The project is based at the university's Alwaleed Centre for the Study of Islam in the Contemporary World but works with students and staff from across the university and beyond.
Founded in 2019, Syrian Futures works closely with the University of Edinburgh's Widening Participation team to offer Scottish Syrians opportunities to experience university life and take advantage of help and support as they consider their options in further and higher education.
In addition, Syrian Futures works with a number of public, private and third sector organisations - including the Re-Start Foundation, the Edinburgh Festivals and the Department for Work and Pensions - to offer work experience and volunteering opportunities for Scottish Syrians looking to start or resume their professional careers.
Contact Us:
Syrian Futures
16 George Square
Edinburgh
EH8 9LD
t. +44(0)131 650 4165
e. syrian.futures@ed.ac.uk
You can also keep up-to-date with our work on Facebook: www.facebook.com/syrianfutures/ and Istagram: @syrian_futures
Meet the Team:
Nadin Akta, Project Coordinator
Nadin is Outreach and Projects Coordinator at the University of Edinburgh's Alwaleed Centre where she also coordinates day-to-day administration.
Over the course of her career, Nadin has worked and volunteered with a number of Scottish local authorities and third sector organisations, helping to support ethnic minority communities and encourage dialogue and communication across cultures and religions. When Scotland began to welcome significant numbers of Syrian refugees in 2015, Nadin began working closely with Scottish local authorities to help encourage a better understanding of Syrian culture, religion and tradition whilst also supporting Syrian families as they settled into their new lives and communities.
Nadin is very ambitious about her work with Syrian communities and believes that the University of Edinburgh is a great platform to help Syrians access higher education and employment. As well as being the Syrian Futures Co-ordinator, Nadin is involved in a variety of other projects including the University of Sanctuary network, the New Scots Steering Group, the New Scots Strategy Group and the Department of Work and Pensions, helping foster greater collaboration and create better opportunities. She is also a co-founder of different projects at the University of Edinburgh, the Welcoming, and Re-Act.
Nadin strongly believes that through her work at the University she is able to bring people, agencies, communities, universities and organizations together to create better opportunities for the Syrian community, engage them with the society and help them to contribute to the community, improve their skills, and raising their confidence and self-esteem.
Contact Nadin
0131 650 4165
Colin Hodgetts MBE, English Instructor
Colin, is a trained teacher and was head of an alternative secondary school for 11 years. He has offered his help to the Syrian Community running the Syrian Futures language classes four times a week (1 advanced, 1 beginner, 2 intermediate). Colin has a long history of supporting refugees in Edinburgh. He was responsible for Save the Children's Vietnamese resettlement programme which included setting up a residential school to enable youngsters to access higher education. He founded, and was Chief Executive of, and later Chair of, Refugee Action, receiving MBE for this. In addition to all these fantastic achievements, Colin has published play scripts and an autobiography.
Contact Colin: syrian.futures@ed.ac.uk