Teens Send Messages of Hope to US and Iraqi Youth Impacted by the War in Iraq

Online message writing campaign finds common ground between pro-war and anti-war teens, to support both US and Iraqi youth negatively impacted by the war in Iraq.

WASHINGTON DC, April 7, 2003 - Teens around the world have been writing messages of hope and support to both U.S. kids whose parents have been sent away to fight the war in Iraq, as well as Iraqi youth who are directly in the line of fire. The message writing campaign entitled, Caught in the Crossfire, seeks to find common ground among teens - regardless of their divergent opinions on the war in Iraq - to support both U.S. and Iraqi youth, as both groups are negatively impacted by the war. YouthNOISE, a teen civic engagement website, will send the messages directly to internally displaced or refugee Iraqi children, as well as U.S. children of military families, respectively.

Already over 2000 messages have been written from teens around the world. One message writer with online name Amrith writes Iraqi youth: "I am from India, and being an Indian, I have felt the misery of people being killed in Kashmir... It is difficult to know whether we must cry because we are hungry, thirsty and tired, or because we have lost our home and a part of our family. I pray to God to give you the strength to endure what you are enduring." Online member Playette514 supports children of US military: "All of you ... who have parents in the military, know that they are doing a very special thing for this country... Without brave men and women like your mom or dad, we may not have the life we live today. Be thankful you can have such an awesome parent to call yours."

"Teens are really getting it", says Hilary Johnson, Managing Director of YouthNOISE. "Young people on both sides of the war effort are adversely affected, and young people from around the world are choosing to support one another. They are finding a common ground to plant seeds of hope for future generations."

To view teens messages of support or to write a message of your own, visit www.YouthNOISE.com.

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