On the evening of Tuesday, 13 May 2025, the activities and events of the Eastern Christian Youth Camp, which was held at the Monastery of Mar Behnam the Martyr in the Nineveh Plain – Al-Hamdaniya District, came to a close after lasting five days from 9 to 13 May 2025.
The camp was organized by Hammurabi Human Rights Organization (HHRO), in cooperation and coordination with the Eastern Christians Center in Iraq, with support from Christian Solidarity International (CSI), and in collaboration with the administration of the Monastery of Mar Behnam in the Nimrud sub-district, where the camp was hosted.
The camp dedicated its activities to strengthening Christian presence, sustaining youth engagement, and achieving Christian solidarity in the Middle East. Participants also sought to deepen bonds of acquaintance, exchange expertise and experiences, and work toward increasing solidarity and coordination on shared issues.
A total of 35 individuals participated in the camp, including 25 young men and women aged between 23 and 43 from Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, and Iraq, as well as 10 additional participants representing Eastern Christian centers from the same countries.
Participants received professional workshops aimed at enhancing youth skills in leadership, public relations, communication, advocacy, and project writing for grant acquisition. They also attended seminars on human rights, mechanisms for the protection of minority rights, and the challenges of migration and its risks to Christian presence in the East. Several dialogue sessions were held addressing the challenges faced by Christian youth in the region, means of addressing them, and achieving resilience and steadfastness. These sessions employed interactive discussion methodologies and open dialogue to shape a youth vision for the future. Participants also visited archaeological and religious sites in the Nineveh Plain and Mosul, most notably the Monastery of Mar Mattai on Mount Maqloub, the old churches of Mosul in Hosh Al-Bay’ah, as well as other Syriac and Chaldean churches and Mosuli heritage sites. They also toured Alqosh, north of Mosul, where they visited the Monastery of Rabban Hormizd and the shrine of the Prophet Nahum. The youth also took part in discussion and dialogue sessions on the Eastern Churches and the role of the laity, delivered by His Excellency Bishop Younan Hanno, Archbishop of Mosul and its dependencies for the Syriac Catholics, and another session on Eastern Christian heritage with Father Dr. Philippe Al-Dominiqi. The camp also featured artistic contributions and initiatives, including attendance at a concert by the Qithara Orchestra, where participants enjoyed Eastern music and melodies. Participants also chanted hymns and prayers during their entry into and presence in churches, particularly those that had been destroyed by the ISIS terrorist organization.
Mr. William Warda, Project Manager and Public Relations Officer at Hammurabi Human Rights Organization, stated in a special statement to Nerkal News Network that the activities of this camp will undoubtedly contribute to enhancing participants’ communication capacities, strengthening their leadership and administrative qualifications, and raising their awareness of the conditions and circumstances faced by Christians in the region. He also emphasized that this camp will create a suitable environment for activating the role of youth in society, reducing migration tendencies, fostering attachment to the homeland, and contributing to strengthening Christian presence in the Middle East.
Mr. Louis Marcos, Head of the Eastern Christians Center in Iraq, stated that this is the first youth camp of its kind organized by the Eastern Christians centers, and it represents the first step toward building new bridges to overcome disconnection and lack of communication among Christian communities in the region. It also provides an opportunity to address gaps in the exchange of experiences, concerns, and suffering, as well as to tackle weaknesses in community communication, facilitate the transfer of experiences and expertise, and enhance cooperation and coordination among Christian communities in the region.
For his part, Mr. Yohanna Yousif Twaya, Head of the Nineveh Branch of Hammurabi Human Rights Organization and a member of the camp management committee, stated: “We thank God that our endeavor to realize this camp has been achieved, and we have made every effort to ensure its success. Today, we are pleased with our contribution to preparing a group of youth who possess communication and management skills, as well as the ability to lead and influence public opinion. We expect them to further increase the exchange of information, visions, and experiences among Christian communities, and to strengthen the bonds of communication and solidarity among youth in the East.”
During the closing session of the camp, participants expressed their happiness and joy as they exchanged commemorative gifts, extending their thanks and gratitude to Hammurabi Human Rights Organization, represented by its President Mrs. Pascal Warda, to the Eastern Christians Center in Iraq represented by Mr. Louis Marcos, and to Christian Solidarity International for their support and cooperation in making this camp a success.
