WYA Iraq has implemented two in-person CTP (Certified Training Programs) for a local school and Liva Karwan, the WYA Iraq chapter leader, shares the success of the program.
“Bullying was a thing at the school”, Liva says, “So we told them our plan to implement the CTP and HDC programs”. The school loved the idea and invited them to teach the program to their fifth graders.
The team tried a simpler approach to the programs. During the first session, the trainers asked the class what friendship and family mean to them to ease them into the concept of human dignity.
In the second session, they did a short activity about bullying where one WYA trainer pretended to be a bully and the other pretended to be a victim as a visual representation. They also talked about harassment, respecting one another’s personal space, and worked on a worksheet together.
The goal was to help the students “find the reasons why people bully others because it’s been a trend on social media to do these things”, Liva says.
The students reacted well to the program and gave insightful answers that revealed their knowledge of human dignity.
“You get surprised by how rich their brains are”, Liva excitedly shared, “These programs are just as crucial for kids as they are for adults…because if they learn these things while they’re small, they will remember these things as they get older”.
The in-person classes were a success and WYA Iraq is making plans to go back to the school in the future. Liva says, “They were really, really eager to see us. I’m sure that they’ll ask us to see them again”.