An Examination of the Socio-Cultural Impacts of Rahian-e Noor Camps: A Case Study of Karaji High School Students

Rahian-e Noor (the pilgrims of light) camps are organized to make Iranian students familiar with the sacrifices and dedication of soldiers who lost their lives in the Iraq-imposed 1980-88 war known as “Sacred Defense”.  These camps are held annually for all 10th grade students and they have numerous social and cultural effects. This article set out to investigate the impacts of Rahian-e Noor Camps on Karaji students. The data were extracted from a research project that had been carried out to study the the impacts of these camps on changing attitudes and behavior of students in school year 2011-12. The research was conducted through a survey and the data were collected using a questionnaire. The sample consisted of 460 10th grade students, 235 of whom had participated in camps and 225 had not. Findings indicated that attending Rahian-e Noor Camps had a positive effect on religiosity (t = 3.95, p =0.000), social capital (t = 5.3, p =0.000), Iranian-Islamic identity (t = 4.1, p =0.000), simple living (t = 4.9, p =0.000), and to model after veterans and martyrs (t = 10.5, p =0.000).