Sulaimani, KRI (21 July 2022). The final ceremony of the ‘Youth Excel’ project was held in High Crest Hotel in Sulaimani Governorate in which the 14 ICON groups participated and presented their researches. The project was funded by USAID, IREX and was implemented by Rwanga Foundation, Asuda Organization, and Search for Common Ground.

The aim of the project was to improve civil society capacity, in particular local formal and informal youth-led and youth-serving organizations, in improving youth livelihoods, and promote more effective livelihoods programming and policies based on youth livelihoods research and consultations, also to increase livelihoods inclusion in Iraq based on the following factors: rural exclusion, gender exclusion, and political exclusion.

14 ICON participants consisting of formal and informal youth-led and youth-serving organizations and individuals learning about and addressing youth-related issues, went through five extensive workshops in Koya and Qala Dizah districts previously. The main subjects that were presented during the workshops mainly focused on data collection methodologies, reviewing collective action tool CAT, Gender Equality and Social Inclusion GESI sessions, knowledge dissemination strategies, executing landscape knowledge assessments, storytelling methodologies, initiating knowledge management products, and developing communications and post-ICON plan. Each Icon group has implemented a research about a common problem youth face in their own district.

The final ceremony was attended by different Stakeholders such as local officials, investors, decision makers, and community leaders in addition to National and International NGOs engaged in youth development programs, the ceremony started with an introduction about the project and was followed by a panel discussion under the title of ‘Youth Livelihood Improvement Through Implementation Research ‘. Moreover, the ICON participants each had presented their research, solutions, and recommendations separately in their own booths.

The ‘Youth Excel’ program was funded by USAID, IREX and was implemented by Rwanga Foundation, Asuda Organization, and Search for Common Ground. The project brings together different types of local stakeholders working to strengthen youth livelihoods in Koya and Qalat Dizah, in the KRI, to collaboratively address the common problems youth face through their ongoing initiatives and existing assets. The participants work together to share and discuss ongoing issues, transform knowledge into action through research projects, and better address issues facing youth, through an iterative process.