David Hines’ Story

Here is an article written by one of our high school interns and his experience with a visiting Iraqi youth delegation:

A Day with the Iraqi Young Leaders

Written By: David Hines, San Diego, CA

Garbed in my Boy Scout regalia, I venture into the Citizen Diplomacy Council office with little idea of what to expect. I was fortunate enough to spend a day with the Young Leader delegation from Iraq. These 18 Iraqi high school students were hosted by Citizen Diplomacy Council of San Diego, a non-profit organization that encourages international understanding by hosting delegations to meet with their American professional counterparts. These Iraqi Young Leaders were chosen by the U.S. State Department through the Embassy in Baghdad, based on their interest in leadership, written essays, and English language skills. They met with American professional leaders in government, private enterprise, and non-profit groups to learn about leadership.

As I walked into the office, I did not see Arab boys garbed in dish-dasha's or women clad in burqas or niqabs. I saw teenagers with slightly darker skin than I with jeans, t-shirts, tank tops, Converse shoes, and other stamps of American culture that have proliferated around the world. I was greeted with a "What's up? Have a seat!" I introduced myself to all of the Young Leaders and shortly afterwards explained what I was wearing and why. The two Iraqi chaperones welcomed me into the tight waiting area of the Citizen Diplomacy Council office and made sure I was introduced to all of the Iraqi teens as they arrived.

The delegates stayed with host families in San Diego. Once all of the families had dropped their Iraqi students off, we stormed the elevator and stairwell. We entered the bus and the relationships began to develop. I sat next to a girl from Basrah, the south of Iraq. I began to pose preliminary questions to her: how did you find out about the program? Do you study in a public or private school? Her command of English astounded me; she never grappled for a word or self-flagellated herself for having poor language skills, as so many speakers of foreign languages do. She spoke with purpose and precision – she was a very poor example of a poorly educated woman who would marry young and "needed to be empowered." I also found out that she was a Christian. "What?" I exclaimed, "There are Christians in Iraq?" "Yes," she replied calmly, as if nothing in the world could make more sense than having Christians in Iraq. Somehow the Embassy of Baghdad had included every demographic in the delegation; we also had a Chaldean Christian. Christians are part of the demographic that makes up less than 3% of the Iraqi religious demographic. Chaldean Christians hold services in Aramaic, the language that Jesus spoke. Islam is the obvious predominant religion, Shia make up the other 60 – 65%, while Sunni makeup 32 – 37%. This was also her first trip outside of Iraq, Syria, and Turkey.

We arrived at our first destination for the day, an informal meeting with the Chief of Police of San Diego. After a quick search of our bags for security, we were escorted to the seventh floor. Chief William Lansdowne joined us in a larger conference room that just fit all 26 of us – 16 Iraqi students, their 2 Iraqi chaperones, 1 Iraqi refugee joining us for the day from El Cajon who's cousin came in the delegation to San Diego, 2 administrators from Washington D.C., 1 organizer from Citizen Diplomacy Council, 4 other San Diegan high school students, and me. The Chief introduced himself and told us the history of his career. Instantly, the Iraqi's took interest in two things: his suggestions on how to improve Iraq's law enforcement and his philosophies on leadership. At the first opportunity, the Young Leaders questioned him about the situation in Iraq. They explained that Iraq's law enforcement were corrupt and not dependable. To all of our disbelief, the Chief of Police in San Diego said the solution was "Women." He explained that women command a much higher moral standard than men. "Women are virtually incorruptible," was one statement that floored us all. He explained that women are thinkers, who often use reason and logic rather than the masculine method of brute force and yelling. He also explained the concept of community policing – giving the community officials a say in which laws were enforced. He credited the strong relationship between San Diego's community and the police department to San Diego's rank as the 3rd safest city in the country. One member of our delegation asked him what his leadership philosophies were. Chief Lansdowne said smoothly that he was not the brightest, the fastest, or the most creative, but he could, "outwork any of the other guys sitting next to him." He left us thinking, "Wow, do I need to be a workaholic to be successful?" He logged 5:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. days with consistent calls throughout the night to alert him to San Diego's security threats.

Our meeting turned into a stimulating discussion that the Iraqi's videotaped for a miniature documentary they were preparing about leadership and how they influence their community. Chief Lansdowne thanked us for coming and posed for countless pictures with each Iraqi student.

