The second training workshop for the 2017/2018 class of Iraq Leadership Fellows took place at the American University of Iraq in Sulaimani from 5th – 7th  March 2018. The training focused on how to build support among relevant stakeholders by creating compelling stories and narratives. Fellows were taught how to mine their personal experiences to create inspiring ‘narratives of self’ that could bolster their ability to lead. Fellows also learnt how to create ‘narratives of us’, by building on collective experiences to communicate an arc of change to potential supporters. Fellows further experimented with creating visual and narrative images that could powerfully communicate ideas and inspire action.

The Fellows met with Dr. Barham Salih, former Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq, and former Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, and leader of the new Kurdish political party Coalition for Justice and Democracy. Dr. Barham Salih powerfully demonstrated to the group how he uses a collective Iraqi narrative to inspire Kurdish citizens to support a new vision of the future in which Arabs and Kurds can work together to rebuild the country.