Episodes

Ep 1: Nemer "Tiger"

In this episode, I talk with Nemer, a Syrian refugee who fled from forced military recruitment in 2011. From volunteering for fellow refugees in Lebanon, to finding a new home in Canada, Nemer tells us his courageous story of resettlement.

"People (in refugee camps), when they see happiness, they run to it."

"There are things people can do that are easy, basic. and powerful."

Ep 2: Dr. Suzan song

In this episode, I talk with humanitarian psychiatrist Suzan Song on her experiences observing and improving the mental health of refugees and refugee children. Dr. Song shares examples of cases she's worked on and provides insight on the psychosocial effects migration and conflict can have.

For Dr. Song's Za'atari assessment, click here.

Ep 3: Lidia soto-harmon

In this episode, I talk with Lidia Soto-Harmon, the CEO of Girl Scouts Nation's Capital, on her family's story as Cuban refugees fleeing political persecution. We discuss Lidia's time growing up in Ecuador and El Salvador and how she learned to "live the hyphen" as a young Cuban-American in the US.

"The u.s. became the shining light on the hill".

"The kids need a chance."

Ep 4: Aliya Abidi

In this episode, I talk with Aliya Abidi, a Deployable Child Protection Specialist at Plan International, about refugees in the European context through her work across the Mediterranean region. Additionally, we discuss how Covid-19 has impacted the refugee community and what we can learn from it.

Ep 5: alain tenta

In this episode, I talk with Alain Tenta, a Congolese refugee and the founder of Dzaleka Refugee Camp's first intercultural youth center, Salama Africa. We discuss Alain's experience witnessing violence in his home town, being threatened by human smugglers at the Tanzania-Malawi border, and spending over a decade of his youth in Dzaleka.

For more on Salama Africa, click here.

"They(refugees) are people. They have potential."

FINAL EP Alain Tenta.mp3

"THE BORDER IS a geographic line rather than a dividing line."

Doris FINAL EP.mp3

Ep 6: DORIS MEISSNER

In this episode of invisible borders, I talk with Doris Meissner, former Commissioner of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service now known as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). We discuss the impact of the Afghanistan crisis on migration, how migration policy has evolved from her time as commissioner, and how it hasn’t. This conversation took place in August of 2021, a few days following the fall of Afghanistan's capital, Kabul.