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enhancing understanding of iraq through programs, research and advocacy
Ground Truth Project Press Release
EPIC Debuts New Interview Series to Showcase Iraqi Voices FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Emily Leaman of EPIC (202) 543-6176 July 17, 2006 (Washington) — The Education for Peace in Iraq Center (EPIC) is pleased to announce the international release of The Ground Truth, a unique and timely interview series that captures the on-the-ground perspectives of Iraqis, aid workers, military personnel and others who have lived, worked or served in Iraq. EPIC is an independent non-profit organization working through education, policy research, and advocacy to promote a free and secureIraq. Contributing to this mission, The Ground Truth helps to shape
Iraq in their Stories: Meet Two of the 2012 MacArthur “Genius” Fellows
Every year the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation gives out $500,000 “no-strings-attached” grants, commonly known as “genius grants”, to a small group of people. These Fellows are described as demonstrating “creativity, originality, and potential to make important contributions in the future.” Two of the 23 MacArthur Fellows for 2012 have been recognized for their first hand storytelling in Iraq. The first is documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras. Her recent works have been part of a trilogy documenting post 9/11 America. It was her 2006 Oscar nominated film on Iraq called My Country, My Country, that really caught our attention. She sought not just to document the Iraq
We did it!
Thanks to the support of 191 contributors like you, we successfully reached our crowd funding goal on Indiegogo. The EPIC team (from left to right): Executive Director Erik Gustafson, Board Member Andrew Morton, Board President Nathaniel Hurd, Fall interns Daniel Young and Joanna Fisher (and her flying scarf), and our chief project advisor Kristien Zenkov. Off camera: EPIC fall intern Christian Chung and 191 contributors who took us across the finish line! As a result, PHOTOVOICE IRAQ: Picturing Change is 100% funded, and EPIC is now moving forward to implement Iraq’s first photovoice project. If you shared our project with
Final Hours to Picture Change with PHOTOVOICE IRAQ!
We are over 75% of the way there! Haven’t donated yet? Want to tell a friend but are not sure what to say? Here are our Top Ten Reasons you should help us reach our goal by midnight tonight! Top Ten Reasons to Donate to Photovoice: #10: The photos from PICTURING CHANGE will help us understand the needs of young people in Iraq. #9: Everytime you donate, the EPIC HQ wildly rejoices! #8: Because 60% of Iraqis are under the age of 25 and will be impacted tremendously, with your help. #7: Supporting this project will help EPIC reach
EPIC & The Tiziano Project: A Conversation with Jon Vidar
The old adage “a picture is worth a thousand words” remains as true as ever, even in a globalized world characterized by the power of technology. Frozen in time, however, is the powerful impact that a simple picture can have on perceptions of a state, religion, or people. At EPIC, we view this simple fact as an incredible opportunity to build understanding and craft the foundation for a peaceful and fruitful future Iraq. So we’ve teamed up with the best photojournalists in the business at The Tiziano Project, working together to wield the power of photography and technology towards the task
Practicing Photovoice
Today in the office we decided to try an activity. We practiced photovoice for ourselves to see what impact it can have on both the photographer and an audience. Photovoice, when done correctly, is a multi-step process involving discussions, skills training in photography technique, practice writing captions, and debriefing at the end of the exercise. The method takes at least eight weeks and leaves students with skills in photography, writing, and communication. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to go through this entire process so we are practicing an abbreviated mini-photovoice exercise. Everyone in the office was asked this question: What
Foundations for the Future
Growing up in the New York metro area the events of 9/11 certainly shaped my generation. Less than two years after 9/11 I was finishing high school and preparing to start college unsure of what to study. In the middle of all these events, the United States began the 2003 invasion of Iraq. My name is Daniel Young, a fall EPIC intern. Starting college just as the war began, combined with a heated presidential election, hooked me on politics. My studies have continued into graduate school with coursework focused on development, conflict, and democratization during the Arab Spring. It was
The Power of Education
What does it mean to empower youth? What effect can great teaching have on a young person? How are communities improved when young people feel as though they are making an impact? These are questions that go to the heard of EPIC’s mission, and in recent years, an important part of my life. As a high school history teacher I constantly questioned how my classes could help my students understand their communities, but more importantly, how my students could help improve their communities. I developed and implemented student-centered curriculum focused on current events, sustainability, and the actions young people could
An EPIC Start: From a Summer in Iraq to Picturing Change
It’s one thing to talk about peace in Iraq, but achieving any kind of meaningful and tangible on-the-ground impact can be difficult to organize and execute (and even harder to fund). Yet since joining the EPIC team in August, I’ve had the privilege of joining an effort that aims to showcase the true peacebuilding power of Iraq’s youth as the country goes through a fragile transition in the post-American withdrawal period. My name is Christian Chung, and I’m proud to serve as the Conflict Resolution Intern, and newest member of EPIC, for the fall semester! I’m excited to be a
A Conversation with Henry Arvidsson
As we continue to talk about EPIC’s new project, PHOTOVOICE IRAQ: Picturing Change, we thought it would be a good idea to discuss why photography is such a powerful and important medium. To explore this, we called a professional. Henry Arvidsson is a professional photographer based out of the Netherlands. Part of the United Nations Special Commission envoy, Henry first went to Iraq in the early/mid 90’s to document the dismantling of WMD’s. His work there formed an intimate portrait of Iraq not often seen in Western media. Fifteen years after this first trip, he returned to Baghdad in 2011 to see
A Conversation with Ahmed Ali
Last week, our executive director Erik sat down with Ahmed Ali to discuss the challenges facing Iraq’s education system, and the value of programs like PHOTOVOICE IRAQ: Picturing Change. Ahmed is not only an Iraq analyst and scholar whose work has been published in Foreign Policy Magazine and the Arab Reform Bulletin and whose commentary is featured on international news, he also has the rare distinction of being a former EPIC staff member! We’d like to share the conversation with you.
Stand Up, Be Counted
Everyone loves a census, from the obvious politicians and policy makers, to builders, educators, geographers, and business people. Napoleon was famous for them. Everyone can gain something from the information conveyed in a census which is often referred to as the bedrock of government. To sum it up: how can you govern a country and plan for the future, if you don’t know how many citizens you have and where they are? A census acts like a snapshot of a country. From age to occupation, religion to income, it gauges trends and tabulates numbers to provide a model for statisticians.