Come Home To Ararat
Homenetmen Scouting isn’t just an activity — it’s a century-old worldwide tradition. Founded in 1918, Homenetmen now spans roughly 90 chapters on five continents, all built around one idea: raise kids with strong character, strong bodies, and a strong connection to their heritage.
every scout eventually leads, mentors, and steps up
history, language, songs, and traditions woven into everything they do
Ararat is chartered with the Boy Scouts of America's Verdugo Hills Council, so scouts earn nationally recognized BSA ranks alongside their Homenetmen ranks
first aid, fire-building, camping, teamwork, earned through a structured rank system (not just handed out)
the same troop, moving up together, year after year
top scouts travel to the Pan-Homenetmen Jamboree, joining hundreds of scouts from Armenia, Lebanon, France, Australia, Canada, and beyond
Sunday gatherings mixing exercise, games, scouting skills, and Armenian culture — building toward camping trips, regional events, and Ararat’s own annual week-long summer camp.
Homenetmen (Հ.Մ.Ը.Մ. — the Armenian General Athletic Union and Scouts) was founded in Constantinople in 1918 by Shavarsh Krissian, Hovhannes Hintlian, and Krikor Hagopian, in the aftermath of the Armenian Genocide. Its founders believed that the generation that survived the Genocide needed to be raised with strong bodies, strong character, and a strong connection to their heritage — so that the Armenian nation could rebuild and endure. That founding idea — “a strong mind in a strong body” — is still the heartbeat of Homenetmen Scouting today.
Over the past century, Homenetmen has grown into a worldwide organization with roughly 100 chapters and members across five continents — from Armenia, Lebanon, Syria, and Cyprus, to France, Sweden, Australia, Canada, and across the United States. Wherever there is an Armenian community, there is very likely a Homenetmen chapter, and wherever there is a Homenetmen chapter, there is a Scouting troop. The organization’s motto, “Partsratsir yev Partsratsour” — “Elevate Yourself and Others With You” — captures its guiding spirit: personal growth that is always in service of something bigger than yourself.
Since our chapter’s founding in 1978, our Scouting Division has grown into one of the largest Boy Scout troops in the United States, with roughly 500 scouts across 16 troops and units. We are proud members of the Boy Scouts of America’s Verdugo Hills Council, which means our scouts earn recognized BSA advancement alongside their Homenetmen ranks.
Ararat runs year-round programs for every age, every interest:
honesty, discipline, responsibility, and service to others
strength, endurance, and courage, built through activity, sport, and the outdoors
language, history, culture, and a lifelong connection to the Armenian community
cooperation, civic responsibility, and the confidence to lead
Scouts work toward these goals through weekly meetings, hikes, community service, seminars, and — the part most kids love best — camping trips and jamborees, both local and international.
| Age Group | Division | Roughly Ages |
|---|---|---|
| Gagough Tatig / Mogli | Youngest co-ed group | 5–6 |
| Kaylig (boys) / Ardzvig (girls) | Cub Scouts | 6/7–10/11 |
| Ari (boys) / Arenoush (girls) | Scouts | 11/12–17 |
| Krtser / Venturing Crew | Older teen scouts | mid-teens+ |
| Leadership | Adult scout leaders | 18+ |
Weekly gatherings. Scouts meet regularly (Sundays at Ararat) in age- and gender-based groups, opening and closing with a flag ceremony. A typical day mixes physical exercise, games, scouting skills, Armenian history and culture lessons, songs and chants (ganches), and group projects — all led by trained, mostly-volunteer youth and adult leaders who were often scouts themselves.
Camping and the outdoors. Every year builds toward camping trips (panagoums) — from single-night local outings to Ararat’s own annual week-long summer camp — where scouts pitch tents, cook, hike, build campfires, and learn practical outdoor skills alongside teamwork and independence.
A ranking system that builds real skills. Like Scouting programs worldwide, Homenetmen scouts advance through a structured series of ranks, each one testing a broader set of skills:
Within the Ari/Arenoush years, scouts climb a rank ladder — Norakeer, Norundza, Pen Gark, Ayp Gark, Vgayal Gark, and ultimately the Araratian rank — earning badges for first aid, camping and outdoor skills, Homenetmen and Armenian history, and leadership. Each rank is examined and earned, not simply handed out, so scouts genuinely master the material as they go. Because Ararat is chartered through the Boy Scouts of America, scouts also progress through recognized BSA ranks in parallel.
A worldwide community, not just a local club. This is where Homenetmen Scouting is truly distinctive. Scouts don’t just camp with their own troop — they travel to regional camps with other Southern California chapters, and the most dedicated scouts qualify to attend the Pan-Homenetmen Scout Jamboree, held roughly every four years and bringing together hundreds of scouts from a dozen-plus countries (past jamborees have been held in Armenia, Greece, France, England, and Bulgaria). A scout who joins Ararat at age 6 can, by their teenage years, be marching alongside scouts from Beirut, Sydney, Toronto, Paris, and Yerevan — friendships and a sense of identity that last a lifetime.
Parents considering Ararat Scouting for their child can expect their scout to come away with:
every scout is eventually asked to lead a group, run an activity, or mentor a younger scout
first aid, fire-building, camp-craft, navigation, teamwork under real conditions
fluency in Homenetmen and Armenian history, songs, and traditions that many kids don't get anywhere else
through structured exercise, sport, and active outdoor time every week
scouts move up through the ranks together with the same "troop family," often for over a decade
scouts regularly take part in Armenian community events (April 24 commemorations, parades, fundraisers, honor guard duty) and learn what it means to give back
through our BSA Verdugo Hills Council affiliation, Ararat scouts also earn nationally recognized Boy Scout/Girl Scout ranks and merit badges
Homenetmen Ararat’s Scouting Division offers what few programs can: an established, century-old international scouting tradition, dual advancement through both Homenetmen and BSA ranks, one of the largest and most active troops in the country, and a genuine extended family that a scout can belong to from kindergarten through adulthood — and often pass on to their own children one day.
