Houda Jubaili - Social Media Manager

Joined September 2020

As an aspiring teacher, I am passionate about helping kids reach their full potential. When I learned that Syrian Kids Foundation aligns with this passion by offering free education to Syrian refugees, I immediately wanted to become a volunteer. Now, as Social Media Manager, my main goal is to reach a broader audience and spread our mission, which is one of education and peace. Joining this organization has shown me that there is power in numbers. The more support the foundation gets, the more we can give children the opportunity to grow. As someone who was born and raised in Canada, I had only visited Syria a few times growing up. Being so far away from my roots, I felt powerless and did not know how I could help. Syrian Kids Foundation has taught me that no matter where I am in the world, there is always something I can do to contribute to a cause I hold dear to my heart.

Teema Ismail - Social Media Manager

Joined November 2020

Through volunteering with the Syrian Student Associate at McGill I found out about the Social Media Manager position at SKF. Immediately I knew I wanted to be a part of this team and this foundation, as I have been searching for a more concrete way of giving back to my community. Knowing that what I do can help us reach wider audiences and directly help out the children at Al Salam School really motivates me. My goal is to let the world know how amazing the work that our hard-working volunteers, tutors and staff do daily to change the lives of our students. Upon joining this team, I’ve realized how rewarding it feels to work with such compassionate and intelligent people. There’s a sense of satisfaction knowing that everyone working with me has the same goal in mind: to better the future of Syrian children. I’m grateful for this opportunity and definitely encourage everyone to reach out and join us!

Jeeda Ismail - Volunteer Coordinator

Joined January 2015

I first heard about SKF at an event held by the Syrian Students’ Association at McGill University in 2015. I was a new undergrad student at the time and I was so excited to join an organization that supports Syrian refugees, as I am Syrian myself and I was deeply affected by the ongoing war. I started by organizing and participating in weekly bake sales to raise funds for AlSalam School. My work then quickly grew to include recruiting new volunteers, organizing events on campus including our annual gala, presenting our work at info sessions, and supporting our social media platforms. 

 

Fast forward to 2021, I am currently a Ph.D. student in the US but I continue to work with this amazing organization remotely. I aim to welcome our new volunteers, support them in their experience, and help them achieve their goals. Whatever your skillset is: tutoring English, graphic design, social media marketing, grant-writing, even data analytics, we are always looking for committed volunteers that are passionate about helping Syrian children. Email me at skf.outreach@syriankids.ca to join our growing team!

Dima Kiwan - Communications Specialist

Joined: May 2022

I first heard about SKF through the Syrian Students’ Association at McGill, and I was eager to contribute to this sustainable project securing the education of youth in my community. Since the start of the Syrian refugee crisis, I’ve been deeply moved by the resilience and geniality of Syrian kids worldwide, and I believe that like every child, they have a right to a strong education and an opportunity to build great futures. In joining SKF, I hope to share the inspiring stories and successes of the teachers, volunteers, and students working together towards this mission. With personal and concrete accounts, my goal is to bring wider audiences closer to the foundation’s amazing cause, and to show a different picture of Syrian refugees than many are used to seeing in the news. Since joining, I’m even more motivated by this team of dedicated, kind, and hard-working volunteers who share this mission, and I’m honored to work with such admirable people.

Ghalia Elkerdi - English Language Tutor

I joined the SKF when I was a university student, around 2013. I have to correlate things with what was going on in Syria, because I was very upset with what was going on in my country. It was very difficult to accept these events. I went through a mentality switch from 2012 through 2014. I became a more rational person. I was always concerned with the latest emergency and making fundraising plans for it. Any emergency would catch my attention. But if you watch the news, every moment is an emergency, which is very sad, but it’s true. You have to kind of look away and focus on what you have to do so you can actually contribute. We’ve seen a lot of opportunities emerge and a lot of organisations collapse and I have been a part of many of them. Some of our ideas were good but we often wouldn’t have the time and resources to go through with them. We need something that focuses on the long term. Fundraising could be beneficial, in no way I am undermining their efforts, emergency level is very important. But it’s someone else’s specialty, not mine. My specialty, or really what would have kept me sane would have been to contribute in a positive way, but away from the noise and the emergency. I just wanted something tangible and long term and sustainable. The SKF was doing exactly this. They focused on how they could see the next five years and they looked terrible. I stopped believing in giants like the UN, I wanted something local, something I could put a face on.

When I think of SKF, I think of my friends, I think of the founders who are very dear friends I think of my involvement with the SKF. You have to find something that you’d willingly be able to do on the weekends. That’s SKF for me. When they were thinking about school, they weren’t thinking about merely recycling the Syrian education system, but rather they were thinking about ways to actually benefit these students in a constructive way. This aspect really touched me, because I feel like for the first time, I understand the notion of a borderless world or a borderless education. This isn’t just an experiment you’re doing, you are breaking boundaries by exposing children to amazing opportunities. I really don’t want to sound spiteful when I say this but maybe you would have even experienced greater learning than you would with the Syrian educational system. Education exposes children to values that any Syrian would want to have in their country. Education teaches you about democracy, and teaching you about being a citizen through having elections and class representatives or little microcosms of democracy as in Al Salam School. Early marriages for girls and forced conscription for boys are societal ills that will only be solved through education. At the same time, it’s important to focus on both emergency relief as well as long term solutions. There’s always funding for bombs and war, but there is never funding for schools and education. This was all very attractive as a concept to me.

As for what motivated me to become a tutor, I’ve done it at university as both a job and a hobby. I firmly believe that knowledge should be shared rather than being kept to yourself.

