From July 9 to 22, Global Ties Iowa had the incredible opportunity to host a delegation of 18 Iraqi and Kurdish students in eastern Iowa as part of the Iraqi Youth Leadership Exchange Program (IYLEP). IYLEP is a youth exchange program that was initiated by the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs in 2007. It has since brought over 2,700 promising Iraqi and Kurdish students to the U.S. to develop their leadership skills and foster inter-cultural connections, strengthening the basis of mutual understanding between Iraq and the U.S. While here, they visited 3 different cities, engaging in various activities in each, then used what they learned to implement civic projects in their communities when they return.
As most of the staff here at Global Ties Iowa are students, this was a unique experience for us, giving us the chance to interact with international visitors who were close in age. Each day, at least one of us accompanied the students to everything that they had scheduled, whether that was walking with them downtown, taking the bus to a different city, sitting in on meetings, or participating in activities. In downtime, we spent time talking to each other, learning about them and their cultures and sharing some of ours with them. We easily formed friendships, and on their final day, they left each of us with heartfelt cards. Berkley Barnett, Program Intern, remembers, “The day after I left the kids and received all their letters thanking us for volunteering, I cried so hard in my car!” It meant a lot to know that we made a big difference for people we only spent a few days with.
Our reflections on the experience revealed how impactful it was on us as well. "Bubbly, curious, and wonderful” was how Peyton Pangburn, Development Intern, described the Iraqi and Kurdish students. "I was continuously impressed by their maturity and thoughtfulness, and laughing at their humor and exuberance.” From the very beginning, they were eager to talk to us. That was the best part of the experience for Anna O’Connor, Program Coordinator, who said that she loved “making the one-on-one connections with each of them, and learning about their hobbies, interests, and who they want to be in the future.”
Most of us knew very little about Iraqi and Kurdish culture, so it was amazing to learn from them. They showed us pictures of their traditional clothing, told us about their home life, described their favorite dishes, and played their music for us. This exchange gave us a chance to teach them about American culture as well. As Leila Assadi, Communications Coordinator, said, “The kids seemed eager to learn about American culture and our experiences in America.” It was interesting to see how fascinated they were by everything we take for granted, from the Herky on Parade statues downtown to the view from the Pentacrest stairs. They took pictures of everything, which led to them becoming infamously slow walkers. They learned their favorite new American phrase after Zach Hemmen, Program Fellow, who told them to “put some pep in their step,” and could not resist saying it any time they walked somewhere after that.
We wish them luck with their future endeavors and know they will do amazing things, especially with everything they learned from local resources while visiting us in eastern Iowa!
Some well-wishes from our staff:
“I miss all of them and I know that they will change the world for the better with their experiences.” - Berkley Barnett
“They loved every second in Iowa, and we loved to have them!” - Peyton Pangburn
“It was heartening to see how impactful their time in Iowa was and I know the lessons they learned here will last them a lifetime.” - Anna Peach
“I am so excited to see the impact that they will have on the world.” - Anna O’Connor
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