IAAB News

Tina Pak: From Tehran to Camp Ayandeh

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For five years, IAAB’s Camp Ayandeh has brought together Iranian American youth from different walks of life, playing host to both first and second generation Iranian Americans. Camp Ayandeh 2010, however, was unique in that 15-year-old first time camper Tina Pak had moved from Iran to the U.S. just three days before arriving at Notre Dame de Namur University for the first day of camp.

The Pak family decided to move from Tehran to the United States in order to create stronger relationships with their relatives who live here. Tina’s cousin, Nima Sadri, had already participated in IAAB’s Camp Ayandeh twice before he suggested that she attend as well.

“The Camp Ayandeh community has become my second family.” Nima says. “Each year I’ve made new friends, grown as an individual, gained leadership skills, and have learned how to work well with others. Camp Ayandeh has been an instrumental part of respecting and appreciating my Iranian-American identity.” Read more: Tina Pak: From Tehran to Camp Ayandeh

Ph.D Student Neda Maghbouleh Researches Social Impact of Camp Ayandeh 2010

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This summer, Neda Maghbouleh, a Ph.D candidate at the Department of Sociology at University of California, Santa Barbara, will be conducting research on how IAAB’s Camp Ayandeh shapes the social and cultural identities of its participants. Read more: Ph.D Student Neda Maghbouleh Researches Social Impact of Camp Ayandeh 2010

KBOO 90.7 FM Portland features IAAB on 'Persian Hour with Bahram', April 11, 2010

Rosa Rad, Public Relations Associate, and Pantea Faed, Camp Ayandeh 2010 Associate, were interviewed by Bahram Bahmanyar on his popular radio show "Persian Hour with Bahram" in Portland, Oregon on April 11, 2010. KBOO 90.7 FM hosted IAAB on its show to discuss the upcoming fifth anniversary of Camp Ayandeh, which will take place on the West Coast for the first time this summer at Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, California.

Shabe-e Yalda Reunites Camp Ayandeh Campers, Counselors For a Night of Music and Celebration

On the evening of Saturday, January 2nd, friends and family celebrated the Winter solstice at the annual Shab-e Yalda party hosted by the Rad family. The Rads, of whom current IAAB staff members Rosa and Reza are Camp Ayandeh alumni, and whose older sister Fereshteh is a returning counselor, have been involved with IAAB for years.

“We throw a party for Yalda because it's an important holiday in Iranian culture and it tends to be forgotten,” Rosa Rad explained. “Our party is a way for everyone to get together and see each other, while celebrating an important Iranian holiday.”

Amongst the guests that evening, 18 were former Camp Ayandeh attendees, all of whom enjoyed a night of eating pomegranate, ash reshteh, music and dancing.

“I try to embrace my Iranian culture as much as possible,” said Autusa Pahlavan, who attended Camp Ayandeh for the first time in 2009. “I love coming to [the Rad’s] Shab-e Yalda party –I always have a great time.”

Iranian American 2010 Census Coalition Mobilizes

The 2010 United States Census (the "Census") provides the Iranian community in the United States the opportunity to stand up and be counted.

Mandated by the United States Constitution, the Census is an official count of everyone residing in the United States that occurs every 10 years and includes people of all ages, races, and ethnic groups regardless of citizenship status. The Census is used as a benchmark for businesses, professional organizations, and government officials in determining how social services are allocated, the influence of a minority community, and funding for critical community programs. According to the 2000 Census, only 338,000 individuals were classified as Iranian Americans while the actual number is believed to be at least two or three times larger.

The Iranian American 2010 Census Coalition is taking a proactive role to ensure that our community’s statistics are accurately reflected and that it has access to key services and an enhanced political voice. With that in mind, the Iranian American 2010 Census Coalition has assembled an informational and instructional pamphlet, available in both English [Census Pamplet 2010 (English PDF)] and Farsi [Census Pamplet 2010 (Farsi PDF)], to answer questions about the U.S. Census.

By uniting and mobilizing for the 2010 Census, the Iranian American community will achieve greater prominence while also gaining a better understanding of its unique needs.

IAAB Launches CampAyandeh.org - Camp Ayandeh's Sister Site

Camp Ayandeh is right around the corner and the IAAB staff is excitedly putting the finishing touches on preparation before the first day of camp this Sunday, June 28!

Camp Ayandeh 2009, which will be held June 28- July 5 at Duquette Academy in Western Massachusetts, will be the fourth installment of IAAB's leadership camp for Iranian-American youth. This week-long program strives to create a positive, inclusive environment in which each camper has the opportunity to grow and develop as they create lasting friendships among other hyphenated Iranian youth.

