By Elaine Smith special contributing writer

When the Governor-General鈥檚 staff phoned Don Dippo to inform him that he鈥檇 been named to the Order of Canada, the retired University Professor of Education at 快播视频 thought someone was pulling his leg.

鈥淲hen the caller said he was from the Governor-General鈥檚 office, I thought it would be a scam,鈥� Dippo says. 鈥淚 was waiting for her to ask me for passwords or credit card information.鈥�

Unsurprising to anyone who knows Dippo, the invitation was real and celebrates his life鈥檚 work as a champion for access to education.

鈥淒onald Dippo is passionate about education equity,鈥� the official citation reads. 鈥淔or decades, this educator and advocate has increased educational access for children and teachers at home and abroad, from Toronto and eastern Africa, to South and Central America. He is also the co-founder of the Borderless Higher Education for Refugees program, based in the Dadaab Refugee Camps.鈥�

As Dippo, himself, says, 鈥淢y career explored ways to make higher education more accessible to communities who don鈥檛 typically find their way in.鈥�

During his 35 years as a professor and administrator at 快播视频, this former elementary school teacher made it his mission to remove barriers to higher education and make it accessible. He was a co-founding director of Success Beyond Limits (SBL), a thriving program in the 快播视频 area that brings struggling eighth graders to campus in the summer for remedial education and an understanding of the opportunities that university offers. Dippo brought higher education into the community itself through an outreach master鈥檚 of education degree program held in local public schools before moving to the Yorkgate Mall. He is also the co-founder 鈥揳long with Professor Wenona Giles -- of 快播视频鈥檚 Borderless Higher Education for Refugees (BHER) program, a collaboration with other universities and the Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya. This program has given teachers there the pathway to a formal teaching degree and opportunities for broadening their own lives and those of their students.

鈥淚f you look hard enough, there are always people willing to find ways to make good things happen, people who aren鈥檛 interested in putting barriers in the way,鈥� Dippo says.

Heather Lotherington, retired associate dean of research for the Faculty of Education, spearheaded the nomination as part of her commitment to supporting and publicizing faculty members鈥� research and development.  

鈥淒on鈥檚 work was constant, determined and remarkably heartfelt, and I thought that his considerable achievements had fallen below the radar,鈥� Lotherington says. 鈥淗e was always exceptional, unswervingly reaching out to migrant populations of high need. He created programs and taught under-served local populations as well as those in dangerous refugee settings, often in partnership with students and other faculty members of 快播视频. He was in Central America during the years of death squads and then in East Africa working in camps requiring armed guards. He did a lot of dangerous, unglamorous work, and he never stopped helping migrant and refugee students and teachers, many of whom today hold 快播视频 degrees as a direct consequence of his outreach. His dedication was remarkable. When this nomination came through, it absolutely made my day.鈥�

Former refugee Ahmed Abdi graduated from the Dadaab Refugee Camp鈥檚 first cohort of York master鈥檚 degree students after first earning his teaching certificate and his bachelor鈥檚 degree through the BHER program. He has since returned home to Somalia where he works with UNICEF managing child protection programs in his native country.

鈥淲ithout Don and the BHER program, I would have stayed in that refugee camp, desperate,鈥� says Abdi. 鈥淭he opportunities I have now to work and support my siblings with access to education would have been out of reach. Don brought us a vision of empowerment that was transformative. He opened the door to higher education and a broader perspective on life in a way that was not only intellectual, but deeply human.

鈥淗e increased access to education at a time when opportunities were non-existent and opened the doors for many refugees who have since left the camp and gone out into the world with the skills they need to get jobs and give back to the community.鈥�

Closer to home, Don鈥檚 impact continues to be felt through the Success Beyond Limits program that draws focuses on students from two middle schools in Toronto鈥檚 Jane-Finch neighbourhood. The program has a 94 per cent graduation rate among the eighth graders who participate in its summer courses.

鈥淒on was one of the founders and original board members,鈥� says Tesfai Mengesha, a graduate of York鈥檚 Faculty of Education who first worked as an SBL instructor and is now its co-executive director. 鈥淗e has always been really excited about our work and understood the value of local expertise in understanding the workings of a community.

鈥淗is award is very well deserved. His experience and contributions to Canada are unique. He used theory and brought it into practice.鈥�

Leolyn Hendricks, a retired principal of Seneca College鈥檚 Yorkgate campus, is an ongoing member of the SBL board of directors, but her connection with Dippo runs deeper still. Hendricks is a graduate of the first cohort of master鈥檚 degree students from the Faculty of Education鈥檚 community graduate degree program that he and colleagues organized.

