Last Thursday, the speakers of TEDxYouth@Baghdad 2013 had the pleasure of meeting officials from the US embassy in Baghdad. The speakers were invited to have a meeting with the office of Cultural Affairs. It was a great chance for everyone to share thoughts over good pizza and soft drinks. The speakers talked about their experiences in TEDxYouth@Baghdad, their feelings and reactions during the preparations of the conference and what they want to do next. Mohammed Nayyef representative of the speakers’ team of TEDxYouth@Baghdad explained the process of selecting the speakers and how to help them present their ideas in the best way possible.

Everyone shared their hopes and dreams for Iraq and discussed the difficulties the youth faces in Iraq, but everyone also agreed that the future will be better as long as motivated youth take the initiative to lead the change for a better tomorrow; the US embassy assured their continuous support to have an active role for Iraqi youth to build their country. Furthermore the US embassy expressed their continuous support and willingness to collaborate with TEDxBaghdad.

The time passed very fast with more exciting stories and great conversations, and in closure the speakers and the US embassy officials insisted on the role of the new generation as the key to a better Iraq.

Mohammed Nayyef