Salam Shabab (Peace Youth) began as the first reality television program made to promote the empowerment of Iraqi youth. Filmed and produced in Iraq in partnership with Magic Carpet for Media Production and Steel River Productions, each season of Sala m Shabab followed 54 Iraqi teens from six different provinces as they produced their own short films, performed on stage, and used teamwork to win sport and educational challenges.

Salam Shabab Season 1 Finalists
Salam Shabab Season 1 Finalists

The project developed an active social media presence with huge following from youth across the Middle East. This online community created an environment that empowered youth to use technology to spark peacebuilding in the communities. Whether by providing youth with access to online toolkits that trained them on how to use technology for social good or by fostering a digital space that encouraged them to participate in civil society and share their narratives, Salam Shabab sought to improve knowledge, promote positive attitudes, and shape behaviors to foster effective peacebuilding in local communities across the Middle East.

In 2012, Salam Shabab won the prestigious UNESCO Prize for Intercultural Dialogue at the Prix Jeunesse.

Looking to learn more about Salam Shabab? You can follow the series on Twitter, watch on YouTube or join the community on Facebook.

 

Featured Publications

peace brief cover

Salam Shabab: Views and Voices of Iraqi Youth

January 19, 2011

This Piece Brief presents a unique collection of Iraqi youth perspectives based on recent research as well as firsthand views of Iraqi youth participating in the filming of the Salam Shabab (Peace Youth) reality TV series.

Preventing Media Incitement to Violence in Iraq cover

Preventing Media Incitement to Violence in Iraq

Peace Brief

Iraqi media stakeholders have identified media incitement to violence as a crucial issue, especially during election periods. As a result, USIP convened a conference on September 25-26, 2009 to explore the complex issue and to identify specific action points for mitigating inflammatory coverage in Iraq. This brief documents the findings of that conference.

peace briefing cover

Media for Next Generation Peacebuilding in Iraq

August 5, 2009

In order to address some of the challenges facing youth in Iraq, USIP and its Iraqi partners created a multimedia program that provides Iraqi teenagers with tools that can help them grow into independent, empowered citizens within a complex society. This report offers an introduction to USIP’s youth media project, a summary of an expert working group and the next steps in developing the program designed to help Iraqi teenagers in becoming active contributors to peace in Iraq.

User Guidelines for Preventing Media Incitement to Violence in Iraq - Elections Edition cover

User Guidelines: Preventing Media Incitement to Violence in Iraq - Elections Edition

Tools for Peacebuilding

These guidelines are a resource developed by USIP in collaboration with UNESCO and Iraqi media partners. They are designed as a self-regulatory tool for media to gain awareness about the dangers of inflammatory language in reporting on elections. This Arabic resource, which includes suggested alternatives to facilitate more conflict-sensitive reporting, has been distributed to Iraqi media outlets and government offices prior to Election Day in Iraq.

Past Convenings

Next Generation Peacebuilding and Social Change in the Arab World

Event

On January 25, an event at USIP explored what connects and divides Iraqi youth from others across the region.  In addition to a panel of three dynamic young cultural leaders and activists, the afternoon featured an exclusive screening of one episode from Season 1 of Salam Shabab, the first peacebuilding television series for Iraqi youth supported by USIP.  A question and answer session with the show's producers followed the screening, and the evening concluded with a live performance by Iraqi pop band UTN1.

Preventing Media Incitement to Violence in Iraq Workshop, Erbil

Workshop

In December of 2011, USIP held a second Preventing Media Incitement to Violence in Iraq Workshop in Erbil for Iraqi media regulatory bodies, news media and civil society monitoring NGOs.  Since a key objective of the workshop was to place ownership of self-regulatory tools into the hands of Iraqi media stakeholders themselves, USIP and expert trainers designed a practical, hands-on training program to instruct participants in content analysis methodology and style guide development for application at their own organizations.

Preventing Media Incitement to Violence in Iraq

Workshop

This first Preventing Media Incitement to Violence in Iraq Workshop gathered fifteen high-level Iraqi media stakeholders from government, news media and civil society to preview preliminary content analysis results of the top five Iraqi satellite channels’ coverage of the 2010 parliamentary elections.  The content analysis was then used as a training tool to teach participants how to conduct their own content analysis.  In addition, they collaboratively developed the foundations for a customizable Style Guide for preventing media incitement to violence in Iraq.

