Youth Nexus
From enquiry to action.
A ten-month journey for 100 young people in Baghdad and Najaf — a British Council programme delivered on the ground by Ishtar Center. You'll investigate a civic issue you care about, bring your findings to the same table as officials and civil society, and turn them with your team into a real, seed-funded project.
Not another training course.
Youth Nexus starts from a simple conviction: what young people need most is not another skills course — it's proof, through their own experience, that they can bring about change on the issues that matter to them.
The 2026 journey focuses on civic engagement and the relationship between young people and the state. You'll explore how local governance actually works, ask where and why youth are left out of civic life, and test what becomes possible when young people and institutions sit at the same table — as equals.
Four phases, from belonging to action.
You move through the journey with your cohort, guided by facilitators and mentors from the first workshop to the final showcase — ten months, start to finish.
- 01
Identity & Belonging
It starts with you and your cohort: culture-led onboarding events and facilitated workshops that build trust, confidence, and a shared identity.
- 02
Collaborative Research
Pick a civic issue that matters to your team and investigate it for real — field visits, community mapping, and conversations with the people affected.
- 03
Collective Decision-Making
Present your findings at a table where municipal officials, civil society, and community leaders agree action priorities with you — as partners, not an audience.
- 04
Collective Action
Deliver your team's own Collective Action Project — seed-funded, mentored, and connected to the stakeholders who can make it last.
It doesn't end there: the journey closes with a public showcase of what the cohort built — and an alumni network that keeps both cities connected.
Open to young people across Baghdad and Najaf.
- Aged 18 to 35
- Living in or closely connected to Baghdad or Najaf
- Young women are strongly encouraged to apply
- Young people with disabilities are welcome — tell us what you need and we'll make it work
- Able to commit to the full ten-month journey — workshops, field research, community events, and your team's project
- Any background — law and political science sit alongside engineering, arts, and everything else. Curiosity matters more than experience
What you'll walk away with.
Ten months of facilitated learning, real civic work, and relationships that outlast the programme.
Lead a real project — not a simulation.
With your team of 10–12, you'll design a Collective Action Project that grows out of your own research — and deliver it with seed funding, ongoing mentoring, and introductions to the officials and organisations who can help it succeed.
Mentors who stay with you.
Facilitators and mentors accompany the whole journey — through research, decision-making, and implementation — not just a workshop weekend.
A cohort of 100 across two cities.
Peers from Baghdad and Najaf, from every background — relationships across discipline, gender, and city that keep working after the programme ends.
A seat at the table.
Engage municipal officials, civil-society organisations, and academics directly — presenting your findings and agreeing priorities together.
Skills you learn by using them.
Collaborative research, inclusive leadership, collective decision-making, and community problem-solving — built through real work, not lectures.
Free to take part.
There are no fees. Workshops, materials, and programme activities are covered — you bring the time and the curiosity.
Your findings, heard.
Your team's research goes in front of decision-makers, and the journey closes with a public showcase of what your cohort built.
An alumni network that lasts.
Graduates join a youth alumni network across Baghdad and Najaf — staying connected to each other and to the civic scene the programme opened up.
Ready to take part?
Applying takes about five minutes and registers your interest in joining the cohort. Selection is a transparent process run alongside our onboarding events — we contact shortlisted applicants directly.
Start your application Follow the programme on Instagram @youthnexus.iqOne programme, two partners.
Youth Nexus pairs the British Council's global experience in youth and civic-engagement programmes with Ishtar Center's roots in Iraq's civic scene.
British Council
Brings the Youth Nexus methodology, experienced facilitation, and quality assurance — built on youth programmes delivered across the MENA region.
Visit britishcouncil.orgIshtar Center for Democracy Support
Delivers the programme on the ground: recruiting the cohort, hosting workshops and community events, and opening its civic networks in Baghdad and Najaf to participants.