Youth Activity Centre

Being a teenager or young adult in a culture where youth are usually ignored is not always easy. The KSC Youth Centres have been established to give these youngsters, aged between 15 to 30 years, a place to meet up with friends in their own age-group, to encourage them to be creative and to develop their talents. The centres offer various sporting activities, music, theatre, dance, painting and photography. There is also free access to computers, gym equipment, a library and a cafeteria. The personnel at the centres help to arrange courses, movie nights, sports championships and other events suitable for teenagers and young adults.

Every week thousands of boys and girls go to the centres, and in their own TV-show called “Ganjan” (Youth), they report on the week’s events and discuss issues relating to young people. Besides the centre in Sulaimaniya which opened in 1998, there are seven other centres in the Kurdish cities of: Darbandikhan, Raniya, Koya, Kalar, Khanaqeen, Baziyan and Kirkuk. The main objective of the centres is to provide places for young people to meet and actually be youngsters. We also want to encourage them to be creative and help them identify and develop their talents and potential for the future.

The Youth Centre is a popular gathering place for social and cultural activities. Concerts and theatrical performances take place on the well-equipped stage, there are seminars and exhibitions too, all open to the general public.