A team of the center’s volunteers implemented this initiative, which consisted of a cleaning campaign conducted by a group of young people from different religions, ethnicities, and cultural backgrounds. This cleaning campaign was conducted on September 6, 2018 in Duhok City Center, and 28 youths participated in it (16 IDPs, 10 HC, and 2 refugees), (5 males, 23 females). The goal was to show that no matter which religion or ethnicity one belongs to, people need to support each other in keeping this city clean as it is a living place for people from various backgrounds.

The initiative is one of nine youth initiatives carried out within the UoD and New York University project “Building University Capacity in Peace Education in Duhok and Mosul” supported by UNDP’s Iraq Crisis Response and Resilience Programme (ICRRP) and funded by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA). The project aimed to develop practical peacebuilding skills among at least 20 youth in three locations around Duhok heavily affected by population displacement and resulting community-level tensions, which are Duhok, Sumel, and Sheikhan. These initiatives demonstrated the youth’s increased ability to coordinate activities, to work with other stakeholders, and to complete projects aimed at enhancing peacefulness.  In order to complete these projects, students engaged with local stakeholders and community leaders on multiple levels and worked through close mentorship by CPCRS.