This year, IAAB has created a sister site, www.campayandeh.org, that will be updated regularly throughout the week to share the Camp Ayandeh experience with family and friends. Campayandeh.org will offer a blog following campers and activities, podcasts for a behind-the-scenes look at camp, daily video clips, and op-ed articles of issues discussed at Camp Ayandeh. In addition, we are happy to introduce the 2009 Camp Ayandeh staff on this site. We encourage you to take the opportunity to learn more about these young Iranian-Americans by reading the "Meet the Staff" section. Camp Ayandeh counselors serve as role models who can relate to the realities of Iranian-American teenage life and offer support and guidance as campers adjust to high school and transition into college.

We are looking forward to our fourth summer of Camp Ayandeh. See you soon!

www.campayandeh.org

Radio Zamaneh Coverage of the Fourth International Conference

Radio Zamaneh, a Holland-based Iranian online radio station, was present at the Fourth International Conference on the Iranian Diaspora. Over the two-day Conference, Radio Zamaneh conducted interviews with various conference speakers and panelists such as Ross Mirkarimi, Banafsheh Akhlaghi and Rudi Bakhtiar, IAAB staff members Sepanta Mohseni and Sherry Hakimi and other conference attendees. Portions of the conference were also recorded and broadcast. For the full Radio Zamaneh broadcast, please click on play below:

For more information on Radio Zamaneh, please visit their website.

Fourth International Conference on the Iranian Diaspora Recap (4/8/09)

The Fourth International Conference on the Iranian Diaspora, which took place this past weekend on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley, was a great success. Various speakers, scholars, students and members of the Iranian community congregated from diverse parts of the United States and the world, to share in the discussions most important to Iranians in the diaspora today. Some highlights of the event included:

John Tehranian's discussion of the ambivalent effects of "white" identification among Middle Eastern Americans
NIAC and PAAIA's discussions on the most effect means of political influence-building
Round table discussion featuring Ross Mirkarimi, Banafsheh Akhlaghi, Hooman Khalili, and Rudi Bakhtiar on the successes and challenges facing Iranians in the United States
Gelareh Bassiry's important confrontation with domestic violence and notions of patriarchy that escape most public discourse on the status of Iranian women living abroad
Taghi Amirani's presentation that caused bouts of laughter and tears through his discussion of the commodification of Iranian expertise and the inherent inaccessibility of Iran, even to Iranians
Fared Shafinury and Sholi's high energy and virtuosic performances on Saturday night, including a rock cover of Googoosh and legendary percussionist Pezhham Akhavass

Thank you to our community for its support of this amazing project. It was a weekend filled with great ideas, presentations and conversation. Stay posted for more media release on the conference!

For more on the International Conference, please visit Nazy Kaviani's blog on Iranian.com for photos and Saturday and Sunday conference coverage.

IAAB featured on KIRN Radio Iran, Los Angeles (3/31/09)

Sherry Hakimi, Director of Marketing and Public Relations, was interviewed by Suzi Khatami on the program "Voice of Young Iranians/Javanan" for 670AM KIRN Radio Iran, a popular Iranian radio network in Los Angeles, California. The particular topic discussed during this interview was IAAB's upcoming Fourth International Conference on the Iranian Diaspora taking place April 4-5, 2009 in Berkeley, California.

Please click play to hear the interviews:

Three Days to Register for Conference (3/31/09)

Attention everyone! There are only three days left to register for IAAB's Fourth International Conference on the Iranian Diaspora.

Hosted by the Iranian Student Alliance in America, and co-hosted by Iranian Alliances Across Borders, the Fourth International Conference on the Iranian Diaspora will be held at the University of California Berkeley's Pauley Ballroom during the weekend of April 4-5, 2009. The conference aims to address both the accomplishments within the Iranian diaspora community and the issues it is currently facing. The conference is made possible by our generous sponsors, PAAIA and IABA. IAAB would also like to thank its supporters: NIAC, Persian Mirror, Kodoom Events, Pars Art, and Persian Center.

On Saturday night, made possible by the generosity of PAAIA, Fared Shafinury ft. Tehranosaurus, as well as the acclaimed Sholi, will perform their modern versions of Persian classical music in the Pauley Ballroom. After the concert, join IAAB and DJ Aykut at Cossu Restaurant, Bar and Lounge for a night of dancing.

Please direct any questions regarding the conference to conference@iranianalliances.org.