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ANCA-WR Summer Interns Contribute to Grassroots Initiatives

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  • ANCA-WR Summer Interns Contribute to Grassroots Initiatives

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    Armenian National Committee - Western Region
    104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
    Glendale, California 91206
    Phone: 818.500.1918 Fax: 818.246.7353
    [email protected] www.anca.org

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    PRESS RELEASE +++ PRESS RELEASE

    For Immediate Release: Thursday, September 7, 2006

    Contact: Lerna Kayserian

    Tel: (818) 500-1918

    ANCA-WR Summer Interns Contribute to Grassroots Initiatives

    GLENDALE, CA - The Armenian National Committee of America - Western
    Region (ANCA-WR) completed its 2006 Summer Internship Program last
    month. The program began on June 23rd and ended on August 18, with
    interns from across the western region United States working to
    advance the Armenian Cause.

    Salpi Demirjian, a high school student from Gilbert, Arizona and an
    active member of the Armenian Youth Federation Phoenix Chapter, was
    among the participants of the internship program. During her time at
    the ANCA-WR office, she created and updated a community database of
    Arizona Armenians and identified state grant programs in California
    related to the mission of the ANCA.

    Sossie Mahroukian, a recent graduate of the California State University
    at Fullerton, joined the program from Orange County. Ms.

    Mahroukian earned her degree in Business Marketing. During the
    internship, she explored opportunities for collaboration between the
    ANCA and community organizations that share similar goals. Her main
    project involved outreach to local Democratic and Republican party
    clubs in an effort to connect the Armenian American community with
    each political party's base. Her project fell within the broader
    efforts of the ANCA to engage Armenian Americans more actively in
    local community politics.

    Teresa Petrosyan, a Valley Village resident and a UCLA junior studying
    International Development, spent her internship working with the
    Genocide Education Project. The Genocide Education Project assists
    educators in teaching about human rights and genocide, particularly the
    Armenian Genocide, by developing instructional materials and providing
    teaching resources and organizing training workshops. Working closely
    with Raffi Momjian, the Genocide Education Project's Executive Director
    and Sarah Cohan, the Genocide Education Project's Education Director,
    Ms. Petrosyan identified school districts in California in which
    genocide education workshops should be organized.

    Allen Yekikan, a Glendale resident and UCLA junior studying history,
    worked on increasing the accessibility of the ANCA as a resource for
    the Armenian community. As part of his project, he catalogued the video
    and book library of the Western Region office and created a digital
    lending system. Mr. Yekikan also compiled a speaker bureau featuring
    ANCA and community leaders, which could be used by Armenian collegiate
    organizations to help them identify speakers on various topics. Both
    the library lending system and speaker bureau will be launched via the
    ANCA website this fall. In addition to interning at the ANCA-WR office,
    Mr. Yekikan also worked as an extern with Asbarez Daily Newspaper,
    where he served as an assistant editor for the English edition.

    In addition to their individual projects, the interns participated in
    the daily activities of the Western Region office. They participated
    in meetings during the Congressional summer recess along with ANCA-WR
    board members, staff and local ANC leadership. The interns also joined
    former interns and volunteers in staffing the ANCA-WR exhibit at
    the California Republican Party state convention, where they helped
    introduce the organization to elected officials, party leadership
    and delegates from across the state.

    The program also included a lecture series as well as weekly press
    reviews in which the interns presented and discussed news articles
    related to Armenian American issues. The lecture series began with
    an introduction to the history of Armenian American advocacy and
    political awareness in the United States, including the inception,
    growth and continued development of the ANCA.

    "The meetings and press reviews are inspiring, informative, and
    educational," remarked Ms. Petrosyan. "We met professionals with
    political knowledge and skills. They are good advisors - especially
    to those of us interested in pursuing a career in public service."

    The interns were treated to a special lecture presentation by
    Glendale City Councilman Rafi Manoukian and Glendale City Clerk
    Ardashes Kassakhian, who discussed the importance of Armenian American
    involvement in public service. The interns were also given a tour of
    Los Angeles City Hall, led by former Leo Sarkissian Intern Rostom
    Sarkissian. The tour was made possible by Areen Ibranossian, ANCA
    activist and aide to Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

    "I enjoyed the atmosphere of the program. The staff members were
    friendly and I learned a lot from them about how the ANCA runs
    day-to-day," commented Mr. Yekikan. "It was interesting to learn about
    the long history of the organization and I am amazed with the amount
    of progress we have made in empowering our community in the past
    decades. I was glad I could contribute to advancing our community's
    issues through the internship program."

    The ANCA-WR Internship Program is also offered during the fall
    and spring. More information about these programs is available by
    contacting ANCA-WR Community Relations Director Haig Hovsepian.

    Editor's Note: Photo included(left to right): Allen Yekikan,
    Teresa Petrosyan, Former ANCA-WR Chairman Levon Kirkosian, Sossie
    Mahroukian, Salpi Demirjian, and ANCA-WR Community Relations Director,
    Haig Hovsepian.
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