Narrative and Reflective Inquiry for Leadership

29 August – 8 September 2026 in Granada (Spain), organised by Casa Ana

Overview of the training

The training was a combination of the following elements.

Themes:

  • Meditation and contemplative practice
  • Nature-based reflective practice and field journaling
  • Narrative and reflective writing as tools for meaning-making
  • Symbolic storytelling and narrative structure
  • Emotional intelligence and leadership development
  • Intergenerational memory, ancestry, migration, and identity
  • Intercultural learning and peer feedback

Practices:

  • Guided writing workshops and structured writing practice
  • Reflective journaling for emotional regulation and self-awareness
  • Narrative inquiry into inherited beliefs and family stories
  • Cultural observation through architecture, colonial history, and symbolism
  • Mentor sessions, peer exchange, and learning logs

Competences acquired

As result of the participation in this training experience, Salem Islas-Madlo gained the following competences and professional skills:

Ability to:

  1. Apply advanced creative writing techniques in narrative structure and symbolic storytelling.
  2. Use writing as a structured methodology for meaning-making, self-reflection, and identity exploration.
  3. Apply meditation, contemplative practices, and nature-based observation to improve focus, emotional regulation, and nervous system regulation.
  4. Integrate contemplative practices into professional facilitation and adult education settings.
  5. Strengthen emotional literacy, self-awareness, and emotional regulation through reflective writing.
  6. Design exercises that support leadership development through deeper understanding of personal values and internal narratives.
  7. Facilitate reflective processes that help learners build resilience and navigate complexity and change.
  8. Strengthen intercultural communication skills through participation in an international learning environment.
  9. Apply peer feedback methodologies that support inclusive dialogue, active listening, and collaborative learning.
  10. Examine themes of ancestry, migration, identity, and intergenerational memory through narrative inquiry.
  11. Work with inherited beliefs, family stories, silence, and identity formation using reflective methodologies.

An article on ” The Stories We Carry: Reflective Writing as a Practice for Leadership” is also part of this mobility.

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