鈥淭his 鈥楳asters in the Mall鈥� program looked at ways people could leverage their experience in an academic setting,鈥� Hendricks says. 鈥淚t was mind-blowing; it flew in the face of the assumptions about the credentials that were required for higher education. It was all outside-of-the-box thinking.

鈥淒on was a conduit who looked for ways to bring the community鈥檚 voice into educational spheres, and this honour reflects on his commitment to community development done in his very soft, understated way.鈥�

Although Dippo has retired from the University, his impact continues to be felt.

To "develop innovative curriculum and programming鈥� is one of the guiding principles of the Faculty of Education's Strategic Plan 2023-2027," says Robert Savage, Dean of the Faculty of Education. "During his 35-year career at 快播视频, University Professor Donald Dippo embodied that principle, establishing education programs for under-served youth in the York community and abroad.

"The ripple effect of his work in creating programs such as Success Beyond Limits here at York and internationally, through Borderless Higher Education for Refugees, will fan out for generations, giving youth both locally and in the Dadaab Refugee Camp in Africa opportunities they might never have considered. He is richly deserving of induction into the Order of Canada."

Dippo, enjoying retirement in Comox, B.C., says, 鈥淭oday, I feel proud of all these programs. They are very impactful and very satisfying. York enabled me to do all kinds of things that I might have found it difficult to do elsewhere. Staff found innovative, creative ways to help me put theory into practise.

鈥淎s for the Order of Canada, I am enjoying the experience. It is so unexpected. You don鈥檛 go into teaching because you expect to be rewarded; you go because you hope to enjoy student success vicariously.鈥�

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Five outstanding Canadians and members of the 快播视频 community have been appointed to the Order of Canada. The announcement was made on Dec. 18 by the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada.

Recognized as one of the country鈥檚 highest honours, the Order of Canada acknowledges outstanding individuals whose contributions, achievements, and impact have brought meaningful change to communities across the country.

Officers

Sylvia Beth Bashevkin (PhD 鈥�81), alumna, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies
Bashevkin is a Canadian academic recognized for her research in gender and politics. As one of the first to study the obstacles faced by women, her work examines the consequences of women鈥檚 political participation. She鈥檚 also strived to increase opportunities for diverse people to engage in politics.

Members

Carol Ann Cowan-Levine (BA 鈥�67), alumna, Glendon College
Cowan-Levine is a social worker and registered psychotherapist who is recognized for her service to women and youth. Her volunteer work has shaped government, health care institutions and the non-profit sector in Ontario. She has also played a leadership role in the establishment of the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario.

Donald A. Dippo, professor emeritus, Faculty of Education
Dippo is an educator, former professor in York鈥檚 Faculty of Education and co-founder of the Borderless Higher Education for Refugees program. As a dedicated advocate for education equity, Dippo has increased the access to education for children in Toronto, eastern Africa, and South and Central America.

Richard Rose (BFA 鈥�78), alumnus, School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design
Rose is an artistic director and producer recognized for his theatrical productions in Canada. His legacy has helped shaped careers, and his leadership has inspired writers and directors around the world. In 2011, he received the Walter Carsen Prize for Excellence in the Performing Arts, which recognizes the highest level of artistic excellence and distinguished career achievement by Canadian artists.

Ajay K. Virmani, former member of the Board of Governors
Virmani is an entrepreneur and the founding president and chair of Cargojet Airways. He is recognized for his transformation of Cargojet Airways into the largest and most-awarded air cargo airline. In addition to his work in the e-commerce logistics and supply chain industry, he is an advocate for health care and social justice initiatives across Canada.

For information about the Order of Canada program and to view the full list of appointments, visit .

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快播视频鈥檚 Faculty of Education, Centre for Refugee Studies and the Borderless Higher Education for Refugees (BHER) Project will be hosting the final event of the 2021-22 BHER Speaker Series on Wednesday, March 16 at 9 a.m.

The event, 鈥淗igher Education in Comparative Perspective: Opportunities and Challenges鈥� will explore the global access to post-secondary education and how it has expanded significantly over the past two decades. It will also highlight international higher education becoming an increasingly connected and competitive sector.

