issues that may have contributed to it.