Related Publications

User Guidelines for Preventing Media Incitement to Violence in Iraq - Elections Edition

User Guidelines for Preventing Media Incitement to Violence in Iraq - Elections Edition

Friday, May 7, 2010

By:

The guidelines are designed as a self-regulatory tool for media to gain awareness about the dangers of inflammatory language in reporting on elections. This Arabic resource, which includes suggested alternatives to facilitate more conflict-sensitive reporting, has been distributed to Iraqi media outlets and government offices prior to Election Day in Iraq.

Type: Tools for Peacebuilding

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Latest Publications

Promoting Peace and Stability in the Americas through Religious Freedom

Promoting Peace and Stability in the Americas through Religious Freedom

Thursday, March 28, 2024

By: Knox Thames

The Western Hemisphere is generally known for protecting freedom of religion or belief. With a few notable exceptions, the countries of the region all enshrine religious freedom at the constitutional level and protect it through laws and policies. But in recent years, authoritarian governments in South America have increasingly viewed religious actors as threats to their regime’s survival and tried to control or crush independent religious activity.

Type: Analysis

Religion

Moscow Concert Hall Attack Will Have Far-Reaching Impact

Moscow Concert Hall Attack Will Have Far-Reaching Impact

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

By: Mary Glantz, Ph.D.;  Gavin Helf, Ph.D.;  Asfandyar Mir, Ph.D.;  Andrew Watkins

On Friday, terrorists attacked the Crocus City Hall outside Moscow leaving 140 people dead and 80 others critically wounded. Soon after, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack. The terrorist group, which is headquartered in Iraq and Syria, has several branches, including in South and Central Asia. Press reports suggest the U.S. government believes the Afghanistan-based affiliate of the Islamic State, ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K), was behind the attack. The Biden administration has publicly noted that it had warned the Russian government of the terrorism threat in early March in line with the procedure of “Duty to Warn.”

Type: Analysis

Global Policy

What Does the U.N. Cease-Fire Resolution Mean for the Israel-Gaza War?

What Does the U.N. Cease-Fire Resolution Mean for the Israel-Gaza War?

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

By: Robert Barron

On March 25, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) passed Resolution 2728, calling for an “immediate” cease-fire in Gaza. The motion’s passage came after weeks of back and forth and posturing among the UNSC’s permanent and rotating members. The exact phrasing of the resolution and its relevance to the situation on the ground, as well as bilateral and multilateral relations — particularly U.S.-Israel ties — have been the subject of heavy public and media attention since Monday, raising questions about the resolution’s subtext, intent and limitations. USIP’s Robert Barron looks at these questions.

Type: Question and Answer

Global PolicyPeace Processes

Angela Stent on the Terror Attack in Moscow

Angela Stent on the Terror Attack in Moscow

Monday, March 25, 2024

By: Angela Stent

While ISIS has claimed responsibility for the devastating terror attack in Moscow, Putin has baselessly tried to shift the blame to Ukraine, says USIP’s Angela Stent: “[Putin] wants to use this to increase repression at home … and also to pursue a more aggressive path in Ukraine.”

Type: Podcast

What’s Driving India-China Tensions?

What’s Driving India-China Tensions?

Monday, March 25, 2024

By: Dean Cheng;  Sameer P. Lalwani, Ph.D.;  Daniel Markey, Ph.D.;  Nilanthi Samaranayake

Since deadly clashes between India and China on their 2,100-mile disputed border — known as the Line of Actual Control (LAC) — nearly four years ago, the two countries have remained in a standoff and amassed an increasing number of troops on either side of the LAC. While India and China have held regular exchanges at the corps commander level since 2020, each side has also continued to militarize and invest in infrastructure in the high-altitude border regions, which may exacerbate risks of clashes or escalation. India-China competition has also deepened beyond the land border, particularly in the Indian Ocean region.

Type: Question and Answer

Global Policy

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