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Founder and Space Holder

NARIMAN MOUSTAFA, the founder of Mesahat: liberating learning spaces, the umbrella organization that envisions the creation of learning cities in Egypt where we take learning out of the confined classroom walls to life and its vast resources. Nariman has spent 10 years of her life working in the social development and innovation sector, supporting social entrepreneurs across different parts of the world to develop their social solutions to society’s most pressing social problems. Nariman is an Agile Learning Facilitator with Agile Learning Centers, USA and an Education Fellow with Shikshantar: The People’s Instiute for Rethinking Education and Development, India.

Nariman says about this project: “Doing this work is a realization of a dream I had as a child. I precisely dreamed of a colorful, sunny, spacious space where all members of the community are there, having children at the center of it, whereby everyone self-organizes to learn what they want to learn in they way they want to learn and at the time they want to learn it, finding the right resources and people for their learning projects. I dreamed of it as a space that connects us as a community to our roots and that contributes to healing our planet. This was my dream as a child. Many years later in life, I knew this could very well be realized through Self-Directed Education spaces”.   

Residential Learning Facilitator

MAI ALBAKRY, has been facilitating with children since 2005 during which she played and worked with children and teens inside and outside of schools, camps and several other contexts.  As a graduate from faculty of medicine who shifted her career to focus on her passion in Education, science and biology is Mai’s major field of interest. Hence, she offered her science programs in different places across Cairo. Signing, literature and movies are Mai’s most important hobbies as well as cooking really delicious food!

This is what she says about joining this project: ” I believe that children and teenagers are the coolest people in the world! I believe in free learning, treating each child as the important person he/she is. Freedom and respect are basic concepts for nurturing each child and their unique interests and special development – this is a cornerstone for any educational process. Having seen my beliefs embodied and expressed in Mesahat’s philosophy, I got very excited about being a founding facilitator of the first space in Egypt creating this community for free learning. I know this opportunity will give me the chance to be my authentic self, practice what I believe in and co-learn about my own interests and passions with everyone else involved“.   

 

Founding Parents on Board

AMIRA SAAD, is a homeschooling mother to a 5-year old daughter. She is a Montessori teacher and trainer as well as the Founder of Barah Center for Skills Development. She is also a blogger, a writer, a parents coach and a marketing and media specialist.

This is what she says about herself and about joining this project: “I started authentically discovering a new life with the birth of my only daughter, Retal. With this new birth, that was mine and hers, I decided to live the life I want and to give my daughter the chance to be her authentic self. I discovered that learning is like breathing and so should education be. The latter should not be what we think of as a depressed child with a bent back. I started playing with my daughter and documenting our experience on my blog. I decided to homeschool my child and in that journey I learnt tremendously, with love and passion, about alternative education philosophies. Four years ago, I started my journey to take what I do with my kid to develop other kids intensively. I discovered my own dynamic ability to communicate with mothers, reach their hearts and influence them. I see Self-Directed Education as a philosophy that opens new avenues of love, joy and learning for me. I look forward to connecting with people who want to challenge themselves and open their perceptions and visions to new worldviews”.

You can check testimonials and affirmations from parents, children and facilitators we worked with before. OR proceed to learn more about how to join us!