First of all, I would like to thank everyone for attending this special event and I am very glad to see you all up here before me. Your presence today demonstrates the importance of our Kurdish nationality and culture, and it also demonstrates the fact that although we are separated physically from Kurdistan, we still remain Kurds, strong as always.

It has been our nationalism that has kept us united in a physically divided Kurdistan, but here from afar, it is our culture that keeps us united in this Kurdish Diaspora.

A people's culture sets the norm for daily existence and creates commonality between individuals. For as long as I can remember, I have always been taught to do things this way or that way according to the "Kurdish way," in other words, our Kurdish culture defines certain the guidelines for our behavior, actions and overall daily living. Our identity is defined by our dress, our foods, and our traditions. Our attire and foods keep us close to home, and our traditions keep us close together during celebrations and gatherings with family and friends.

The picnics and celebrations are great and have an important purpose in our lives, but to me, my culture is one that is dominated by respect and family values, that is, respect for individuals, respect for our elders, and respect for our families. More than anything, a Kurdish person is defined by his or her family and a family can also be defined by any one of its members. Nowadays, this is looked upon in a bad way, but I believe the family values that Kurds emphasize are important and create a sense responsibility toward one's self and toward his/her family. After all, as Kurds living in Nashville, I am sure I speak for other communities throughout the US, we are a single large family and we each have a responsibility for the unity and advancement of our community, and the community has a responsibility to us, to ease our transition and to provide resources necessary to for us to become productive citizens.

Our language is the centerpiece of our identity and thus it is extremely important for us to retain it and to teach our children. This helps not only to keep the language alive, but it also helps to bridge gaps between generations as the Kurdish language eases conversation and comprehension between individual members of different generations. Language also reflects identity and when a language is forgotten, so is a person's identity.

This breakdown in language and the barriers in communication between parents and children, I believe, have led to the problems that plague our community here in Nashville, leaving many kids to drop out of school, engage in drugs and violence. The Kurdish youth may also have feelings of distance and confusion about their culture. I feel that this is a direct result from lack and quality of communication between parents and children. Although I feel that communication is a major reason why this problem happens, it is not the only reason. Parents who have migrated to America have drastically different life experiences then those of their children who were either born here or were very young when they moved to America.

It is hard for any parent to fully understand what their teenagers are going through, and when language and cultural barriers are added into the equation it makes it near impossible. Nonetheless there are ways to combat this, the role that older siblings play in situations like this is of great importance. They are able to bridge the gap between parents and younger siblings in other words between the Kurdish and American culture . Older siblings have the advantage of being able to understand both the Kurdish and American culture. In many cases they are more fluent in the mother tongue of Kurdish, at the same time more educated in the American culture.

They know where their younger siblings are coming from, as they have been in the same situation and now that they are older and more mature they are able to understand where their parents are coming from. I feel that with more communication and older siblings to act as mediators, lines of communication can flow freely.

Older siblings also carry a share of the burden along with the parents of making sure that their younger siblings do not forgot their culture and heritage. Because, they are more likely to listen to and look up to their older brother and sisters rather then the parents, it is crucial that older siblings act as role models and citizen Kurds, as their behavior will directly influence that of their younger brothers or sisters. Stressing the importance of education, maintaining their Kurdish culture and language and showing respect to family and the community are ways for older siblings to act as positive role models.

I personally feel that this is one of the ways in which to tackle the problem of communication. As a middle child between my siblings I know that during my upbringing there were times in my life where my parents could not understand the kinds of problems I was facing in school or with friends. I relied heavily on my older siblings to help my parents understand. It was easier for me to talk to my older brothers and sisters rather than my parents because they could relate to me. And now that I am older I see the same situation playing out with my younger brothers.

Now that we are in America, we should not change who we are, but it is important for us to adapt to our new society. This includes taking advantage of the new opportunities that are available to us such as education and the abundance of jobs. America is considered a melting pot of cultures. As Kurds we should take each and every opportunity to learn about the many different cultures in this country. In addition, we have to become an integral part of our new society and become citizens that matter, meaning that we should engage in the political process and elect persons that serve our communities' interests or even personal self interests, especially at the local level. Many of us also have national aspirations, to serve Kurdistan, and this place offers all the necessary training that we need to be better fit to help our nation, and many of our peers have taken advantage of the education and training to do jobs in Kurdistan. Being in America is a blessing, rather than a burden, as this place allows us to do much more than we could back home.

As Kurds in America, youth or not, we have a lot to offer and we also have a lot to gain from the opportunities available for us here. With our values and hard work, we have contributed many successful citizens to this society and in return, we have been rewarded a favorable reputation from our fellow citizens and leaders. We have become Americanized and fulfilled the American dream, without sacrificing ourselves and our identities to live this dream. I've heard many people say that our culture is backward and opposes progression, but what I have witnessed with our success discredits that claim. I believe that our Kurdish culture prepares us greatly for daily life in America, and I believe my success as well as that of my siblings in school and at work can be attributed to the values of my culture, those of hard work, discipline, and determination.

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Ms. Kajin Abdullah is an Active Member of the Kurdish American Youth Organization. The speech was prepared and presented by Ms. Kajin Abdullah at the Kurdish American Youth Organization's First Conference for the Kurdish Youth in North America in Nashville, Tennessee.