Putting Peace in the Hands of Youth

 By Anastasia Morrissey 

I think it’s easy to take peace for granted when it’s all you’ve ever known.  Growing up in Iowa, my worries were few and my childhood was simple.  As a kid, I was able to aspire to anything I wanted to be, and my parents would humor me in any way that they could.  

While I was in high school, I was able to put my career thoughts on the backburner and worry about what clothes I was going to wear, or whether that boy I liked would ask me to the homecoming dance.  I never had to think about the state of my country or about how to integrate tolerance and understanding in my community.  

It’s hard to imagine that not everyone grows up this way.  In some countries, children are fortunate if they’re ever able to attend school.  They have to work so hard in order to get to the career ladder they desire, because that could mean a change for them and everything in their life – a real home, a future for themselves and their family, and even a chance to better their countries.

The students that Iowa Resource for International Service (IRIS) recruits through the U.S State Department’s Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Program are productive citizens, even as teenagers.  They’re already thinking about the ways that they’re going to change the face of their nation, and they know it starts with their exchange year here in the United States.  The YES program specifically chooses students from predominantly Muslim countries, so that they can bridge the gap of misunderstanding between Americans and their home countries. These teenagers are more than willing to rise to the challenge.  

They learn how to teach others about themselves and where they come from, they learn how to integrate American customs and ethics with their own, and they learn how to involve themselves in community service (an activity not often seen in many parts of the world).  And the best part is that, when they return home, they can bring back with them everything they’ve learned.

Our students have taken initiative to start new programs and volunteer activities in their home communities.  They’ve started empowerment programs for numerous disadvantaged populations, they’ve cleaned up their neighborhoods, and they’ve taken the initiative to volunteer at hospitals and orphanages to improve the lives of those less fortunate.  And

They’re always grateful for the opportunity to be of service to someone else.  

I think it’s amazing that there’s a population of younger people who are going to take on the responsibility of becoming the next generation to improve their communities and countries.  As an adult, it’s easy to let the petty things cloud my judgment and keep me from focusing on what’s important in life.  And for these students, the most important part of life is living and experiencing, and giving experiences to those who would have otherwise never had it.  I’m relieved to know that the fate of peace is in their hands. 

Anastasia Morrissey is a YES Program Assistant through IRIS, the Iowa Resource for International Service.