Australia has a long and complex history of providing a safe haven for those fleeing persecution, a tradition that has profoundly shaped our social, cultural and educational landscapes. In my own work as an educator, writer and traveller, I have had the profound privilege of witnessing this transformation from two distinct vantage points: through my […]
The 2014 genocide perpetrated by the Islamic State (ISIS) against the Yazidi people in the Sinjar region of northern Iraq led to the violent displacement of hundreds of thousands of people, systemic sexual enslavement, and the tragic loss of countless lives. In response to this catastrophic humanitarian crisis, Australia opened its doors, specifically focusing its
For those of us working in education and advocating for displaced populations, the classroom—or the writing desk—is never neutral territory. When teaching Yazidi students, we are working with individuals whose primary language, Kurmanji, has become an act of defiance against a history of erasure. Understanding why many Yazidis harbor a deep aversion to the Arabic
In the quiet, ancient villages of the Sinjar mountains, childhood was once defined by an oral tradition dating back millennia. That peace was shattered on August 3, 2014, when the Islamic State launched a genocidal assault on the Yazidi people. As an author, I have spent much of my recent work attempting to capture the
Red Dust and the Peacock Angel: The Journey of Iraq’s Lost Generation Read More »
Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) to adult learners who possess low or no literacy skills—often referred to as LESLLA (Literacy Education and Second Language Learning for Adults) learners—presents a unique and profound pedagogical challenge. In my own work, particularly when supporting adult Yazidi students, I have witnessed firsthand that this is not merely
Breaking the Silent Barrier: Teaching English to Non-Literate Adult Learners Read More »
An integration of academic landscape with real-world teaching, youth mentorship, and the narrative of refugee displacement. Introduction: From the Page to the Classroom In my three-part book series exploring the harrowing realities of refugee displacement, I have often written that forced migration strips a person down to their barest vulnerabilities. Yet, as my writings emphasize,
The Living Archive: Personalizing the Yazidi Linguistic Landscape Read More »
Scenario-based learning (SBL) is an immersive training environment where learners are presented with simulated work challenges – and then based on their choices and decisions, they receive realistic feedback as they progress (and traverse) through the course. Unlike many e-courses, where learners passively absorb information by reading a text and taking a test afterward, in