Future Proofing Refugee Youth with 21st Century Skills

By Jonathan Breibar for Hello Future

The world is undergoing rapid and profound transformations driven by technological advancements. In this environment, it is critical that refugee youth gain the skills to live up to their potential and succeed in our 21st century economy. Too often, the protracted nature of displacement threatens to leave refugee youth behind and vulnerable to radicalization, early marriage, and exploitative labor conditions. At Hello Future, our mission is to equip refugee teens with the skills that will enable them to make their dreams a reality and improve their lives and that of their families.

Brothers Aind and Dlir, residents of the Arbat refugee camp in Iraqi Kurdistan, attended their first Hello Future courses when they were 15 and 17 years old, respectively. They had reservations about what they were getting into and assumed that they would encounter unenthusiastic instructors and an uninspiring curriculum. Their experiences since fleeing Syria and leaving behind a quality educational system have been filled with disappointment. As a result, they had low expectations for their future educational journeys. But, with every Hello Future class that they attended, the brothers found themselves becoming more engaged.

Dlir’s path through Hello Future’s courses resulted in him building skills -- digital, communications, design thinking -- needed to change the trajectory of his life. The result? Dlir received a scholarship to the American University of Iraq in Sulaimani, where he is majoring in Computer Science with a business minor. He’s enjoying the problem-solving aspects of the curricula and is excited about what lies ahead for his career.

Aind credits the interactive games and activities that his instructor Mohammed led, which inspired him to take Hello Future’s financial literacy and storytelling courses. He was able to express his creativity through video projects and class presentations, to learn how to use digital tools more efficiently, and to imagine a different future than the one to which he had resigned himself.

During his time with Hello Future, Aind discovered United World Colleges (UWC) through his own online research. With application guidance and a letter of recommendation from Mohammed, Aind applied and was accepted to UWC. Soon thereafter enough, Aind left the refugee camp and traveled to the UWC campus in India. 

At first, he struggled with the language and cultural barriers that existed between him and his classmates. However, as his English improved and he got used to his surroundings, he found that he was able to comfortably tell his peers about his background and experiences.

“By being able to tell my story, I helped people to understand the situation in Syria and Kurdistan, and also to understand me,” Aind says.

During his time at UWC, Aind continued to step out of his comfort zone, taking theater classes despite his relative lack of experience in the area. He says that he drew from his experience giving presentations and developing his storytelling skills at Hello Future to find the confidence to continue performing and improve his acting skills.

Aind is now off to St. Olaf College in Minnesota to study Computer Science and is one step closer to fulfilling his long-standing dream of becoming a videogame designer. He is one of over 640 students who have completed Hello Future courses, 15% of whom are pursuing higher education — more than double the global average for refugees. Aind credits his progression and success to the long-term focus of Hello Future’s skills-building approach. Unlike other programs that have left him uninspired, he took advantage of Hello Future’s focus on 21st century skills and changed the trajectory of his life.