 

Fares Jandali Rifai - English Vocabulary Tutor

Joined: January 2015 

Having been an active member of the Syrian Students’ Association of Concordia during my undergraduate studies, I worked closely with Syrian Kids Foundation on multiple events to raise funds and awareness for Al Salam school locally and globally. I have always believed in the significant role SKF plays in educating future generation of Syrian kids torn apart by years of war, having to flee their hometowns with no clear sight of return to school. In 2015, I joined the tutors volunteering team to work closely with some truly ambitious highschool graduates of Al-Salam school; eager to continue their higher education studies in English speaking universities, whether in Canada or in Turkey. Whether it was the one-on-one basis or group learning sessions, I was a tutor, mentor, and a friend to many of those bright minded youth to help them navigate their path through university. Being part of the tutors’ volunteering team has been a rewarding journey, especially when you hear feedback of students applying the knowledge they’re learning not just in school or exam preparations but also in their everyday life. Now that I’ve been occupying a full time Engineering job with a hectic schedule, volunteering for such a cause and purpose keeps me reminded of the crucial role the community plays in shaping future generations and leaving a mark on their ladder to success.

Sarah Al Ani - English Language Tutor/ Volunteer

Joined November 2020

As a member of the Syrian Students Association, SKF is an organization we work closely with as they share similar goals and the willingness to help those back home in Syria. In the start, I chose to solely volunteer to strengthen the bond between the two organizations and help connect university students with students from Al Salam School to help them practice their English and take their English Proficiency Exam at the end of their school year. Within a few days, as someone with an Education background, I felt a strong urge to do more and volunteer in a larger capacity which is why I decided to become a volunteer and put the knowledge I am privileged to have gained throughout my life into practice. Becoming a tutor in my opinion did not mean simply teaching students English but rather taking the skills they already have and finding a way to apply them. Throughout the previous months, I have learnt about how great these students are being able to not only speak Arabic but multiple languages due to finding refuge in a new country and learning that language. I found out quickly I was working with such intelligent learners that taking these English Exams was only a small hurdle compared to everything they’ve been through and one I know they can proudly accomplish with some help. As these exams are crucial for their academic journey, students are filled with motivation and are only looking for a helping hand to apply their knowledge of English in formats that will be tested by the TOEFL and IELTS exams. My goal throughout this experience is to make taking these exams as swift as possible by familiarizing students with questions they might see as well as creating a positive environment where students find joy and thrill in learning English rather than feel like it is another task on their mind. 

 

As a Syrian who has lived abroad their whole life, I have found that working with SKF and these students is a beautiful way to connect to home. Being able to practice speaking English by talking about our culture and traditions has made me see how truly connected Syrians are no matter where we are located. As I mentioned, every person needs a helping hand no matter what stage or age they are which is something SKF offers. Working alongside such a hardworking team has been an honour and I am incredibly thankful for their work to Syrians and children who will be our future. To further motivate one to join the SKF, it’s really simple, “knowledge that is not shared is lost knowledge”, so do your part and help those who need it.

 

Sarah El Azem - English Language Tutor

Joined November 2020

One of my friends has been a volunteer at Syrian Kids Foundation for a long time, and she approached me with this opportunity. I was excited to join because this was a way for me to help a fellow Syrian with something they can use on a daily basis and for their future. My aim from joining is to help my student learn, grow and become confident in her language skills, enabling her to achieve her goals. Since joining, I’ve met a group of wonderful, committed and compassionate volunteers that care about making a positive difference. It has been really great to know and learn from them. Though, what I like the most is that we are giving young Syrians the means to accomplish something that is very important to them, and they really care about, their education and future.

Loutfi Al-Atassi - Volunteer

Joined December 2020

Being the president of the Syrian Student Association at Concordia University has shown me the importance of consolidating our effort together for a greater outcome. So, volunteering at Syrian Kids Foundation was the perfect opportunity to add our resources and work towards a significant cause. Furthermore, providing opportunities for vulnerable people has always inspired me to volunteer in an organization like SKF, as they provide accessible education through Al-salam School and private tutoring (shoutout to my sister Jana). When you hear these heartening stories of students excelling in their fields after graduating from Al-salam school you cannot help but wonder what more can you do. Lastly, the great teamwork and dedication of the volunteers at Syrian Kids Foundation have always motivated me to strive for a better future.

 

Rawan Soujaa - English Tutor

Joined August 2021

I heard about the Syrian Kids Foundation on social media through a fellow tutor and my childhood best friend, Sarah Al Ani, who is Syrian and recently graduated as a teacher from McGill University. I’ve always been in awe of teachers and the impact they can impart on their students, how they shape their world, and prepare them for what’s to come. Joining SKF’s mission was an opportunity for me to take what I had learned from my own teachers and pay it forward to those who deserve it most. Through volunteering, my goal is to help even just one person navigate the world more easily; in this age the English language mobilizes you and opens many doors. Beyond that, learning another language makes you a more confident, decisive, and creative thinker. My experience this last year has been nothing short of rewarding; I have become more patient and understanding, and in the process of becoming a better teacher, I believe I have also become a better learner. SKF garners an environment of inclusivity, compassion, and knowledge, which is why it’s important that they are able to continue their legacy.

Jana Al-Atassi - English Language Tutor

Joined June 2021

Ron Conway once said, “Giving back creates a virtuous cycle that makes everyone more successful”. As someone who was tutored by Syrian Kids Foundation’s amazing volunteers, it is my responsibility to pass on the good deed to my fellow Syrian students. If by doing so, I can help one student have a better future, my goal will be fulfilled. This organization’s positive outlook on the refugee crisis has created an ideal environment for students to learn, grow, and potentially give back to their community.