FESA Learner Story: Mehdi H

Throughout the Summer, WINS has been hosting a weekly Reading and Writing Circle at their Beltline Community Hub. The Reading and Writing Circle is a program designed for those looking to improve their reading, writing, and conversational English skills in a welcoming group setting with guidance from a trained facilitator. It provides the learners with opportunities to hone their literacy skills through exercises and communication with others with a similar level of skill.

Program Facilitator, Filomina Abdi had this to say about a Mehdi H, who is a highlight of the Reading and Writing Circle:

As soon as Mehdi H walked into our program, he was a ray of sunshine, smiling from ear to ear. He immediately introduced himself to me and was so excited to be in the program and stated it in front of everyone. Mehdi is always the first to raise his hand to participate in any of the activities that we do. He asks questions if he is uncertain and is very eager to learn, the first to participate in every single session, and he interacts very well with the other participants. For example, I wrote, “Good morning, beautiful people” on the white board, and he copied it into his journal, and then he said it out loud for all the participants to hear, and then he said, “Thank you, beautiful teacher,” out loud for me to hear, as well. He is always lifting others up and brings so much joy and enthusiasm to the sessions.

Mehdi continually inspires me and the other participants to interact and fully engage in activities. Since he started coming to class, I have noticed he has empowered other participants to fully engage in activities and in speaking English, even when participants are feeling unsure of the correct words to use. He attends every session faithfully, fully prepared, and eager to learn. In fact, he asks if we can have more than 1 session per week.

Mehdi has a commitment to lifelong learning, and a kindness and eagerness to help others through role modelling. His personality shines through every single session, and he is an absolute delight to have in our Reading and Writing Circle.