Eight Local Students Graduate from ANCG Summer Internship Program
September 1, 2009

GLENDALE, CA – The Armenian National Committee Glendale Chapter summer internship program concluded on Friday, August 28, 2009. Throughout the tenure of the program, 8 local students, Talar Alexanian, Caroon Al-Rayes, Marie Danielian, Katya Kazarian, Poulineh Manasi, Souren Abraham Odabachian, Arax Sarkisyan, and Anasheh Tahmasian, participated in a range of activities, meetings, and workshops in order to gain experience in taking an active role in their community.

“The ANC Glendale internship program proved to be a wonderful avenue which increased my understanding of issues affecting our city and the Armenian-American community, improved my communication skills, and increased my awareness of the inner workings of the Glendale city government,” stated summer intern, Talar Alexanian.  “I thoroughly enjoyed voicing my opinions to the Glendale City Council and Glendale Unified School District Board (GUSD), which demonstrated to me that as an individual, you can truly make an impact in your community,” added Alexanian.

One of the key elements of the internship program was the weekly workshops which gave interns an in-depth understanding of the multifaceted operations of the city and the needs of the community.  Glendale City Clerk, Ardashes Kassakhian, gave a lecture on “who’s who” in Glendale and presented the functions and structure of each department, while Councilmember Laura Friedman discussed local issues and advocacy, providing interns with a thorough understanding of council-manager form of government. Glendale City College Trustee, Ann Ransford joined interns on week five for a workshop on fundamentals of fundraising, including fundraising principles and how to develop fact sheets. The guest speakers for July concluded with political consultant, Eric Hacopian of EDH and Associates, who discussed political consulting and advocacy as a career.

During week seven, interns geared up for “Campaigning 101” with William Bairamian who worked on the Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama presidential campaigns and had the opportunity to visit a local campaign headquarter the following week. Participants also got an inside look at GUSD issues with GUSD Board member Nayiri Nahabedian, resume writing and interview skills with Vicken Chitilian of ANC Professional Network and current city issues with Councilmember Ara Najarian. The program had a very exciting tenth week during which interns met the directors of all city departments and spent the rest of the day shadowing a department chair of their choice.  This was all topped off with a tour of Horizon | Asbarez News where interns learned about the different facets and components of Armenian media and a final workshop on community organizing with GUSD board member Christine Walters.

“The ANCG Internship Program served as a bedrock to my future endeavors and furthered my interest in community activism. It allowed me to build confidence, self- assurance and participate in civic duties for an overall enlightening experience,” stated GCC student and ANCG Summer Intern, Marie Danielian.

Throughout the duration of the program, interns were also required to work on individual and group projects such as hosting voter registration drives and raising funds for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, as well as to take part in city meetings.  The latter consisted of both oral and written communications about issues they strongly care about to City Council, Glendale Unified School District board, and Glendale Community College Board of Trustees and newspapers like the Glendale News Press and Los Angeles Times.

Established in the Fall of 2007, the ANCG internship program is a selective part-time, leadership training program which introduces high school and college students to all aspects of the public affairs arena.  The program provides an opportunity for student leaders to gain an in-depth understanding of city and Armenian-American issues as well as advocacy efforts on the local level. The program hosts spring, summer, and fall sessions.

For more information or to request applications for the fall 2009 session contact the ANCG headquarters at (818) 243-3444,info@ancglendale.org or visit www.ancglendale.org.

ANC-Glendale promotes increased Armenian American civic participation and engagement at the grassroots and public policy levels.

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