Refugee Educator Academy Webinar Series
Past webinars in the series:
- April 18, 2020: Teaching Internally Displaced Syrian Students - Presenter: Ali Mohamed Alissa
- May 2, 2020: Language Teaching in Refugee Contexts - Presenter: Gentille Dusenge
- June 6, 2020: Supporting Refugee Teachers - Presenter: Suha Tutunji
- June 27, 2020: Inclusion of Refugee Students in National Schools - Presenter: William Muchigia
- August 9, 2020: Learner-Centered Pedagogy & Refugee Education in Host Countries - Presenter: Melissa Hauber - Ozer
- August 29, 2020: Helping Refugees Integrate into National Schools - Presenter: Lisa Wakefield
- September 19, 2020: Accelerated Learning in Displacement: Bridging Barriers to Higher Education - Presenter: Uwezo Ramazani
- October 3, 2020: Working with Diverse Student Groups - Presenter: Anne-Fleur Lurvink
- November 7, 2020: Empowering Refugee Women & Supporting the Whole Child/Learner - Presenter: Kitala Mupenge Fabrice
- December 5, 2020: Engaging Refugee Parents in Schools - Presenter: Kelly Cooper
Speaker(s)
Ali Mohamed Alissa
Ali has been teaching English for many years and in a variety of contexts. He currently teaches English in crisis to internally displaced Syrian children along the Syrian/Turkish border. He supports a team of seven teachers and 25 schools focusing on behavioral and psychosocial support and inclusive education practices.
Gentille Dusenge
Gentille is an English teacher in Kiziba Camp in Rwanda. Originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, she is set to earn her BA in Health Care Management with a concentration in Global Perspectives from Southern New Hampshire University in June, 2020. She is passionate about improving living conditions in her community through education, civic engagement, and empowered leadership.
Suha Tutunji
Suha is the Academic Director of the Jusoor Refugee Education program in Lebanon. She has over 30 years of experience in education, with over 18 years as a school administrator. Suha has led workshops for educators in Lebanon, Turkey, the US, the Emirates, and the UK, and is a member of the INEE teacher training working group.
William Muchigia
William is an elementary school teacher in Kenya. He is also a teacher leader working with a number of organizations to elevate the teaching profession and to ensure equity and access for refugee children in Kenya. In particular, William works with Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) partnering with schools to empower them on child rights.
Melissa Hauber-Ozer
Melissa is a PhD candidate in International Education at George Mason University who has worked extensively with adult language and literacy learners and developed programs and curricula centered on student goals and needs. She currently lives in Turkey, where she is teaching in the foreign language department of a local school and conducting doctoral study research on the experiences of Syrian refugee students in Turkish universities.
Lisa Wakefield
Lisa teaches English as a new language in a public high school in Arizona. A graduate of Grand Canyon University, she has taught high school ESL for over 30 years and has worked in a variety of international contexts including in Peru and Chile. She has led teacher training projects throughout Peru in partnership with the Ministry of Education and as an English Language Fellow.
Anne-Fleur Lurvink
Anne-Fleur teaches English at a high school in Rotterdam, with high levels of cultural and socioeconomic diversity amongst the students, many with migrant or refugee backgrounds. She specializes in the capacity strengthening of youth in development/aid settings and serves as a Unesco coordinator.
Kitala Mupenge Fabrice
Kitala is the founder and CEO of the Community Based Organization: There is Hope Africa. Originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, he now lives in Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya where he continues his education and civic engagement.
Kelly Cooper
Kelly teaches English as a New Language in a newcomer high school academy in New York. After serving as a case manager at a New York state refugee resettlement agency, she continued her education earning her MA in TESOL and then started her teaching career.