This BHER Speaker Series event will welcome a panel of academic administrators and higher education experts involved in a range of internationalization efforts. They will discuss the opportunities and challenges to expanding higher educational access across borders and consider the possibilities for, and constraints to transnational higher education partnership. They will also bring attention to how public and private universities have become spaces for transnational engagement and despite the global growth in post-secondary enrolment, how there remain to be significant disparities in who can access higher education within and across national borders. 

The panel includes Samson Madera Nashon, head of the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy at the University of British Columbia (UBC); Donald Kisilu Kombo, an associate professor and dean at the School of Education at Kenyatta University; Fouzia Warsame, deputy chief of party 鈥� policy, curriculum and government liaison for the Bar ama Baro program at Creative Associates International; and Kerry Bystrom, an associate dean, and associate professor of English and human rights at Bard College Berlin. 

Moderators of the event are Philemon Misoy, project liaison officer at BHER, and Rachel Silver, assistant professor at the Faculty of Education. 

This event is a part of the BHER Speaker Series 2021-22 Reciprocal Learning Beyond Crisis. The BHER Speaker Series remains the first of its kind hosted at the Faculty of Education that equally features experts from 快播视频 and from institutions that are comprised of or work with refugees.聽

To learn more about the panellists and join the virtual event, click here.   

Article originally published in the March 7, 2022 issue of .

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The second event of the Borderless Higher Education for Refugees (BHER) Speaker Series, titled 鈥淏HER the MIC: A creative showcase by Dadaab youth,鈥� takes place Nov. 3 at 9 a.m. (EST) on .

Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie stated in her TED Talk () that, 鈥淪tories matter. Many stories matter. Stories have been used to dispossess and to malign, but stories can also be used to empower and to humanize. Stories can break the dignity of a people, but stories can also repair that broken dignity.鈥� In the BHER Speaker Series鈥� first open mic event of the year, join Dadaab youth who will share stories that will disrupt the danger of a single story. Using various creative mediums, Dadaab youth will address the themes of identity, belonging and the meaning of home amidst the backdrop of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Serving as MCs will be Philemon Misoy, a BHER Project liaison officer based in Dadaab, Kenya; and Molade Osibodu, an assistant professor in 快播视频鈥檚 Faculty of Education.

Misoy is responsible for the co-ordination of the implementation of BHER programs in Dadaab. He holds a bachelor of education degree from Moi University in Kenya. He has served in the Dadaab Refugee Education Programs in various capacities for more than 10 years, primarily in secondary education, teacher training and tertiary education. His research interests include the monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning in humanitarian projects. He is also keen on taking part in discourses on ways of increasing access to tertiary education by at-risk students and those from marginalized communities.

Osibodu came to Toronto from Michigan State University, where she completed her PhD in mathematics education. She situates her work in decolonial theory and uses decolonizing, participatory and critical methodologies in her research. A member of the speaker series鈥� planning committee, Osibodu鈥檚 other interests include: sub-Saharan youth mathematics experiences; immigrant and refugee math experiences; race, equity and power in math education; and African Indigenous mathematics practices.

To attend the event on Zoom, visit .

This event is a part of the BHER Speaker Series 2021-22: Reciprocal Learning Beyond Crisis, which is co-sponsored by Windle International Kenya and 快播视频鈥檚 Faculty of Education, Centre for Refugee Studies and Borderless Higher Education for Refugees Project. For more information about the the speaker series, visit yorku.ca/edu/reciprocal-learning-beyond-crisis.

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The next session, titled "Racialized Implications of COVID-19 in Toronto: An East African Perspective," will take place at 10:30 a.m. EST/5:30 p.m. EAT .

The past year has presented unprecedented challenges to students and educators across the world. It has also provided new spaces of opportunity. This session will feature a panel of young people who are both activists and educational experts who work with , which is a collaborative, youth-led, community-based movement in Toronto鈥檚 Jane-Finch community that provides youth with holistic supports to complete their education and facilitate their trajectories of success. Panelists will discuss their experiences navigating schooling, scholarship, and community work amidst COVID-19, which has disproportionately influenced racialized communities like Jane and Finch where SBL is located. Panelists will also reflect on new possibilities for justice and connection that have emerged in Toronto, among East African diasporic communities and beyond.

The panel will feature:

• Kherto Ahmed, a fourth-year life sciences student at McMaster University, who founded McMaster鈥檚 first Black Students Association;
• Sam Tecle, an assistant professor of Community Engaged Learning at New College, University of Toronto, whose work focuses on Black and Diaspora Studies, Urban Studies and Sociology of Education;
• Ekram Maye, a 17-year-old Grade 12 student at Westview Centennial Secondary School, who is a past SBL mentee and volunteer, and current SBL mentor; and
• Tesfai Mengesha, executive director, Operations at SBL.

