EDUCATION FOR PEACE IN IRAQ
Education for Peace in Iraq
Hardwired is working in partnership with the Directorate of Education in provinces throughout Iraq to support training for teachers that helps them foster peaceful co-existence and pluralism in the classroom. Since 2015, Hardwired has trained and equipped more than 2,000 teachers to integrate lessons that foster the values of peace and pluralism in education, reaching tens of thousands of students every year. The children who have experienced lessons on peace and pluralism are changing the culture of their classrooms, schools, families and communities and building a future where the freedom and dignity of all Iraqis - regardless of religion or ethnicity - is being protected.
How It Works
As the “cradle of civilization,” Iraq is home to some of the world’s oldest religious and ethnic communities. In 2014, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) fomented religious hatred and violent attacks against minority religious groups and others who did not adhere to their radical ideology. The terrorist group was defeated in 2017, but their influence continues to threaten security and reconstruction of the country and region. It is in this context that Hardwired is working to overcome the cross-generational and recent trauma that inhibit the flourishing of Iraqi society by developing a sustainable model for educational and social transformation in schools.
The Kurdistan Regional Government offered protection to many who fled persecution under ISIS and has taken important steps to recognize the rights of Iraq’s diverse religious and ethnic communities. Today, Hardwired is working in partnership with the KRG Ministry of Education to provide training for teachers throughout the region.
In Mosul and the Nineveh Plains, the Directorate of Education recognized the need to address the effects of ISIS on children, who were among the most vulnerable to the group’s ideology and trauma. As families returned to northern Iraq, there was a critical need to help communities overcome their fear and mistrust of one another. Recognizing the initial groundwork laid by Hardwired in refugee camps among a core group of teachers who had been trained by Hardwired from 2014-2017 in the KRG, and some who returned to help re-open their schools from 2018-2020, the Directorate of Education partnered with Hardwired to provide training for teachers. Since then, Hardwired has continued to expand across the region, working with the Directorate’s trainers to train teachers and reach students in more than 60 schools, including many that had recently re-integrated students from ISIS families.
Teachers receive virtually no training in addressing or mediating these unique challenges and students’ trauma and without intervention, children would remain vulnerable to recurrent conflict. Hardwired’s educational training programs have helped educators transform the culture of the classroom by teaching and modeling empathy, respect for the country’s diverse communities, religious traditions, and pluralism among students. And to this end, we are also able to cultivate pluralism and respect for the dignity and rights of others among children. Students who have participated in our lessons are less likely to respond with violence, they are more respectful of the equal rights of minority faiths and girls, and they are more likely to engage with people from different backgrounds or beliefs.
It has been a decade since ISIS decimated communities across Mosul and the Nineveh Plains region of Iraq, and today, because of Hardwired’s programs, there are hundreds of teachers sharing lessons on peace and pluralism with thousands of students each year. They are helping their communities overcome their deepest divisions in support of dignity and freedom for all.
iraq: Education for peace
Impact of the Program
On Students
Students who received our lessons are more likely to choose non-violent solutions to conflict and are becoming more inclusive of minority groups. Many students who initially held intolerant or discriminatory views of women, girls and other religious groups have become more respectful and engaged with them through the lessons.
On the Community
Families and members of the community have become more engaged with students through the program. They have read the lessons and attended student performances of a Hardwired play and other events, leading many to share how they are thinking differently about their religious and ethnic differences and rebuilding trust and unity after years of conflict​.
On Teachers
Teachers who received training feel better equipped to handle difficult classroom situations, promote discussions on human rights, and respect for the rights of others. Many feel empowered to incorporate these lessons into their curriculum and continue to cultivate pluralism and human rights long-after the training concludes.
On the Directorate
Officials in the Directorate of Education in many cities have shared how valuable Hardwired's programs are for bringing real, lasting change in the schools. Key to Hardwired's unique success has been working with directorate trainers and teachers for an ongoing basis rather than leaving after a workshop without any sustainable support.
I have worked with several programs to address topics related to human rights education and it was very difficult to aim for change no matter what the attempts. This program has given me all the tools needed to engage in such discussions with others especially after ISIS made the divides so clear.
Official, Directorate of Education, Mosul, Iraq
The message of the program goes beyond the kids themselves and reflects the pain of an entire nation. Through the play, the kids showed us what we wanted to do when we were living those challenging times [during ISIS], but we were afraid because our lives were threatened, and we couldn’t speak up. We hope they can grow to fix what has been ruined. They reminded us of those beautiful times when the community was united.
Parent, Mosul, Iraq
It is our great desire to protect the rights and freedoms of all people in the region. Hardwired’s education initiatives have promoted greater respect for religious and ethnic diversity among students, and their work with teachers has helped us more effectively promote peaceful coexistence among our youth.
Mariwan Naqshbandi, Senior Director of the Ministry of Culture and Youth, Kurdistan Regional Government, Iraq
Rebuilding Nineveh
Following the defeat of ISIS, Hardwired-trained teachers returned to Mosul and the Nineveh Plains and began the hard work of rebuilding. Beginning with the children, they showed that lasting peace is possible after years of conflict.
