Short bio

I am a passionate advocate for anti-oppressive and inclusive education as well as for gender and racial equality. My studies within the fields of Gender Studies & Child Studies have sharpened my understanding of the various forms of oppression and have motivated me to delve deeper into postcolonial theories to better understand the complexities in teaching different groups along with the way gender and childhoods are discursively constructed.

My EPALE

My experience with EPALE has been valuable as I have worked as an adult trainer and looked out for useful articles, resources, and a network that would facilitate my endeavor to expand my knowledge and teaching practices to further accommodate my learners' needs. In my capacity as a project manager, it has facilitated the process of reaching out to potential partners for Erasmus+ projects and the expansion of my organisation, as well as my own network and ameliorated my professional development opportunities and growth.

My Story

The story I would like to share with the rest of the EPALE community is how I was inspired to draft a review after participating as an adult trainer in the Learning, Teaching, Training Activities (LTTA) of an Erasmus KA2 project titled Teaching to Marginalized Groups (TeaM) with reference number 2020-1-EL01-KA204-078944 and project partners from Greece, Italy, Turkey, Cyprus and Germany. You can find the review uploaded on the project's website along with a presentation that the partners worked jointly to create in the following link: https://team-euproject.eu/lttas/1st-ltta-in-turkey/.

Teaching to migrants comes with a set of complex issues that need to be considered by the trainer. During the discussions and exchange of experiences in this activity, I had the opportunity to further reflect upon the dimension of power relations that are formulated between learner and trainer, especially within the context of transnational migration. I thought about how migrants are being treated as a homogenous group of people instead of individual learners with specific needs and interests. I was particularly keen to discuss the processes of othering that take place within a classroom where the migrant is required to integrate and assimilate based on Western notions of what constitutes the ideal citizen.

This particular LTTA took place in Aydin, Turkey. Going to Turkey signified a great change for me in terms of how I perceive the other countries. I was already cognizant of the systemic and social intricacies engulfed in the construction of race, ethnicity, and the nation. But given that this was my first trip to the neighbouring country, it was an opportunity for me to realise hands-on how to incorporate my academic knowledge into practice and how I need to consciously and diligently combat internalised Eurocentric ideals especially when it comes to teaching to migrants. With regard to gender equality and racial equality, it is undeniable that there is still a lot to be done everywhere around the world.

To actively decolonise education means to create the space for inclusive and affirmatively anti-oppressive education. And this is the kind of trainer that I aspire to become: empathetic, inclusive, actively anti-racist and anti-sexist.

In a sense, partaking in this project fortified my perception of the world around me as I got to view the world through a different prism. I returned home carrying with me a lot of meaningful experiences and a rejuvenated sense of selfhood. This trip has been a life-changing experience that would not have been made possible had it not been for the opportunities fostered by Erasmus+ programme. Inclusivity is not taught only through academic endeavours but in engaged collaboration towards a common goal.