快播视频鈥檚 Borderless Higher Education for Refugees (BHER) Project, Faculty of Education, and Centre for Refugee Studies are partnering to present the "Reciprocal Learning in Times of Crisis" colloquium series that examines the intersections of refugee education, anti-Black racism, and COVID-19 in Canada and East Africa.

This colloquium is the first of its kind to feature experts from 快播视频 and from institutions that are comprised of or work with refugees in equal measure. Together, this series will: (1) deepen connections among refugee communities, educational leaders, and scholars within and across institutions; (2) foster a sense of reciprocity in learning; (3) recognize and validate the unique expertise that refugee communities bring to time- or resource-constrained situations; and (4) educate all attendees on a range of topics relevant to refugee education, COVID-19, and anti-Black racism.

Article from the April 5, 2021 issue of

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鈥淐OVID-19 and vulnerable migrants across Africa鈥� takes place on March 10 at 9:30 a.m. EST/5:30 p.m. EAT .

Moderated by York doctoral candidate Mohamed Duale, the event will feature Helidah Ogude and Tamuka Chekero from the World Bank, who will share their findings from a World Bank-led social analysis of the risks and impacts of COVID-19 for mobile populations across Africa.

Refiloe Ogude, a South African-Kenyan national, is a social development specialist at the World Bank. Her work focuses on the development dimensions of migration and forced displacement, social cohesion and violence prevention, and the political economy of reform. She holds a MSc in international relations from New 快播视频 and is a doctoral candidate in Public and Urban Policy at The New School.

Chekero a Zimbabwean national, is a PhD student in anthropology at the University of Cape Town (UCT), South Africa and part of the Africa Fellowship Program of the World Bank, in the Social Development Global Practice. His doctoral research, based in Cape Town, interrogates mobility and conviviality among migrants from African countries. He holds an MSc in social anthropology from UCT, and a BSc honors degree in social anthropology from Great Zimbabwe University, Zimbabwe.

快播视频鈥檚 Borderless Higher Education for Refugees (BHER) Project, Faculty of Education, and Centre for Refugee Studies present the 鈥楻eciprocal Learning in Times of Crisis鈥� colloquium series, which examines the intersections of refugee education, anti-Black racism, and COVID-19 in Canada and East Africa.

This colloquium is the first of its kind to feature experts from 快播视频 and from institutions that are comprised of or work with refugees in equal measure. Together, this series will: (1) deepen connections among refugee communities, educational leaders, and scholars within and across institutions; (2) foster a sense of reciprocity in learning; (3) recognize and validate the unique expertise that refugee communities bring to time- or resource-constrained situations; and (4) educate all attendees on a range of topics relevant to refugee education, COVID-19, and anti-Black racism.

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This month鈥檚 graduate student profile features international PhD Candidate, Mirco Stella. His research focuses on experiences of migration and displacement, and questions of pedagogy. "Crucial to my thinking about the world and education are the image of borders," says Stella. "What it means to simultaneously inhabit and deconstruct the lines and places we've learned to trace, to divide the familiar from the unfamiliar, as well as the same and different."

"To prospective graduate students I say to get involved with your local graduate student organizations and community as well as participating committees," says Stella. "I also tell them that whatever obstacle is coming their way to push forward because their voice matters and might create spaces for others."

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On Wednesday, Feb. 10, a panel of education experts from Kenya, Canada and the U.S. will gather virtually to discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on girls鈥� education in Kenya and beyond at the next talk in the Reciprocal Learning in Times of Crisis monthly colloquium series.

The session takes place at 9:30 a.m. EDT/5:30 p.m. EAT via Zoom.

Since March 2020, experts have decried the threat that COVID-19 poses to girls鈥� education around the globe. According to the Malala Fund, 20 million adolescent girls may never return to school after lockdowns, including up to half of refugee girls in secondary school (2020). The United Nations estimates that the pandemic could result in seven million unintended pregnancies (UN, 2020). These statements reflect anxiety that the coronavirus will exacerbate girls鈥� vulnerabilities and imperil decades of progress toward gender equitable education.

In this session, panellists will consider:

1) the gendered construction of risk in international and national discourses on COVID-19 and education;

2) the lived experiences of young women as they navigate schooling amidst a pandemic in Kenya鈥檚 Dadaab refugee camps; and

3) the possibilities for interventions to mitigate the full range of challenges facing girls who seek to return to 鈥� and stay in 鈥� school.

