The one year old youth organization, KAYO, had its first conference at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN on Feb 10, 2007. Despite their lack of experience and resources, this dedicated, talented, and non-partisan group of students did a remarkable job in organizing few panels on personal experiences and realities, women and society, cultures and bridging the gap, as well as the role of the youth in areas such as humanitarian aid, professionalism, and entertainment.

Although I was neither as young as the students, nor had any expertise in culture and bridging the gap, I had the privilege of being a guest speaker for this panel as an advisor. After some thoughts about what is the deepest gap among mother-daughter, mother-son, father-son, and father-daughter, I concluded it was the latter that required more public awareness among the immigrants who value their own heritage and that of the host country equally. Being short of time, I was unable to investigate the subject for my presentation. I decided to discuss a recent published letter send to media by a young woman on this issue, how the people had responded to her, and how her situation was similar to the situation of a stateless people without their choice.

As far as I recall the letter had stated: a young hard working, descent, self sufficient, persistent, tender, yet though young woman and her three sisters had been brought up in a supportive family by a traditionally nurturing mother and a righteously fighting father. They sisters had become the target of brutal attacks by four violent boys in their neighborhood. The older sister had hit one of the boys in the groin who subsequently had lost one of his testicles. From then on her sisters had looked up to her. Since her father had joined a major corporation, he had given up his fight and insisted her daughter should marry one of the sons of owner of the corporation. He had repeatedly called the expectation of her daughter, to have choices and become independent, an unachievable dream.

In response to her letter people had given this young lady various advices such as: Listen to your father, have the last word for marriage, analyse every step and every minor decision, stay strong, make some compromises, don’t go against your will, set an example for others, become educated, think about the new age for women, stay with your parents but don't give up on your dream, do whatever you think is right for you, keep your and your people’s honor, respect your father's opinion despite disagreeing with him, stands for your right even against your own father and do not give up the fight, don’t break the bridge with your father, nothing is worth losing your father, go ahead with what you truly believe in, believe in yourself, be yourself, make your decision,and remain tender yet tough and persistent.

Finally somebody had made an interesting analogy between this young woman’s life and the situation of her people: She had compared the four sisters to the four parts of her homeland, the boys to the central governments controlling those parts, the father to the employee of one of those states, the boy she has to marry to the dominant ethnicity, and the lost testicle to one of the overthrown regimes. She had recommended that the young woman should move on and do what any liberated individual or society would do.

Interestingly the majority of the audience confirmed the analogy and recommendation of the final responder by a loud applause upon suggesting that self determination would be the way to go. Regardless of generation, gender, and world view, the audience also confirmed that KAYO members not only have the potential to fulfill the dream of self determination of their people but also are hopeful, peaceful, assertive, free, and responsible individuals that avoids victim mentality and supports bridging the cultural and generational gaps!

http://www.kurdmedia.com/articles.asp?id=14046

Dr. Artin is a promoter of: www.art-in-mind.net/petition