The Kurdish American Youth Organization (KAYO) held its second annual conference last month at the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD). The purpose of the conference was to provide a forum of discussion for the Kurdish Youth in North America and to promote leadership and education among the youth, as well as to establish partnerships and help spread Kurdish awareness. The conference fulfilled some of the organizations many goals in bringing together people of various backgrounds, educating attendees about the various issues facing Kurds throughout the world, and providing the youth with a platform to pursue their interests and achieve their goals.

This year, the conference began with an introduction by the National KAYO Treasurer, Ms. Sheinei Saleem, who welcomed attendees with an overview of the discussions that would be presented throughout the day. Ms. Saleem also spoke about the importance of Kurdish people striking a balance between individualist and collectivist ideals; an often debated topic that arises for American Kurds struggling between two cultures.

The National KAYO Secretary, Mr. Nezar Ahmed, introduced the first panel entitled, “Leadership and Building Relationships”. The panel represented KAYO’s goal of building stronger relationships with other like-minded organizations, as well as exploring the roles of leadership among the youth. A UTD student and representative for the League of United Latin American Citizens, Mr. Andre T. Rodriguez, spoke about the common ground that both Kurdish and Latin-American groups share with regards to social justice. Mr. Rodriguez shared the ideas of his organization and various techniques that Kurds could also use to accomplish their goals.

The next speaker on the panel was Dr. Laurie Ziegler, a UTD Professor of Leadership. Dr. Ziegler described modern leadership rules and various leadership competencies. She talked about how to be a leader and how one can fit a leadership role based on their personality type. Finally, the panel was concluded with a short presentation by representatives of the Kurdish Youth Club in Atlanta, Mr. Kocher Arslan and Ms. Zhala Alan, who introduced their initiatives to start a Kurdish newspaper in the U.S. among the many other activities their group currently has in the works.

Following the first panel, Ms. Saleem introduced Ms. Ruken Sengul, an active Human Rights Activist and a PhD Candidate in the areas of Social and Cultural Anthropology. Ms. Ruken Sengul spoke about Kurdish societies in Turkey and focused in particular on the current status of women. Ms. Sengul talked about the problems that have arisen as a result of urbanization and the various methods people can pursue to help alleviate the hardships facing Kurds.

Mr. Ara Alan, a National KAYO Director, introduced the next panel entitled, “Kurdish Culture and Bridging the Gap”. Mr. Alan touched on differences between the Kurdish Diaspora and the Kurds living in Kurdistan and maintained that it is important that Kurds in the U.S. preserve their own cultural values but, at the same time, it is beneficial to also adopt and accept positive American values. Dr. Rebwar Fatah, the director of Kurdish Media and a Middle East Specialist, spoke about cultural clashes for the new generation raised in West and the strict parent-rules of Eastern cultures. Dr. Fatah gave a powerpoint presentation that addressed the main issues and their cultural/historical roots, and how one must overcome them.

The next speaker on the panel was Ms. Kajin Abdullah, an active KAYO member, who spoke about certain qualities and rules within a culture being bound to their time. She explained that while some qualities are beneficial for a time period, our fear of adapting to newly emerging forms of society is often the root of conflict. Mr. Troy White, a Cultural Scholar and Educator, spoke about the concept of assimilation and the role of language. Mr. White described language as a carrier of one’s culture and stressed the importance for Kurds to learn and speak their own language.

Finally, the panel ended with a speech by Mr. Halmat Qazi, who spoke about the benefits Kurds have living in the U.S. and the need to take advantages of the freedoms in the country. Mr. Qazi explained that preparation for education is a key to success in the U.S.

Following the lunch break, conference attendees returned privileged to hear a speech by Mr. Hisyar Ozsoy, a former advisor to the Mayor of Diyarbakir and a PhD candidate in Anthropology studies. Mr. Ozsoy discussed the situation of the people in Diyarbakir and importance of the city in the politics of Turkey. Mr. Ozsoy spoke about the hardships facing the youth throughout the region including their inaccessibility to education and described various programs initiated by the municipalities to help the youth.