The panel, which will be moderated by 快播视频 PhD candidate Hanan Duri, includes:

• Sharareh Kashi 鈥� PhD candidate, 快播视频
• Rachel Silver 鈥� assistant professor, Faculty of Education, 快播视频
• Alyssa Morley 鈥� postdoctoral research associate, Michigan State University
• Priscilla Ndegwa 鈥� lecturer, Kenyatta University
• Dahabo Ibrahim 鈥� MEd student, 快播视频 campus in Dadaab, Kenya
• Joseph Mutua 鈥� Kenya Equity in Education Project

Reciprocal Learning in Times of Crisis is a monthly colloquium series on the intersections of refugee education, anti-Black racism, and COVID-19 in Canada and East Africa. The series is presented by 快播视频鈥檚 Borderless Higher Education for Refugees (BHER) Project, Faculty of Education, and Centre for Refugee Studies.

Join the Zoom session at .

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On Jan. 20, the next session in a monthly virtual colloquium series presented by 快播视频鈥檚 Borderless Higher Education for Refugees (BHER) Project, Faculty of Education and Centre for Refugee Studies will explore teaching in dangerous times by examining the life of American author, playwright, poet and activist James Baldwin.

鈥淐onsidering James Baldwin鈥檚 Extracurriculars: Notes on Teaching in Dangerous Times鈥� will explore a particularly relevant topic given current events. 快播视频 Associate Professors Warren Crichlow and Mario Di Paolantonio will lead the event, which will start at 9:30 a.m. EST/5:30 p.m. EAT online via Zoom.

For Baldwin, the purpose of education is to create in a person the ability to ask questions of the society and undertake responsibility to change it 鈥渘o matter what risk.鈥� In this event, Crichlow considers Baldwin鈥檚 鈥渆xtracurricular life鈥� in public school as the experiential starting place for his thinking on the tasks of education. Crichlow considers Baldwin鈥檚 peripatetic extracurricular life in Harlem, both in school environments and beyond in the Pentecostal pulpit, as the formative autobiographical ground he mined to address the paradoxes of education as a writer, activist and teacher. He argues that Baldwin鈥檚 striking demands remain relevant signposts for the practice of teaching in today鈥檚 dangerous times.

Crichlow is an associate professor at the Faculty of Education in 快播视频, where he teaches cultural studies and education. He is most recently a co-editor of Spaces of New Colonialism: Reading Schools, Museums and Cities in the Tumult of Globalization (Peter Lang, 2020). His most recent article (with Kass Banning) is 鈥淎 Grand Panorama: Isaac Julien, Frederick Douglass, and Lessons of the Hour,鈥� in Film Quarterly, Summer 2020.

Di Paolantonio is an associate professor in York鈥檚 Faculty of Education. Drawing on ethical philosophy and employing innovative methodologies, his international award-winning research explores how different memorial-artistic practices are employed to pedagogically reckon with historical wrongs.

This event will be the fourth in the colloquium series, which explores the intersections of refugee education, anti-Black racism and COVID-19 in Canada and East Africa, with the theme "Reciprocal Learning in Times of Crisis."

Join the Zoom session at .

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Participants in the Faculty of Education鈥檚 Borderless Higher Education for Refugees (BHER) program have seen the impact of change upon multiple fronts, because the program involves faculty, students and community partners at York鈥檚 Keele Campus, as well as in the Dadaab Refugee Complex in Kenya. Rachel Silver, an assistant professor of education at York, with the help of a team of her colleagues in both Toronto and Dadaab, has created a virtual colloquium series, Reciprocal Learning in Times of Crisis, for the program鈥檚 faculty and students and other interested parties to consider the issues arising from the confluence of education, the pandemic, and the new waves of resistance to anti-Black racism.

鈥淲e鈥檙e in this moment together, despite our different individual positions, different colonial histories, and different national public health and education system responses,鈥� Silver said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an opportunity to learn from each other about how we make sense of and respond to a global crisis in distinct local contexts.

鈥淲e can see how systemic inequity is reflected in each space, and how COVID-19 brings to light the underlying systemic issues.鈥�

Silver put together a committee comprising Esther Munene, the academic administrator of the BHER Learning Centre in Dadaab; Philemon Misoy, the BHER project co-ordinator; Molade Osibodu, a Faculty of Education colleague whose work draws heavily on African de-colonial theories; and two international York graduate students, Sharareh Kashi from Iran and Theodata Fafa Bansah from Ghana, to plan and organize the colloquium, which is a monthly event.

