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CANBERRA: Building on the major success of the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC-AU) Youth Advocates program, the peak Armenian-Australian public affairs organisation launched the inaugural Junior Advocates program, designed to help pave the way for Year 11 High School students to consider careers in politics and associated disciplines.

The ANC-AU Junior Advocates program, which was brought to life through a generous $10,000 anonymous donation, took place on Wednesday 3rd August 2023 and Thursday 4th August 2023, featured 21 Year 11 students from Galstaun College – the largest bilingual co-educational Armenian school based in Sydney’s Northern Beaches, who were joined by members of the ANC-AU National Board and National Office.



Over the course of two days during the Federal Parliament's latest sitting week, the Junior Advocates participated in several hands-on workshops, which included the following activities:

• Job Shadow segment - Participants shadowed parliamentary staffers and Members of Parliament in Australia’s Federal Parliament to get a taste of what life on the inside looks like, all whilst assisting in conducting parliamentary tasks.

• Mock Group Interview segment - In small groups, participants went head to head, vying for a position as an Electorate Officer. For many of them, this was their first time participating in such a scenario and was  a unique opportunity to gain valuable and real-life experience prior to entering the workforce.

• A Day in the Life of a Staffer segment - All our participants had the opportunity to sit down with a Ministerial staffer to hear about the highs and lows of politics and what the day-to-day is like for parliamentary staffers.

• My Voice, My Choice - Following a tour of Old Parliament House, our Junior Advocates acted as Members of Parliament and were given 20 minutes to draft their own Private Member's statement on an issue important to them and rose and deliver it in front of their peers.

• Networking Event - In the presence of Parliamentary staffers, lobbyists and community leaders, our Junior Advocates had the opportunity to network with those working in the political world and hear directly from them.

The Junior Advocates also witnessed the ANC-AU’s lobbying in action over the course of two days, and were present when Gavin Pearce MP signed the Joint Justice Initiative's Affirmation of Support document calling for Federal recognition of the 1915 Genocides of the Armenians, Assyrians and Greeks.

Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC-AU), Michael Kolokossian said, “It was all very exciting. After witnessing the success of our Youth Advocates program these last four years, it only made sense that we would further boost our outreach efforts to younger, high-school-aged students.”

“We are committed to ensuring the younger generation of Armenians are walking the corridors in Federal Parliament as Electorate Officers, Advisers and Chiefs of Staff. As they prepare to embark on their future careers, it is our responsibility to guide them as they make the biggest decision of their lives. Through this practical program, we were able to show them what a career in and around politics could look like and provided a platform closer than the sidelines to critical decision-making positions,” added Kolokossian.