Contact:
Nurten Ural, President ATAA
Allison Block, Advocacy Director, ATAA
Tel: 202.483.9090
E-mail: president@ataa.org

PHOENIX, AZ, February 8, 2008-As part of its Public Outreach Plan, ATAA held its eleventh Grassroots Networking meeting in Phoenix in cooperation with the local Turkish American association TAAAZ. Attendees gathered in a lecture hall on the campus of Arizona State University. The event began with opening remarks by TAAAZ President Ms. Ozlem English. ATAA President Nurten Ural then opened the grassroots meeting with a presentation on ATAA and its strategic and public outreach plans. Advocacy Director Allison Block then gave a presentation on advocacy tips for Turkish Americans and provided information on the legislative process. After the presentations, the audience and ATAA representatives exchanged ideas for effective grassroots organizing in the area, from which a grassroots committee was established for the Phoenix area. The grassroots committee co-chairs will cooperate with ATAA to ensure the continuation of these efforts in the local area. The conversation continued with the group over dinner at a local Turkish-owned restaurant, and included students from the Turkish Student Association of Arizona State University.

While in Phoenix, ATAA representatives and members of the local community also met with Congressman Jeff Flake in Mesa, thanking him for his principled positions on issues that concern Turkish Americans. The group also met with representatives of the Editorial Board of the Arizona Republic to educate the Editorial Board of the newspaper about the Turkish American population in Phoenix, which numbers nearly 2,500, as well as discuss the many issues that concern Turkish Americans in the Phoenix area, including Turkish American relations.

About "Turkish Americans Gaining Power through Grassroots":

This meeting is part of a series titled "Turkish Americans Gaining Power through Grassroots," and is planned for more than 30 cities across the United States geared at activating the Turkish American community, as well as sharing information with the community on how to be more civically active citizens. ATAA's Grassroots activities are sponsored through a generous grant from the Turkish Coalition of America.

The presentations by ATAA representatives last for about one and a half hours, and include presentations by ATAA President Nurten Ural, ATAA President-Elect Gunay Evinch, and ATAA Advocacy Director Allison Block. The program begins with a presentation by President Ural, sharing general information about ATAA, its strategic and public outreach plans, and new ideas for the Turkish American community. ATAA Advocacy Director Allison Block in her presentation goes into further detail about specific skill sets and methodologies for Turkish Americans to be more effective advocates for Turkey and Turkish American issues. President-Elect Evinch closes out the seminar with an informative, detailed and fact-based presentation on issues that are currently confronting the Turkish American community. The presentation is followed by a Q&A session, where attendees can ask pertinent, timely and engaging questions. Often the audience is honored by the presence of Regional Turkish Consul Generals or Honorary Consul Generals.

More importantly, during these visits, ATAA staff assists in arranging meetings for constituents with their local representatives in Congress. Due to the fact that many members of the Turkish American community are new to such processes, ATAA makes the facilitation of this process one of its top priorities.

For a complete schedule please contact Allison Block, Advocacy Director, at the ATAA Headquarters at: 202.483.9090.