Youth

·1995, children art workshop and exhibition in Sulaimaniya.

·1996, a collection and a social event for the benefit of the Youth Hostel in Arbil.

·In 1996 Al-Amal opened a cultural centre in Sulaimaniya which included, in its activities, various social, cultural and sport events for children and young people. The centre, which continued until 2002, contained a research library.

·1997, contribution to purchase materials for the Vincent Youth Training Centre workshop.

·Iraqi Al-Amal set up nurseries in the Education and Training Centre in Arbil and Sulaimaniya

·1997, music and social awareness courses for the displaced children from Kirkuk Province.

·A chess training course was organised in 1998 for 10 children from the Kurdish Children Welfare organisation (KSC) in 1998.

·1998, a number of art exhibitions entitled “Environment, Peace and Children’s Rights” were organised in association with the Ministry of Education And a number of prominent artists. Some 325 children from Arbil, Sulaimaniya and Chumchamal participated in the exhibitions. A present from the French children consisting of their drawings was also exhibited. Most of the exhibits were sent to France, Greece and Britain.

·1999, an exhibition and a wall newspaper in Kalar entitled “The Environment and Children’s Rights”. 100 secondary school students participated in the activity.

·2000, poetry reading by primary schools children in Arbil.

·1998, Al-Amal Summer camp in Sherah Swar

·2000, 2001 and 2006 in Erbil, in conjunction with the UK Save the Children Fund and other organisations, Iraqi Al-Amal organised festivities on the International Children’s Day.

·Spring 2002, Al-Amal organised a “Kurdistan Youth Clubs Chess Tournament”  in Arbil.

·2002, Al-Amal implemented a legal and social programme for some 23,000 students in 107 secondary schools and higher education institutions in Sulaimaniya and Kalar. The programme included an introduction to law, the judicial system, the concept of civil society, family law, protection of the child, and gender issues.

·A field survey of Yafi’een Schools (special schools for drop-out children) was conducted in 2002. Commensurate with the results of this survey was the opening of three female study centres in Arbil during 2003.

·In June 2004, Al-Amal, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, started a year long program for 90 secondary school students focussing on conflict resolution. The programme included training on non-violence, peace building, human rights concepts, team and personality building, project management, English language and computer training. The participants have committed themselves to take the knowledge from the projects back to their respective schools and communities to initiate projects themselves.

·The second year of the conflict resolution project commenced in 2005, with 57 teenage students. Some of the young people participating in the conflict resolution project have formed Al-Amal Youth Group and set up a website,  www.shabab-alamal.com

·The conflict resolution project continued for a third year with additional subjects added to the curriculum including democracy, gender, the media, etc. 48 students graduated in June 2007.

·Computer training courses for young people in various collective towns in Arbil were been organised during 2005.

·From 9 March to 21 April 2006 Al-Amal organised the “Teaching Children” project for the Iranian Kurdish refugee children in Kawa camp. The programme included plays, advice on general hygiene, etc.

·In April 2006, the project “Civil Dialogue Among Young People” was commenced. The project aims at promoting culture of dialogue on different topic, including non-violence, tolerance, citizenship and human rights education. It also deals with young people specific problems in education, training and employment. The project includes 56 young participants (both sexes aged 18-28) from seven Iraqi Governorates. At the beginning, they’ve been involved in various capacity building and IT and initiated a number of activities on certain subjects. Then, they presented their papers at the First Al-Amal Civil Dialogue Conference in Sulaimaniya in September 2006. 120 youths and a delegation from Lebanon were present at the conference together with academics, representatives of the local NGO’s and the media. The Second Conference, held in Shaqlawa in May 2007, focused on the “human security” and attended by 87 youth from 10 Governorates.

For More

·From September to November 2006 Al-Amal organised five study events in two Intermediate schools in Baghdad on “the protection of children from harm and the effect of trauma”. 161 Girls and boys participated in the study.

·As part of the youth capacity building Al-Amal organised two workshops on conflict resolution in Beirut in November 2006 and April 2007. 19 youths participated in the first workshop and 16 in the second workshop from a number of Governorates.

·In December 2006 Al-Amal organised a workshop in Karbala on “conflict resolution and democracy”. A number of teachers and 23 young persons, aged 18 to 23, participated in the workshop.

·In April 2007 a group of Al-Amal youths carried out a campaign of “Kirkuk Is My Home” aimed at publicising the culture of a clean city and promoting citizenship. The campaign lasted for four months and was conducted in the residential area of Rahimawa, schools and nurseries. Posters and garbage bags have been distributed to the people. 80 young persons from 15 NGO’s and the local authority participated in the campaign.