The next panel, “Kurdish Identity”, was chaired by an active KAYO member, Ms. Delal Pektas, who spoke about the importance of Kurdish identity. Ms. Pektas explained that attendance of various Kurdish events through one’s childhood as well as a parent’s conversations about Kurdistan with their children plays an essential role in reinforcing the Kurdish identity. Next, Mr. Sait Pektas, a former attorney and Kurdish Activist spoke in Kurdish about his experiences in Kurdistan. Mr. Pektas spoke about the various hardships and struggles that Kurdish people have faced and explained that this in itself has become a part of the history as well as the identity of Kurds.

The next speaker on the panel was Dr. Kamal Artin, a board member of the Kurdish National Congress of N. America who explained the various general definitions of identity and related that to the identity of stateless people. Dr. Artin got the audience involved by preparing a fun powerpoint presentation that used different animals as metaphors for the various nations in the Middle East. Finally, the panel was concluded by Mr. Aland Mizzel, a Turkish-American scholar and student of Social Science, who spoke about the various prejudices against Kurds and touched on Kemalist ideologies as a source of these prejudices. Mr. Mizzel stressed that Kurds should be aware that Turkish-Islamist propaganda is again emerging, also carrying prejudices against Kurds, and is simply being used as a method of gathering support from Kurds.

After the panel, KAYO Advisor, Mr. Luqman Barwari, spoke about the problems facing the youth in Northern Kurdistan and presented a slideshow with pictures to help show the audience the seriousness of the situation. Mr. Barwari introduced a new KAYO initiative that is currently underway, which intends to build a “sponsor a child” network for Kurds in Northern Kurdistan.

The conference concluded with a panel focused on the Kurdish American Youth Organization and the members’ various activities and goals. The panel touched on several KAYO projects including those involving education research, a Kurdish-American Student Database, and local events among other things.

The National President of KAYO, Mr. Goran Sadjadi, shared the organization’s goals and prospects for the future. Mr. Sadjadi also spoke about the privilege of living in the freer part of the world and stressed the importance that each young Kurd not only find his or her role in life in order to reach success, but to also find one’s position within the Kurdish cause, to pursue it. Ms. Aryan Akrayi, the National Vice President of KAYO, spoke about the organization’s commitment to education and also the promotion of Kurdish culture and history. Ms. Akrayi described an ongoing KAYO project focused on promoting improved education in Kurdish history in Southern Kurdistan.

Mr. Ganj Ahmad, a Director for the KAYO-Michigan Chapter, spoke about the various activities of his chapter, the accomplishments they have made in the Michigan area, and the benefits of being a KAYO chapter. He also shared that their members are composed of not only Kurds, but non-Kurdish students as well. Finally, Mr. Aram Torabian, a National KAYO Director, concluded the conference by speaking about several exercises in Anthropology that were conducted in partnership with a PhD-candidate student in California. Mr. Torabian described the exercises as providing great experience for the various KAYO members that were involved and explained how such projects fulfill KAYO’s objectives.

The conference was followed by a very exciting and fun celebration at the Radisson Hotel in the Dallas area. Kurdish singers and professional musicians from Northern, Southern and Eastern Kurdistan - Dilsad, Ranj and Adi - opened the celebration using traditional Kurdish instruments with a very lively performance. Following their performances and during a music break, KAYO members, Ms. Peri Shushi and Ms. Rejiyan Akrayi, recited their poetry in Kurdish for the audience. Former National KAYO Board members then took the stage and presented the results from KAYO’s 2008 Elections, which took place throughout the conference in the day.

Finally, the party resumed with an outstanding performance from the famous Kurdish singer, Ayhan. Many of the attendees danced in their traditional Kurdish clothes and celebrated the success of KAYOs second annual conference. Indeed, the success of the event gives great promise for the future success of the Kurdish Youth.

See pictures of the conference by clicking here.