A Model for Pluralism Education & Peaceful Coexistence
With funding from the Templeton Religion Trust and in partnership with the Directorate of Education in Mosul and the Nineveh Plains, Hardwired trained teachers to promote pluralism and human rights in their class.
Rebuilding Together in Bashiqa
Hardwired worked with two remarkable teachers, Rian and Rafid, to train teachers and bring transformation among students in schools across Bashiqa - a town in the Nineveh Plains with a diverse population of religious communities who had been impacted by ISIS.
The Good Road With PBS
PBS Emmy-Nominated tv-series The Good Road traveled to Mosul, Iraq with Hardwired to witness the impact of our program on communities trying to rebuild and overcome horrific injustice and share it with audiences worldwide.
Sticking Together in Hamdaniya
Through Hardwired's programs in Hamdaniya, a town in Mosul and the Nineveh Plains of Iraq, children are sticking together to overcome their fear and mistrust of one another and rebuild trust in their communities. To overcome religious intolerance and violence they learned to respect one another's rights.
Seeds of Peace in Mosul
Hardwired's innovative lessons and play brought the hope of unity and peace to a community in Mosul that had faced significant challenges following ISIS's defeat. Students from persecuted groups that fled and others who had lived under ISIS worked together to share these lessons with their community.
Current Programs
Post-ISIS Education Reform
Following the defeat of ISIS, Hardwired implemented a Teacher-Training Program in Mosul and the Nineveh Plains that developed a team of "Master Trainers" who helped re-open schools, train other teachers, and share the lessons they learned with their students that have helped build a model for transforming classrooms and addressing the traumas caused by ISIS's radical curriculum. They restored hope in their communities and inspired the local government's support.
Mosul: Model Schools Initiative
Hardwired worked in partnership with the Directorate of Education in Mosul and the Nineveh Plains to establish 40 "Model Pluralism Schools." Hundreds of teachers were trained to integrate education for peace and pluralism into their curriculum, reaching thousands of students each year. The program has fostered dignity and respect for the rights of persecuted groups, and reduced discrimination and violence in schools. The program is continuing to expand to more schools each year.
Education in Iraqi Kurdistan
Hardwired is working in partnership with the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq to train hundreds of teachers in schools throughout the region who are sharing lessons on peace and pluralism with their students. The KRG is rich in religious and ethnic diversity and Hardwired's programs are building greater understanding and respect among communities to ensure lasting peace for future generations. This multi-year program is made possible by the unique support of Ministry of Education.
Protecting Children From Violent Extremism
Using Rights-Based Education to Build More Peaceful, Inclusive Societies in the Middle East and North Africa
Hardwired conducted a ground-breaking study among children in the Middle East and North Africa that provides the first evidence of the positive impact of rights-based education to help children overcome the trauma of religious extremism and counter the ideas of hate and intolerance that lead to violent extremism. The study, which was made possible with support from the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office Magna Carta Fund for Human Rights, and with the cooperation of officials in various Ministries of Education, teachers, and students, offers a powerful example of how to build more peaceful, pluralistic societies that are resilient to extremism. The findings presented in this study highlight the innovative nature of Hardwired’s programs in the Middle East that are helping youth develop new attitudes and behaviors towards people of different religions and beliefs that reflect greater respect for the rights and freedoms of others.
Evaluating the Impact of Conceptual Change Pedagogy on Student Attitudes and Behaviors Towards Controversial Topics in Iraq
Frontiers in Education
Global efforts to address the spread of intolerant ideologies that foment radicalization, discrimination, and violence are fraught with controversy. Hardwired Global developed a teacher training program based on conceptual change theory and pedagogy to fill these needs.This published study in Frontiers in Education assesses our findings of conceptual change pedagogy on students’ attitudes toward pluralism and related rights within culturally sensitive contexts.
Promoting Pluralism and Peaceful Coexistence Through a Master Trainer Program
International Journal of Arts and Social Science
This paper reports on the results of Hardwired’s Master Trainer program for educators in Iraq. We investigate how the Master Trainers moved from being a trainee to training others. The training experience illustrates the long-term impact Hardwired’s program can have on education for the promotion of pluralism for teachers in Iraq. The Master Trainers gained greater confidence in their own ability to train teachers and the teachers trained showed significant gains in conceptual change regarding knowledge, attitudes, and behavior about the human right to freedom of conscience, religion or belief. The efficacy of the program lies in its approach to those educators who would otherwise never ―opt in to a training on human rights or associated topics. To this end, Master-Trainers are able to reach educators in a way Hardwired itself, as well as other organizations, cannot. This contributes to the sustainability of the model.
Key Values
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Pluralism
Active engagement with people of different backgrounds and beliefs with respect for their inherent dignity and rights.
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Human Rights
Inherent rights guaranteed by nature of one's humanity, and acknowledged as universal standards for all people in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
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Religious Freedom
The freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief as defined in Article 18 of the UDHR, protecting an individual's right to have and express their beliefs.
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Human Dignity
The idea that every person has inherent value and worth by nature of their humanity and regardless of any characteristic and therefore require certain human rights to express their humanity.
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