Sulaimani, Iraq - Jul. 14, 2011 - Over the course of the summer, the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani will host four Youth Civics Camps organized by the Iraq Foundation, an Iraqi NGO established in 1991 that is committed to promoting democracy and human rights in Iraq.  Each camp session brings 25 students from around the country to AUIS for a week of intensive civics training.  As part of their visit, current AUIS students will give IF participants personalized tours of the campus and answer questions about student life and academics at AUIS.

“We are pleased to be able to host the Iraq Foundation’s Youth Civics Camps here at AUIS for the second straight summer,” said Nathaniel Rosenblatt, the AUIS Research Centers Coordinator and the principle AUIS staff member working with IF. “We are happy to welcome university students from all over Iraq to AUIS to get to know our university better, and, through IF, build a skill base in important subjects like leadership, volunteerism and civic duty. As with our own students, we are pleased to contribute to the growth and development of Iraq’s future generation of leaders.”

At the beginning of each session, AUIS students take IF participants on a campus tour, after which the whole group enjoys a social evening and dinner where the students can talk more about their university experience, as well as their personal backgrounds and interests.  This evening provides an opportunity for IF participants to ask questions about AUIS’ unique approach to learning, an approach which is often dissimilar from the teaching methods they are accustomed to at their own universities.

“The IF students I spoke with were really impressed by AUIS,” said Ahmad Mohammed Taha, an Engineering student from Baghdad who was part of the AUIS group providing campus tours and information about the University.  “They were amazed at the level of English spoken by AUIS students and were interested in the style of education here that encourages us to ask questions and build relationships with our professors.”

“They could see that AUIS students really master their subjects and simultaneously are active in campus activities,” Taha continued.  “Some of them seemed envious of the education we receive here both inside and outside the classroom.”

This is the second year AUIS has hosted IF’s Youth Civics Camps.  IF participants stay in the AUIS dorms during their visit to Sulaimani in addition to spending each day on campus, giving them unique insight into life at AUIS.

AUIS opened in 2007 and currently has over 500 students from all areas of Iraq who study Engineering, Information and Systems Technology, International Studies, Business Administration, and Environmental Science.

For more information:
Kyle Long, AUIS Director of Communications, kyle.long@auis.edu.iq, +964 0770 461 5385