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Through Exchange, Youth Erode Age-Old Barriers August 10, 2011 by Lisa Inks Gurgen Balasanyan wanted to harness the power of youth exchange in building tolerance between Armenia and Turkey. After completing the Global UGRAD program as an exchange student himself, he returned home to Armenia and started a program that brings youth from both countries together in dialogue and promotes a heightened commitment to civic action.	Contact Theory for Youth August 5, 2011 by Shannon Bruder As the youth population continues to grow in countries throughout the developing world, I have been thinking about what role this burgeoning group will play in conflict and post-conflict environments. It is an oft-cited truism that peace must begin with the youth because they are more open-minded than the older generation, have tremendous energy and enthusiasm, and represent the future of their countries.
Youth Lead Youth for Greater Impact July 26, 2011 by Susie Armitage Sabrina stands in the center of the circle, explaining a theater exercise to her peers: "When I point to you and say 'boat.' Together, you are going to make a boat with your bodies. Ready? OK...BOAT!" The room breaks into giggles as the three students snap into place: the girl in the middle mimes sighting land, and the boys on either side of her make energetic rowing motions. Sabrina points at another trio: “Good, but faster next time – otherwise you'll end up in the middle!”	Somali Youth Spreads the Word About Peace July 15, 2011 by Bridget Kimball Huda Qalib tears up when she hears the stories of clan violence. People “fight and kill each other over small things,” she says. “I wondered what they were thinking at the time.” Together with a team of other activists, the 23-year-old aspiring media professional is organizing a series of community conversations throughout Somaliland to bring together people from all walks of life to discuss sources of and solutions to clan-related conflict. Conversations are prompted by viewings of media spots which have been produced by the youth activists, followed by youth-facilitated discussions on the issues raised in the media spots. The events are being carried out through IREX’s Uniting Communities to Mitigate Conflict (UCMC) program.
Somalia: A Dangerous Place to Be a Woman July 6, 2011 by Bridget Kimball When the Thomson Reuters Foundation recently released the results of its poll on “The world’s five most dangerous countries for women”, Somalia, one of IREX’s program countries, was ranked fifth. We asked WAWA (the We Are Women Activists Network), one of our local partners on the Uniting Communities to Mitigate Conflict (UCMC) project, for their initial reactions to the report.	Filipino Civil Society and its Efforts to Bring about Peace on Mindanao July 5, 2011 by Shannon Bruder I am writing from the Philippines, where I spent the past week meeting with representatives of the vibrant civil society sector to discuss the potential for programming related to youth and conflict mitigation on the island of Mindanao . On the surface, the Philippines is perhaps the most accessible country in Southeast Asia. In a country of more than 7,000 islands and numerous languages, English is the common language and there is a fondness for anything from the United States– from fast food to malls to jeeps refashioned as the uniquely Filipino form of mass transport known as the “jeepney.” Yet, I discovered that everything in the Philippines is more complicated than it first appears.
To Make a Better World: IREX Then & Now June 30, 2011 by W. Robert Pearson Forty-three years ago today, IREX was created to help advance exchanges, not just of people, but of ideas. As we celebrate IREX’s founding, we honor its original charge by continuing to bring people together, to link institutions both within and across countries and regions, and to host events where the latest thinking and research is shared with the world.	Theater for Peace Inspires Youth in Panj, Tajikistan June 23, 2011 Youth from Tajikistan use their own experiences with conflict to create and perform in community theater.
Press Freedom and the Mirage in the Desert June 15, 2011 by W. Robert Pearson From May 1 to 3, for the first time, the United States hosted World Press Freedom Day, an event inspired by African journalists. Every day around the globe free expression is under threat. For the champions of a free media, the dates, places and people may change but not the objective. Twenty years ago it was the Soviet Union’s dictatorship and South Africa’s apartheid that was disintegrating; today another revolution is transforming the Middle East. Courageous journalists, advocates, and new media pioneers proclaimed a single persistent message at this year’s event: freedom of expression is indispensable to democratic growth.	In Remote Communities, Youth Give Rise to Voices of Peace May 31, 2011 by Anne Johnson Nestled amid mountains and winding roads just miles from Tajikistan’s southern border with Afghanistan, Otchapar is one of the more remote communities of the world. Populated by fewer than 20 households, it is home to a mix of ethnic Tajiks and Uzbeks. “Our village has not had any visitors for the past 20 years,” explained Nurrullo Amrulloev, Head of the Village Committee, when receiving a group of youth theater performers from Panj, a central town in Tajikistan’s far south.