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Afghan Communicator has been active with Afghan Youth and Young Professionals since its existence in 1997. We have organized Town Halls, Summits, Professional Trainings, Teach-Ins, Cultural Shows and Exhibitions. Please find information on the Summits below.
Inter Afghan Young Professional Summit (IAYPS)
Created by Afghan Communicator in 1999, this event is a gathering of active, young, Afghan professionals from all over the US, Canada, Europe and Asia to discuss issues concerning the Afghan community. Since 1997, it has been held in New York, California, Virginia and Toronto. In 2003, AC created the Most Active Young Afghan Award at the IAYPS, intended to encourage leadership and participation in the community.
1st IAYPS 1999
First Inter Afghan Young Professional Summit (IAYPS) took place in New York City (NYC), on August 14-15, 1999. Sixteen young Afghans attended from US and Canada. Striving to create mediums of communication among the young Afghans, Afghan Communicator invited the most active young Afghans to the First Inter Afghan Young Professional Summit of its kind. IAYPS is an event with great potentials for communication and interaction between young active Afghans. Our aim was to create an opportunity for interaction and not necessarily to get any tangible results in the immediate thereafter.
We invited active young Afghans from all over the US, Canada and beyond, to join us for a weekend in August and not only to meet their peers but also to enjoy the beauty and excitement that New York City has to offer. We planned IAYPS to be a great opportunity and one that would, hopefully, sets the pace for the future events. AC’s sole aim in holding such an event was to bring together the young community closer together and provide a medium where everyone can network and know each other and better cooperate with each other in the future.
Before the overwhelming response and interest to our initial invitation, we thought it practical to select our list of invitees carefully, while trying to include all those who were active in the community. To insure that we are keeping this event as professional as possible, we ask for cooperation on the ways we have suggested. Knowing that our main concern was the well being and experience with us, we were optimistic about everyone’s cooperation and understanding. After the arrival of most of our guests to our guesthouses we took time to know each other, while enjoying NYC’s sites.
2nd IAYPS 2000
The second IAYPS was held by Society of Afghan Professionals in CA on April 1-2, 2000. It was a two-day weekend event, the first day was all day summit, followed by a reception in the evening. Sunday was dedicated to a tour of the thriving Afghan Town (Fremont, CA) and an evening tour of the beautiful San Francisco, "City by the Bay".
3rd IAYPS 2001
The third IAYPS was held by Afghan Student Association of Virginia-Washington, DC on April 28 - 29, 2001.
4th IAYPS 2002
On the weekend of October 19th, 2002, AC proudly hosted the fourth annual Inter Afghan Young Professional Summit. This year’s summit was held at the Empire State Building, with a fantastic view of downtown Manhattan. Of the many who applied, approximately 30 participants were selected, traveling from as far as Virginia, Canada and even the Czech Republic to be part of the event. The goal of the two day conference was to assist young, active Afghan leaders in making headway in the world of non-profit organizations. The first day began with an open discussion on the challenges of community work, giving participants the chance to bring up some of the obstacles they face in each of their respective programs.
In the afternoon session, two workshops were held. Summit attendees were given poignant information on the reconstruction process in Afghanistan and the macro and micro financial needs of the country. This was especially useful for those organizations looking for the most effective way to contribute to the reconstruction. The second workshop addressed the ever-important issue of fundraising. Workshop leaders offered pointers on who organizations should approach for financial support and how to go about asking. On Sunday, participants re-assembled for another open discussion on how to overcome the challenges and obstacles of community work that were identified on the previous day.
Outside the conference, attendees had a chance to network in a less formal atmosphere at a Queens restaurant. Following Sunday’s open discussion, the participants made a group trip to Ground Zero to pay their respects to the lives lost on 9/11/01. This marked the official end of the two day conference, allowing many to spend the remainder of the day sight-seeing in Manhattan. IAYPS IV was an exciting opportunity for dynamic, young Afghans to network and to share their experiences and successes with one another. The new contacts and constructive advice will undoubtedly prove useful in the hands of these admirable young leaders.
5th IAYPS 2003
The staff of Afghan Communicator participated in the Fifth Inter Afghan Young Professional Summit (IAYPS), which was organized by Society of Afghan Professionals (SAP) in California's Bay Area. This two day event, attended by over 50 active young Afghans from all over the US, was held at Stanford University on June 21 and 22. IAYPS was originally founded by Afghan Communicator in August of 1999, to bring active young Afghans together to discuss and shape their future. The first Summit was held in Queens, NY by Afghan Communicator; the second Summit was held in San Francisco by SAP; the third in Virginia by Afghan Student Association (ASA); and the fourth in Manhattan's Empire State Building by AC.
This well-organized and information packed event included workshops, guest speakers and a social. Workshops were facilitated by Mr. Farhad Azad, Editor of Lemar Aftab, also a SAP member, and Mr. Afzal Rashid, Country Representative of International Development Law Organization, who also addressed the Summit attendees with some words of wisdom. At the social, Mr. Shafiq Shamel performed and the key note speaker, Mr. Hekmat Karzai, First Secretary of the Afghan Embassy in Washington DC, spoke about activism and the role of young Afghans in the reconstruction process.
