by Suhaib Al Kaissi *
The Iraqi Digital Story Telling project is the first voluntary digital story telling project in Iraq. We create interesting stories of local Iraqis and we share them with the rest of the world on the project’s official website (currently under construction) and on our YouTube channel.
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| Behind the camera, at one of our stories |
The main goal of the IDST is to depict the real life of Iraqis; by covering personal stories that are often over looked by 24 hour news networks. By telling stories with universal appeal, we hope to reengage viewers from around the world who may be tuning out the regular Iraqi news cycle presented by the media.
Where the Idea Came From
The idea first came to me when I first visited the states. One family there was shocked to discover that I’m an Iraqi. They asked: “Where is your beard? Where is white long dress? Why you are wearing a T-shirt and normal clothes?” This incident made me realize that some people have a picture of Iraq in their mind that is not accurate. I was very much influenced by this incident and felt responsible to change the way Iraq is presented to the world.
The IDST was created to change some of those inaccurate impressions of Iraq. We want to engage the audience with new ideas to promote and help improve the life of people in Iraq by giving the world the opportunity to see this country through Iraqi eyes.
Get Involved!
We are very interested in engaging IYLEPers in this project. To know more about the project, and how you can support the work, visit our official Facebook Page.
With your help, we can add so much value to this country and can create a small change.
* Suhaib participated in IYLEP for high school students in 2010 as an adult mentor. He is now the Project Manager of the Iraqi Digital Story Telling project and also volunteers with other projects, such as Vision, led by IYLEP high school alumni in Sulaymaniah. Suhaib recently graduated from University of Kurdistan-Hawler with a degree in Business Management.
الوسوم:
IYLEP