Hello and welcome to Refugee Learning Stories! This website is an interactive open space where anyone can tell their story or contribute resources. Refugee Learning Stories was set up by Gill Ryan and Gabi Witthaus. We are academic authors who are enthusiastic about open, online and mobile learning for adults. We believe that the internet and devices like smartphones can provide opportunities for people to learn, especially people on the move such as refugees, asylum seekers and other displaced people. (We are using the term ‘refugees’ to cover all displaced learners.)

We set up this site because we are curious to find out how and why adult refugees are learning online using mobile technologies. This includes things like participating in WhatsApp groups, using online resources such as YouTube, Wikipedia or Google, and doing online courses. We would like to know what the biggest challenges are, how people are dealing with these challenges, and how learning online makes a difference in people’s lives. We are particularly interested in stories about learners and educators creating new learning spaces and approaches, where learning is a two-way street, where traditional hierarchies are challenged, and where both the learners and the educators are changed through the encounter.

And so… if you are an adult refugee or asylum seeker who is learning online, or if you are someone who teaches, mentors or supports learners in such a context, we invite you to share your story about your experiences of learning or teaching online. We are also interested in links to any case studies, videos, reports or other resources you can share.

We believe that your stories about how adult refugees and asylum seekers are working together with teachers and volunteers, learning with and from one another will inspire other people. We hope that Refugee Learning Stories will become a resource for many displaced people and the frontline workers who support them.

For more information about how to contribute, and to find out more about Gill and Gabi, please see the About page. For information about how we use your data, please see our Privacy Policy.

Want to contribute? Go to Write here to start!

We very much look forward to hearing from you!