[View the story "Afghan youth 10 years after ISAF" on Storify ]Afghan youth 10 years after ISAF Ten years after the US launched operations in Afghanistan, many Afghan youth remain cautiously optimistic about their country's future, but opinions differ about whether International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) soldiers bring stability or add to insecurity. Storified by The Stream · Wed, Oct 26 2011 21:59:36
The presence of international troops has been a fact of life for a generation young Afghans.
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On Thursday, October 6th close to 300 people took to the streets of Kabul to protest ISAF involvement in Afghanistan, corruption and poor governance. Some Afghans call ISAF an "occupation" force.
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Corruption, according to some observers, poses a greater threat to Afghanistan's long term stability than the Taliban or any militant group. In one high-profile incident, the Afghan government took over the Kabul Bank after allegations of improper dealings emerged.
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Twenty-eight year old Muhammad Jawad despairs that even after the Taliban was removed from power, billions of dollars in aid have done little to change the country.
I remember my father saying, “The sword of the Taliban would be taken from our throats.” We were all so excited, but no one could have imagined that even after billions of dollars no real change would come to the country.stream.aljazeera.com
Many young men are still joining the ranks of the Taliban hoping to expel "foreign invaders."
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In response, some development programmes are reaching out to Afghan youth to offer education and the arts as alternatives to violence and radicalisation.
Below is a video of Afghan children contributing to a graffiti art project.
GraffitiAfghanYouthVideos
In a recent interview with the Stream , one young Afghan man, Hameed Tasal, spoke directly to importance of education among his peers.
The youth are very different [from older generations]. They are more democratic. They have more modern views. More and more people are going to get an education. Their ambitions now are to get an education because if you look at the people in their 40s and 50s, they are so much less educated than the younger generations. Parents who have lived through the fighting also see how important education is, so they say, “It’s okay, I will work harder so you can go to school.”stream.aljazeera.com
For one project, Salam Watandar, Afghanistan's national radio broadcaster, brought young people into their studios and allowed them behind the scenes acces to the radio station.
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Salam Watandar Youth Radio WeekAfghanyouthvoices' Salam Watandar Youth Radio Week set
Below is a video featuring footage of Afghan roads and construction projects. The video was made by participants in an Afghan Youth Voices Festival workshop.
Reconstruction of streetsAfghanYouthVideos
Below, youths attend school in Afghanistan. About 2.5 million girls are currently enrolled in school in the country.
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Masuma Ibrahimi, herself an Afghan recently returned to the country, cited the improved outlook of women in the post-Taliban political and social environment.
It is doubtless in these past 10 years that education, work, freedom have all gotten better for women in Afghanistan. I do not know one woman who speaks well of the Taliban time or wishes for their return.stream.aljazeera.com
An Afghan graffiti artist stands in front of her work, which she's signed "Jhamsia." She was a student at a graffiti workshop in Kabul called "Wallords of Afghanistan."
Untitled | Flickr - Photo Sharing!Ch16.org
An artist stands next to his work, which says "The positive anger!"
Untitled | Flickr - Photo Sharing!Ch16.org
UK-based wall artist Chu worked with the international artists' collective Combat Communications to lead the workshops. Ten Afghan artists, including three women, participated.
Wallords 2011Wallords of Afghanistan - Stage 1 - Mission accomplished. At the end of last year Combat Communications ran a weeklong workshop in the Afghan capital Kabul, teaching stencil art and graffiti to a group of young, Afghan artists. It culminated in a two-day painting session on the walls of an abandoned factory on the outskirts of Kabul.
The Kabul-based rock band White Page performs. (photo copyright White Page).
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The band White City Kabul, who also participated in the music festival.
Rock Central Asia | For Freedom of Expression in Afghanistanfbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net
An advertisement for a pop-up "underground nightclub" called Hoodie's. The pop-up club is affiliated with the Stealth Central rock festival.
Rock Central Asia | For Freedom of Expression in Afghanistanfbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net
Thumbnail image: A U.S. soldier from 127th Military Police (MP), Task Force "Cacti" and a linguist walk along a road during a patrol in Khas Konar district in Kunar province, eastern Afghanistan October 6, 2011. REUTERS/Erik De Castro
