Amala students & alumni ‘given a seat at the table’ on the Refugee Education Council

Apr 22

"I want to help my fellow refugees get better access to education. Education is the only way we can move forward toward a better life. I feel that many of us have the potential, desire and will to gain an education if we only have the chance. It is our key to overcoming the obstacles of the life that we face here. It will give us what is needed to move ahead into the world." - Qais

Two familiar faces of Amala were selected to join the Government of Canada’s Refugee Education Council last month. Qais, a student from the second cohort of the Amala High School Diploma in Amman, and Nhial, an Amala Kakuma Peacebuilding alumnus, were individually nominated to join this impressive council, made up of other refugee youth and developing-country nationals from around the world.

The Refugee Education Council was launched by the Government of Canada as part of the #TogetherforLearning campaign, to ensure that solutions and approaches to education in displaced contexts are shaped by the experiences and knowledge of youth advocates and community leaders who are living as refugees, forcibly displaced persons or in communities that host them. Both Qais and Nhial, along with their fellow council representatives, will amplify the voices of refugees and be able to consult directly with the Government of Canada and the Canadian public, to influence the country’s role in global refugee education.

Nhial, who completed our Peacebuilding in your Community short course in Kakuma, Kenya back in 2018, is no stranger to effective advocacy work. He heads the Refugee Youth Peace Ambassadors, a refugee youth-led initiative in Kakuma which he founded shortly after graduating from the Amala course. The group works towards promoting peaceful co-existence between different communities within Kakuma camp, and encourages youth to develop their peacebuilding and social entrepreneurship skills. Nhial is also involved in numerous initiatives and networks including Global Changemakers, and has often spoken atl UNHCR forums.

“I look forward to what we will be able to achieve with the Council in bridging the huge gap in young refugees' access to education. It is crucial that refugees are given a seat at the table as there can never be an effective solution without involving the community that has been affected." - Nhial

Originally from Syria, Qais is currently studying the Amala High School Diploma in our second cohort in Amman, Jordan. Also a talented freelance photographer, Qais hopes that through activism and journalism, he can contribute to peaceful coexistence between different communities and help to bring an end to the Syrian civil war.

"Education provides one of the best ways for refugees to survive challenging circumstances. I entered this council, believing in my strength and in my ability to fulfill the requirements, to overcome obstacles that I and other refugees face in order to successfully obtain an education." - Qais

We wish every success to Qais and Nhial, who met for the first time over Zoom during the council’s first meeting! Your role as advisors and leaders will be influential in supporting nations, such as Canada’s, strategy towards promoting quality education and lifelong learning for displaced children and youth.

You can learn more about the Together for Learning Campaign here - a three-year campaign leading up to the second Global Refugee Forum in 2023. You can also meet the other members of the Refugee Education Council here.