Welcome to the first post of our Partners in Change series!
An organization that has long inspired us is the United States Institute of Peace. USIP was created by Congress in 1984 and works in conflict management, helping prevent and mitigate international conflicts before they escalate to violence. Although USIP’s funding came under attack a few months back, this organization has a successful history of saving lives, reducing government costs, and enhancing national security, and it has won praise from Ronald Reagan, George Shultz, and David Petraeus. USIP has a long history of humanitarian and reconstruction efforts in Iraq including embedding with provincial reconstruction teams and running programs designed to advance the status and security of women and strengthen governance and civil society. But one of the most interesting of their recent projects is a youth focused program.
Salam Shabab - Peace Youth
Meaning “Peace Youth,” Salam Shabab is the basis for a new reality TV show and a social network for youths. Salam Shabab was created to address some of the challenges facing Iraq’s youth, including low self-confidence, poor communication among youth, and a weak educational infrastructure. It was created by Iraqi educators, youth NGO representatives, and media specialists. The mission of the organization is to build the foundations for peace by empowering Iraqi youth to be confident, responsible and participatory citizens of their society. Their social network provides the future leaders of Iraq with a venue from which their voices can be heard and a chance to interact with other Peace Youth from all over Iraq and the world.
On Salam Shabab’s ambitious reality TV show, youths from all over Iraq compete for the title “Ambassadors of Peace” and the chance to represent Iraq’s youth before members of the Iraqi Parliament. Throughout the series, 54 youths from six different provinces compete for the title. Each show has four challenges: a physical challenge, a mental challenge (usually building something as a group), a performance challenge (creating a one minute play based on a predetermined theme), and a short film challenge (also based a theme).
Salam Shabab Contestants
Teams are made up of both genders, different ethnicities, and different religions. Every challenge requires cooperation, communication, and teamwork. The lesson is clear: that although Iraq is a diverse country, working together is a key to success.
Furthermore, throughout the experience, the contestants share their feelings and things they’ve learned with the audience. “I’ve learned that winning is not as important as cooperation and collaboration,” said one contestant, Reveen, after her team lost the first challenge.
The players also struggle with artistic vision, shared responsibility, group decision making, and placing blame. They share their embarrassment and frustration after making mistakes, when a teammate causes them to lose, or when they know they could have done better. But they also share their pride in a job well done, their appreciation for their teammates, and their hope for Iraq’s future.
We’re big fans of Salam Shabab (and glad the episodes have English subtitles!) Their hope gives us hope, and makes us proud to be a part of our community of organizations and individuals working to improve the lives of youth everywhere.
Jamie Biglow is a recent graduate from SUNY New Paltz where she studied Medieval Islamic and European art history and American history and foreign policy. Born and raised in New York State, she now lives in DC and is excited to be part of the EPIC team.
