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FORWARD OPERATING BASE WARRIOR, Kirkuk, Iraq— Having a green soccer field or being able to work at a job to earn a little extra money are probably not what most teenagers in America would call a "dream." For the youth of Kirkuk province, Iraq, however, these simple things are not always so accessible.
More than 1,200 young adults had the chance to express their interests to the Kirkuk provincial government at the "Young Voices from Kirkuk Project Exhibition" at the Kirkuk Government Building, in Kirkuk city, on display, from April 20-23.
"We wanted to make a channel between the youth and decision makers in the city," said a representative of the International Relief and Development program, which designed the exhibition.
The young adults who participated in the event were asked to fill out detailed questionnaires where each could specifically describe their individual concerns about the future of their country and communities. The exhibition organizers then provided the participants with cameras to document their lives and activities.
"This provided us with more information on the specific needs of the youth," said the IRD representative. "This allows government leaders to include the youth's dreams in future decision making."
Fifty photographs were chosen that best represented the diversity of Kirkuk youth. The photographs were displayed on posters that contained data gained from the questionnaires regarding the plans, dreams, hopes and specific needs of the youth, and were displayed at the Kirkuk Government Building.
According to Waseem Ramiz, the executive manager for Citadel Strategy Communications, which printed the posters for the event, each picture was selected because it accurately showed the dreams of Kirkuk province's youth.
The photos displayed a variety of activities such as fixing cars, playing soccer, cleaning up trash, reading books and just hanging out with friends, among many other things.
"They [the photos] are good enough to give you a feeling of what they need," said Ramiz.
"This shows Iraq without war, and tells us what the youth want," said Muhammed Muhsin, the mayor of Zaab, a district within Kirkuk province.
"As a mayor, it is vital to understand what the youth of your city are looking for," explained Muhsin.
Three teams of three individuals visited secondary schools, universities, youth centers and vocational training centers to find a broad sample for the project. The teams gathered information throughout January and February and processed their findings to get accurate information that could be presented to government officials at the exhibition.
"It [the exhibition] is based on scientific information gathered from the questions we asked," explained Ramiz.
They [youth] are asking for their rights as citizens. They want the ability to find a job or have places where they can practice their hobbies, said Ramiz.
"Arabs, Kurds, Turkmen and Assyrians," said Ramiz. "Together they are sharing their hopes."
Several key policy makers in Kirkuk attended the opening of the event, and were given the chance to see what the youth of their city believe they need.
"We are so optimistic about Kirkuk's future," praised Ramiz.
What government leaders do with the information is yet to be seen, but this event was an opportunity for youth of Kirkuk to have a voice that their policy makers could hear.
| Date Taken: | 04.25.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 04.25.2009 10:43 |
| Story ID: | 32863 |
| Location: | KIRKUK, IQ |
| Web Views: | 355 |
| Downloads: | 345 |
This work, Kirkuk leaders hear voice of their youth, by 1SG Justin A. Naylor, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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