About Homenetmen
Source: http://web.homenetmen.co/history/
The words Homenetmen translates in English to ARMENIAN GENERAL ATHLETIC UNION AND SCOUTS. Our Motto is Partsratsir Partsratsour which translates to “Rise and Raise” (Elevate yourself and elevate others with you).
Dating back to 1910, Armenians living in Constantinople participated and prospered in various athletic groups. One of the coaches of these groups, Shavarsh Krissian, with the help of his periodical “Manramarz” publicized the need to unite all Armenians under one organization. Unification plans were halted as in 1914 World War I began. Soon after in 1915 the Armenian Genocide tragically took the life of Shavarsh Krissian as he along with other Armenian intellectuals and leaders were killed at the Ayachi prison in Bosporus.
With the end of the war, a new group of Armenians set out to continue Krissian’s dream. Seven Armenians convened a meeting in Constantinoples on November 16, 1918 in order to unite all of the Armenian athletic group under the name “Homenetmen” (Armenian General Athletic Union and Scouts).
The participants of the Homenetmen Constituent Meeting were as follows: Grigor Hagopian, Dikran Khoian, Levon Hagopian, Karlo Shahinian, Haig Jizmejian, Vahram Papazian, & Jirair Khorasanjian.
The first Homenetmen Executive Committee was formed on December 16 of 1918. After its establishment in 1918, four Homenetmen chapters were soon opened in various Constantinople neighbourhoods.
On July 20, 1920 the founding members of Homenetmen were officially invited to the independent Republic of Armenia. The purpose of the meeting was to share both their knowledge and expertise regarding athleticism and scouting with the Republic’s government. The Homenetmen Executive Committee sent Vahan Cheraz, Dikran Khoian, and Onig Yazmajian to the meeting. Although initially successful in their efforts to spread Homenetmen’s athletic and scouting movement within Armenia, Homenetmen later was banned from Armenia after Armenia’s succession into the Soviet Socialist Republic.
Similarly, in 1922, the Homenetmen chapters in Constantinople were forced to close their doors. This caused the organization’s leaders to disperse throughout the world.
In 1924, the organization’s development resumed establishing a chapter in Beirut, Lebanon, and later on in 1925 in Aleppo, Syria. From that point on Homenetmen continued to organize chapters within the large Armenian communities in the area.
Homenetmen has since established various chapters in the Armenian diaspora including in many cities in the Middle East, Europe, United States, Canada, South America and Australia.
Almost all chapters established have activities in Scouting and sports. The mission of Homenetmen is to prepare physically strong Armenians and exemplary citizens with the highest intellectual and spiritual virtues:
- By teaching them to be resilient and brave, patriotic, law-abiding and disciplined
- By developing awareness of duty, feelings of responsibility and honour, in a spirit of harmony and cooperation.
- By filling the mind and heart with the noblest of sporting spirit.
Homenetmen objectives are realized by Scouting, general physical education and sports, lectures, seminars and public activities, publications, clubs and sports centres.
Today Homenetmen is a worldwide organization with over 25,000 members on five continents.