鈥淲e have planned to change the format each month with different speakers and different hosts,鈥� said Silver. 鈥淲e are drawing on the talents of diverse graduate students and academics in Kenya and in Canada. But we also wanted to feature our Kenyan institutional partners and BHER students speaking from their lived experiences in the camps.鈥�

鈥淭his series is not only for a scholarly audience, but also for community leaders, NGOs and students in both countries.鈥�

The remaining events in the series will touch on a range of topics, including the unique needs of inter-African migrants in southern Africa during COVID-19; the Toronto diasporic community; and the gendering of pandemic-related risks in Kenya, featuring a panel of York鈥檚 academic and organizational partners there.

鈥淭he series is even more important since we haven鈥檛 been able to meet face-to-face with our York colleagues for months due to COVID-19,鈥� said Misoy. 鈥淭his really opens the lines of communication and allows us to share our experiences working during the pandemic.

鈥淲e can look at issues of social, economic and racial discrimination and consider how we support people emerging from conflict. We can take stock of achievements and, by hearing from different people, get ideas how we can shift toward the future. It鈥檚 important for north-south relations that we can share ideas freely and help each other.鈥�

Munene agreed.

鈥淚t鈥檚 good to get the Toronto context on many issues, such as race and gender and learn what it鈥檚 like there,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey can also get to understand our context.鈥�

An eagerness to learn about the Dadaab context was apparent at the most recent session of Reciprocal Learning in Times of Crisis on Nov. 4. It focused on the educational challenges faced in Dadaab due to the pandemic and featured representatives of York鈥檚 partner organizations in Dadaab, as well as Abdikadir Bare Abikar, a graduate of the first class of York鈥檚 Dadaab-based Masters of Education students, who is now teaching in Somalia. All of the educational organizations based in Dadaab collaborate to ensure that there is no duplication of effort.

Schools in Dadaab have been closed since mid-March, forcing educators to be creative in offering lessons in the camps, where not every student has a computer or laptop and internet connectivity can be suspect.

鈥淭he president of Kenya announced the school closures on a Sunday and they had to close the next day,鈥� said Norah Kariba of Windle International Kenya, which runs the secondary schools in Dadaab. 鈥淭his left students confused about how to continue.

鈥淭he quick fix was to introduce radio lessons, although not all learners were able to access them, and there wasn鈥檛 enough air time to handle all of the content. However, at least it was a starting point.

鈥淭eachers also formed classes through WhatsApp [a popular phone application used to communicate with groups] and contacted their students. They were able to create a timetable and students were able to download lessons.鈥�

At the university level, there was also disruption.

鈥淜enyan universities didn鈥檛 offer online learning,鈥� said Munene. 鈥淚t delayed graduation and caused stress, something we had to address with students. A few universities offered online exams, but exams here are usually administered in person, so it was a big hill to tackle.鈥�

Luckily, York continued to offer online courses through its BHER project, and even though the learning centre in Dadaab was closed, students could access lectures.

鈥淚t was an abrupt shift to online learning, and many students weren鈥檛 used to the lack of interaction,鈥� said Munene. 鈥淏HER also had to buy laptops or tablets and data bundles, so the students had access. We have learned to adapt to technological change.

鈥淗owever, many students had lost jobs due to the pandemic and it was tough for them to concentrate on school. We tried to comfort them and did some mental health awareness work about the value of sharing their concerns.鈥�

Dakane Bare, a representative of the United Nations High Commission on Refugees in Kenya, offered an observation that served as the motto for the group going forward: 鈥淲ith calamity comes opportunity.鈥�

Silver and the colloquium organizing committee hope that the series continues to provide excellent opportunities for learning and connection.

鈥淥ur big goal is to push back against the notion of expertise being located only in one geo-political space, such as the university,鈥� Silver said. 鈥淭here is much learning to be done.鈥�

Visit the series website at /edu/reciprocal-learning-in-times-of-crisis/ for a full listing of upcoming talks and to view the Zoom recordings from all previous talks.

By Elaine Smith, special contributing writer

Article from the , a special issue of YFile devoted to teaching and learning innovation at 快播视频. It offers compelling and accessible feature-length stories about 快播视频鈥檚 commitment to excellence in teaching, learning, internationalization and the student experience.

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