Dear all,

Following is an article about the ISF volunteers published on our ICSSI
website, please spread over the world :)


Source: http://www.iraqicivilsociety.org/?p=2124&preview=true


*The Iraqi Social Forum youth created hope and revived voluntary work in
Baghdad
*

*An activity associated with the Iraqi Civil Society Solidarity Initiative
(ICSSI) - Iraqi Social Forum news – Baghdad, July 2013*

Once again the Iraqi youth wouldn’t slander to depression but join to be
part of that candle light which lit hope to resist endless violence and
political games.  They are the brave soldiers in war whom fight no matter
how strong the enemy is.

Despite the noticeable increase in violent activities in general and in
Baghdad for the past three months, coffee shops and playgrounds where young
people hanged out were targeted and those insistent youth are fighting for
establishing the first Iraqi Social Forum in Baghdad.

[image: isf-3-300x198]<http://www.iraqicivilsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/isf-3-300x198.jpg>

In July 2013, ISF volunteers reached more than sixty from across Iraq,
various religions, united by their love for their country and their hope
for a better tomorrow. And in order to organize and train those volunteers,
the ISF Preparatory Committee held training workshops for some of those
volunteers in cooperation with the Iraqi Network for Social Media (INSM)
and its representative Hayder Hamzoz and sponsored by the Institute for War
and Peace Reporting (IWPR) and the Danish International Media Support
(IMS), with the follow-up and contribution of the Iraqi Civil Society
Solidarity Initiative (ICSSI).

[image: ISF1-300x199]<http://www.iraqicivilsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/ISF1-300x199.jpg>

Those workshops went very well since the volunteers interacted with the
workshop and got to know each other. The ISF Coordinator “Ali Sahib”
presented a brief Introduction of the Iraqi Social Forum and its objectives
and the volunteers got to know the “new media” or the “Social Media” and
its importance as a means of communication and teamwork. Over the course of
more than 4 hours, volunteers have been trained on the management of
Facebook pages and groups, and on a number of modern technologies as well
as how to use and manage social networking tools and Twitter.

[image: isf-021-300x198]<http://www.iraqicivilsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/isf-021-300x198.jpg>

After the workshop there was a meeting on the 8th of July 2013 at Tammuz
Organization for Social Development, and during this meeting the volunteers
were divided into different working teams according to each volunteer’s
ability and interests. Each team discussed some points they were thinking
about like things they want the forum to provide for them or goals they
want to achieve or even weakness points they want to cover on their working
team. After about thirty minutes of discussion one volunteer out of each
team stood up to talk about the things they discussed. There were some good
ideas and criticizing that eventually would keep the forum from working
shallow. Overall the meeting that day helped volunteers to understand each
other and let them feel comfortable around each other and one of the good
marks is that everyone helped with everything so they expressed their
thoughts and ideas that would help other teams as well.

[image: isf--300x198]<http://www.iraqicivilsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/isf-300x198.jpg>

In their daily job they keep trying to give a hope and smile to everyone in
Baghdad at the time we are in need for a hope. Their pictures on social
networks break the routine and challenge the death makers and explosions,
their work exposes the corruption and exposes who spent Billions dinars
without any found result, they won’t be frustrated by the arrogance of the
Government and it’s delinquent. They group working exposes the sectarianism
and says to it you are not from Iraq and we won’t give up for you.

As those young Iraqis insists on facing death and violence over and
over. The secret to why those Iraqi young people keeping to try and work
hard is what’s called “magnanimity” or you can call it patriotism and a
motive to see change happen by their hands. Wait and see, Iraqis will never
surrender for violence and they will be peace makers.


*Eng. Taif Sabah Alwachi*

*Iraqi Editor and Translator of ICSSI*

E-mail: icssi.baghdad@...

Cell phone: +964 7505201459

Skype: taif_sabah31_1
Baghdad, Iraq

Pieces jointes

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