GLENDALE—The Armenian Youth Federation Juniors Central Council (AYF JCC) has announced the launch of a new program established to motivate and encourage its members to excel in their academic and career related pursuits.
Aptly named “Junior Achievers,” the program aims to highlight and encourage AYF Juniors members’ advancement in the areas of technology/sciences, civic activism, arts, media, and athletics.
“As a part of our organizational mission, the AYF Juniors organization strives to enrich its members with experiences, information and resources they cannot get elsewhere,” said Saro Shirinian, chairman of the AYF JCC. “The Junior Achievers program will highlight and offer significant rewards to members who have led exemplary efforts whether in the classroom, through extracurricular activities or with volunteerism.”
Nominations for consideration as Junior Achievers come from chapter executives. The AYF JCC reviews the nominations it receives and selects finalists who are then interviewed individually to select the winner for each of the five categories.
“In addition to investing in our members, we view the Junior Achievers program as a vehicle through which we can encourage and motivate our youth to not only pursue education and careers in fields of influence, but to also strive to be the very best in these fields,” said Shirinian.
Winners receive two prizes. A monetary scholarship award will be paired with a unique experience tailored to each winner. Experiences will include opportunities to meet, speak with and learn from accomplished and successful individuals from various industries.
“We have all seen the positive influence recognizable leaders can bring to issues of importance to the Armenian community,” said AYF Burbank Juniors Chapter Director Nazeli Khodabakhsh. “Serj Tankian in arts, Alexis Ohanian in IT, and Araksya Karapetyan in media are just a few examples of exemplary citizens using their success for community good. I view the Junior Achievers program as an organized effort to get our youth to think about and pursue excellence in academia and careers,” said Khodabakhsh.
The AYF JCC is currently finalizing the selection of the winners for the inaugural program cycle, with plans to accept nominations for a second program cycle later this year.
The AYF Juniors is a community organization for youth specifically for the ages of 8 to 16 years old. As an extension of the AYF and its core values, the AYF Juniors connect youth with their Armenian heritage, and politically and socially engages them with critical issues facing Armenians. For more information or to join follow AYF Juniors Western Region on Facebook, e-mail ayfjuniors@ayfwest.org or call (818) 500-8883.