In order to recognize the efforts and initiatives of our active young leaders, Afghan Communicator created the Most Active Young Afghan Award. This award is also intended to encourage further activism in the community. Founding the Inter Afghan Young Professional Summit (IAYPS) in 1999, Afghan Communicator aimed to bring together young Afghan leaders. In its fifth year, IAYPS has grown to fulfill its intended goals. Through this award, our peers have an annual opportunity to select one of their own as the Most Active Young Afghan. In addition to winning the recognition of his/her peers, the winner also receives a Certificate of Recognition and a cash prize. 2003 year’s winner was Ms. Khaleda Atta, 23, President of Society of Afghan Professionals, whose relentless work in the community has rightfully won her the recognition of her peers.
6th IAYPS 2004
The Sixth Inter Afghan Young Professional Summit (IAYPS VI) was hosted on October 2-3, 2004 by Afghan-Canadian Professionals of Ontario (ACPO) and Afghan Canadian Youth Organization (ACYO) in Toronto Canada. The IAYPS is a two day conference of young Afghan activists from around the world. Over 50 young Afghans from the US and Canada attended this year’s summit, which offered a wide range of workshops for every taste.
In 2003, Afghan Communicator introduced the Most Active Young Afghan Award, to encourage young people to get involved in their community. This year’s winner was Tamim Saleem, Community Development Officer of Afghan Canadian Youth Organization. Afghan Communicator presented Mr. Saleem with a cash prize of USD $400, and a certificate of recognition. However, the most valuable prize in this award is the recognition of peers attending the Summit who voted for their most active member. Each year, five candidates are nominated by Afghan Communicator for the Most Active Young Afghan Award, out of whom Summit attendees vote for the person whom they think was the most active for the past year. It should be noted that by Canada hosting this year’s Summit, for the first time in six years, IAYPS has become an international event.
7th IAYPS 2005
Over forty young Afghans from US, Canada and Asia attended this event at the Empire state building. Created by Afghan Communicator in 1999, this event is a gathering of active, young, Afghan professionals from all over the US, Canada, Europe and Asia to discuss issues concerning the Afghan community. Since then, it has been held in New York, California, Virginia and Toronto. In 2003, AC created the Most Active Young Afghan Award at the IAYPS, intended to encourage leadership and participation in the community. Mr. Najeeb Azizi of Young Economist Society (based in Japan) was elected the Most Active Young Afghan.
8th IAYPS 2006
The Eight Inter Afghan Youth Professionals Summit was organized by American Society of Afghan Professionals (ASAP) in Washington DC. The Summit took place on December 9 & 10 at George Washington University, where over fifty young Afghan professionals from all over the US and Canada attended.
The program included workshops on Minority Empowerment Through Political Involvement by Mr. Qais Hamid, a Canadian Parliamentary Candidate; The Road Less Traveled, life story of an Afghan American filmmaker, Ms. Sedika Mojadidi; Lobbying 101 by Dr. Michael L. Unger; Afghanistan Inc., Deconstructing the Reconstruction by Ms. Fariba Nawa, an Award winning Freelance Journalist; Engaging Afghan Professionals in Afghanistan's Development, by Mrs. Mariam Nawabi, Senior Advisor to Afghan-American Chamber of Commerce; as well as an engaging discussion on the Importance of Coalition Building by Rameen Moshref Javid.
The social afterwards took place at Afghan Kabob Restaurant in Springfield, Virginia, where live and lively music was playing by members of ASAP, and an array of delicious Afghan food and desserts were served. On Sunday Ms. Aaroon Eltejayee gave a tour of DC-Metropolitan Area.
Hosting the 9th Annual Summit in 2007
Salaam,
Once again it is time to organize the next Inter Afghan Young Professionals Summit (IAYPS). Now it its ninth year, the Summit has become an important and necessary activity that brings together young professional and educated Afghans from all over the US, Canada and beyond.
The Summit is a one or two day event, which includes discussions, workshops and an evening social. The Summit Advisory Committee (6 members) will dictate the terms of the summit and assist the host in organizing the next event.
Interested organizations should submit their proposal to the advisory committee no later than April 30, 2007. The earliest time the summit can occur is June 2007 and the latest is November 2007. Only organizations and individuals who have attended a previous Summit may host. Based on past experiences, organizations wishing to host the summit must have at least 5 staff members and a modest budget in order to host this event.
IAYPS was founded by Afghan Communicator in 1999 and hosted the first Summit Queens, NYC. The following year, Society of Afghan Professionals hosted the event in Northern California. In 2001, Afghan Student Association organized the third Summit in Virginia, and in 2002, Afghan Communicator hosted the forth Summit at the Empire State Building in New York. In 2003, the Summit went back to California, where Society of Afghan Professionals hosted the fifth Summit at Stanford University. In 2004 Afghan-Canadian Professionals of Ontario and the Afghan-Canadian Youth Organization jointly hosted, making the Summit an international event. New York had the honor of hosting the Summit again in 2005 and the 2006 American Society of Afghan Professionals hosted the Eight Inter Afghan Young Professionals Summit at George Washington University in Washington DC.
If you are interested in hosting the Summit, please send a letter of intent, with the date and place you want to hold the event to rameen@afghancommunicator.com. I will forward your letter to the IAYPS Advisory Committee and together we will choose the next host. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Thank You
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