Los Angeles, CA – Last week marked the conclusion of the Summer 2008 Armenian National Committee – Western Region Internship Externship Program (ANC-WR IEP). Established in June 2006, the ANC-WR IEP is a selective and intensive program that provides student leaders and activists with an opportunity to participate in a program designed to provide an in-depth introduction to Armenian American issues as well as advocacy efforts on the federal, state and local level.

This session proved to be an exciting one for the interns and externs as each individual was assigned personal projects in accordance to their area of interest.

During the last week of their internship, each participant presented a final presentation to ANC-WR board members and graduates from previous ANC-WR IEP program sessions. Presentations covered their personal backgrounds, ANC-WR involvement, program achievements and future goals.

This session’s participants were Hovanes Gasparian (UC Berkeley -Community and Government Affairs), Amy Kaladzhyan (UC Santa Barbara – Public and Media Relations), Shant Karnikian (UC Santa Barbara Alum -Community and Government Affairs), Mikael Kourinian (CSU Northridge Alum – Community and Government Affairs), Araz Parseghian (Woodbury Alum – ANC-PN extern), Armine Sargsyan (UCLA – Glendale-Ghapan Sister City Association extern), and Tamar Tavlian (Pasadena City College – Public and Media Relations).

A few of the projects worked on by ANC-WR IEP participants included creating a high school presentation about Armenian American issues aimed at educating non-Armenians, tackling media relations projects, working on issues pertaining to Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as working with sister organizations such as ANC-Professional Network and the Glendale-Ghapan Sister City Association. As a group, the interns and externs also tackled a larger endeavor, the creation of an ANC-IEP promotional video and video blogging on hot topics such as the recent ambassadorial hearings.

In addition to working on individual projects, the interns and externs also participated in weekly workshops designed to hone professional skills which educated them about various organizations that work with the Armenian American community all while assisting the IEP participants to network in a comfortable environment.

ANC-WR is looking forward to a new class of interns beginning this fall.

The Armenian National Committee – Western Region is the largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy organization in the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States and affiliated organizations around the country, the ANC-WR advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.

Photo Caption – ANC-WR IEP Summer 2008 Participants at ANC-WR offices.