Posted on 04/26/2009 1:26:13 PM PDT by SandRat
FOB WARRIOR — April 20 marked the start of a four-day exhibition at the Kirkuk Government Building, Kirkuk city, where photographs and information gathered from the youth of Kirkuk province were publicly displayed.
More than 1,200 teenagers provided information for the display by filling out questionnaires, which asked about their dreams, hopes and plans for the future.
Participants were also given cameras to visually record their daily activities so that government officials could understand what interests the city’s youth.
Government leaders in Iraq have also begun to reach out to school-age children of the province in the form of book drops. The Iraqi Ministry of Education, with help from the U.S. State Department, delivered more than 250,000 books to Kirkuk province, April 16.
Upon arriving in the province, the books were distributed to over 900 schools by Coalition and Iraqi Security Forces in Kirkuk.
“The best way to keep children from becoming terrorists is by educating them,” said Fawzia Abdullah Awanis, Kirkuk’s deputy director general of education.
According to Maj. Gen. Abdul Ameer, the commander of the 12th Iraqi Army Division in Kirkuk province, the use of children to carry out attacks “is the method of someone losing the war…Their infrastructure is being destroyed and their leaders are being arrested and killed. They are sending a message that, ‘we are still here, but we have to rely on every method to carry out our terrorist operations.’”
According to U.S. officials, overall violence in Kirkuk province is declining despite a recent spike in attacks. Government organizations are now able to devote more resources to programs aimed at helping the Kirkuk youth population.
There are more opportunities for youth in this region now, said Muhammed Muhsin, the mayor of Zaab, a district of Kirkuk.
“These opportunities for these youths will continue to grow in the future,” said Muhsin.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.