GLENDALE, CA — The Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region officially launched the first in what will be a series of journalism workshops to teach young Armenian-Americans the basics of production, broadcast, news writing, and public relations. Guest speakers included film producer Kristen Asadourian, ANC-TV Executive Producer Raffi Asatoorian, and photographer Van Ourfalian—all of whom contributed their knowledge and experiences gained in their corresponding fields.

The seminar panelists addressed an audience of over 50 youth — the majority being ANCA interns and members of ANC Youth and discussed issues related to ongoing ANC-TV projects, and offered suggestions on how to help the show grow and reach larger audiences throughout the Western United States.

“It’s important to make sure our interns are getting the most out of their experience here,” said Angeneh Babaian, the newly appointed project coordinator for the ANCA-WR “Having guest speakers who have experience in the journalism profession is also a great help, because it not only creates a peer-mentor relationship, but also brings the interns a step closer to a career path of their choice.”

ANCA’s internship program consists of Armenian students—ranging in education level from high school to graduate school—who are interested in learning about or improving their skills in politics or journalism. The program started in May 2001 with seven interns, and has since tripled in size to over 25 interns.

“The ANCA internship program has helped me choose a major for college,” said intern Lara Talverdian, an ANCA-WR intern “It’s also great that I’ve already built a portfolio and resume before even starting college.”

ANCA-WR interns meet every Monday at 6:30. All interested candidates should call (818) 500-1918 to become a part of the your local ANC Youth .

The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is the largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots political organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the United States and affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCA actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.