STUDENTS AT THE MARGINS
JWL serves refugees and other socially and geographically marginalised youth across the globe, providing the quality higher education which they otherwise would not have access to. Through quality, transformational programmes, learners gain the confidence, knowledge and skills they need to take their lives in their hands and work towards achieving their goals.
Students from different backgrounds come together at the local and global level through the global virtual classroom, engaging in discussions which promote tolerance and open minds. They become leaders that also give back to their communities, and inspire others to do the same, fostering a more peaceful and equitable world.
LOCAL COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTRES
JWL students connect on two levels – locally and globally. At the local level, they come together at the community learning centre (CLC).
Our blended learning model allows students the flexibility to study anytime, anywhere, both on and offline. At the same time, we provide the best of both worlds by cultivating a sense of the community at the CLC – where they benefit from in-person group discussions and support from peers, facilitators, and centre coordinators.
The CLCs are often run in partnership with the Jesuit Province and institutions and other like-minded organisations in order to run the CLCs. They provide infrastructure and management of community learning centres, accompanying and facilitating student learning.
GLOBAL COMMUNITY OF LEARNERS
JWL students build a strong community of learners at the local Community Learning Centre but also at the global level. They study together with peers from different JWL centres the world over through the global virtual classroom. This provides valuable opportunities to engage in discussions with persons from different cultural backgrounds and contexts, as they make their way through their studies and seek to address issues of local/global concern.
STUDENT-BASED ORGANISATION
Over time, graduates of the JWL Diploma programme have taken ownership of the learning centres. Alumni Kenya and Malawi established community-based organisations and serve the JWL community as coordinators and learning facilitators. In Afghanistan, alumni organised themselves and established brand new learning centres in their hometowns – in some of country’s most remote locations.
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Noshin recalls how difficult the early days of displacement in northern Iraq were. With the support and encouragement of her parents, she completed her secondary school and studies at the University of Dohuk, graduating with distinction. But she was unable to find a job.
“ […] I noticed that our area is considered as a disputed area and it needs educated and peaceful people to stand up again after all happened to it,” says Masoud. After years of displacement, he returned to Sinjar and was encouraged by friends to enrol in the Peace Leader programme.
“I see myself as an instrument to promote and enhance the education of students, those who are struggling to get an education and those who are from a very poor family background,” says Yalini, a Learning Facilitator programme graduate.
Hima comes from Anjengo, a fishing-dependent village in India’s Kerala District. She joined the Global English Language programme (GEL) for professional purposes, but it turned into more than that.
With the discovery of large oil reserves, Kyle feels that Guyana is “on the cusp of change,” and highlights the long-standing challenges faced by indigenous communities.
The challenges Rodiya has faced in Syria and then in Iraq have been no match for her positive outlook on life. Now, she’s making her dream of university studies come true, as a JWL student.
Esther was first displaced within her own country, the Democratic Republic of Congo, before fleeing to Malawi, a few years later. Despite multiple challenges, Esther completed the Diploma in Liberal Studies and is now making her way through the B.S. in Leadership with Creighton University.
It’s been eight years since Zedan was forcibly displaced from Sinjar, northern Iraq; eight years of living in Khanke’s internally displaced persons’ camp. “Sometimes you feel that you will give up,” he says, but stresses that he is working on learning as much as possible to form a peaceful community.
Christine’s journey with JWL began in early 2021, when she enrolled in the Certificate in Liberal Studies, with a view to progressing to the BA in Sustainable Development and eventually “lead the others on how important this field is […]."