The Girl Scouts welcomed us with an introduction by the President of the San Diego-Imperial Council. Girl Scouts from all over San Diego and camp counselors trained in instructing the low ropes course guided us through team building activities and a few challenges. The most memorable: the caterpillar team building game. I knew how most Americans would solve the quintessential problem: two, 2 x 4 boards with ropes attached to each "leg." A team would normally use coordinated movement – directed by frantic screams of "right" and "left" in unison - to move slowly, but surely towards the end of the designated "Hot Lava Pit." The team would place their feet on each leg and lift the rope to coordinate steps. However, in the Iraqi's case, they overlooked any use that the ropes possessed and used the boards as a kind of bridge. As the counselors looked on with disbelief, the last board was passed to the front to lengthen our potential. In all her years of instructing, the counselor had never seen any method similar to the Iraqis. Perhaps a glitch in the way she explained the game or perhaps the Iraqis had done something similar at their leadership camp in Virginia, but I would like to think there is some kind of metaphor in the way Iraqis solve problems in this anecdote.

The Young Leaders delegation coincided with the dates for the 2010 Ramadan. It was the first day of Ramadan and the pangs of hunger and lethargy began as we sat down for "lunch." We split up into two rooms. Those who wished to observe Ramadan rested in one room without the presence of Costco pizza; they held an information session about the Girl Scout's experiences and the opportunities that Scouting provided them. (I, the hungry American, chose to take lunch with the two Christians and with those that would observe Ramadan when they
returned home and add extra days for the time that they did not observe Ramadan, as the Koran suggests is adequate reparation for not following Ramadan during the recommended period.)

The Girl Scouts talked about the opportunities that scouting provided for them. The Iraqis chimed in that scouting use to be mandatory for students in public schools, but the program was discontinued 7 years ago. They do have vague memories of scouting in Iraq, though. We all agreed that Iraq needs to have a program that develops leaders and provides them with experience to lead.

We stopped shortly at a park to reflect on our day with an activity called Roses, Buds, and Thorns. All 26 of us gave one rose, something we liked that day, one bud, something we were excited for, and a thorn, something we didn't like. One of the boys said that his thorn was taking a picture with me – I was so ecstatic. The Young Leaders made it so easy for me to integrate for the day. I was privileged to get to know all of them by name and even learned about the large Iraqi refugee community in El Cajon placed by the International Rescue Committee.

We stopped at the Media Arts Center, which hosts the San Diego Latin Film Festival and gives San Diego access to film, video, and other media for community self-expression and social change. The Iraqi students downloaded their photos and finalized their video. It included clips of each student giving a synopsis of "How am I a leader in my community?"

The stay in San Diego would be incomplete without a trip to that local sports team: the San Diego Padres. On our way from the MAC to Petco Park, I sat next to a girl from Baghdad. I asked her, "What do you think of the American military when you see them?" She said it was, "Not good." She continued to explain her experience in 2003, when the United States invaded Iraq. Her entire family – an Arab extended family including cousins, aunts, uncles – huddled in her family's bomb-proof basement. She was in the 5th grade. She vividly remembers the first few days of the invasion. School was canceled. Friends were lost. Families fled. Relatives were killed. I apologized on behalf of the United States – as if it mattered – for aimlessly
bombing her city. She explained that when Sadam Hussein was in power people knew there were bad things happening; they just didn't see them happen. Now, people know terrible things happen because everything unfolds in front of them – shootings, kidnappings, harassment, and car bombings. This girl from Baghdad told me it was a horrible situation for children to have to live through. It seemed to me as if "uncertainty" defined her day to day schedule.

From the MAC we bused to Petco Park for a Padres game – the Friars were taking on the Pittsburg Pirates. In the park we sang "Take me out to the Ballgame," and initiated our new Iraqi friends to the old American tradition we call "The Wave." It was amazing to watch all of the Iraqis integrate seamlessly as we attempted to get on the Big Screen, applauded the game's only home run, and ate peanuts with little regard for where the shells fell.

It was hard to part with them that night. For all I knew, I could have conversed, laughed, and ate with Iraq's next president. They were from a country far, far away in a situation very, very hard for me to understand. Their next destination was Washington D.C, then to Turkey, where they would drive back home to the hot, dry land of Iraq. Back to uncertainty, back to occupation, back to family, back to bring leadership to their schools and to themselves. If there is anything I learned from a variety of Boy Scout leadership programs and independent camps, it is that leading yourself is quite possibly the most important skill of all.

~David Hines

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