Projects

ELNOR’s core programme grew from a 17-student pilot launched during the COVID-19 pandemic into a flexible English-learning network serving displaced adults in different countries and circumstances.

Students study from Pre-A1 through B2 using a CEFR-informed curriculum that combines practical communication with grammar, speaking, listening, reading and writing. Lessons range from everyday situations such as navigating shops and pharmacies to wider topics including culture, science, current affairs and food.

The model is designed to adapt to students’ access to technology. Learners may join individual or group video classes, study from community centres, or receive written and spoken feedback through asynchronous lessons. Student feedback is continually incorporated into ELNOR’s curriculum and teaching approach.

ELNOR launched its Professional Development Programme in 2024 after students repeatedly identified a need to connect English-language learning with employment, further study and professional life.

The programme introduces the language and practical skills involved in searching for work: understanding job advertisements, creating CVs and résumés, writing cover letters, using LinkedIn and other digital tools, preparing for interviews and building confidence in workplace communication.

Students who are actively applying for employment or education can also receive individual application and interview support. Eligible intermediate and advanced learners may receive preparation and financial support for recognised English qualifications such as IELTS, TOEFL or the Duolingo English Test.

ELNOR began working with SAMA Community Centre in late 2025 to bring its English curriculum into a locally rooted learning environment serving people connected to the refugee camps at Malakasa.

The partnership combines SAMA’s physical community space and local relationships with ELNOR’s curriculum, remote teaching experience and tutor network. SAMA volunteers have been introduced to ELNOR materials, while students can participate through a combination of in-person and remote support.

The collaboration represents an important evolution in ELNOR’s model: rather than choosing between online and local provision, the programme connects both. Teaching can remain flexible while benefiting from an accessible community space and people who understand the local context.

In 2026, ELNOR extended its education model to the Kakuma and Kalobeyei refugee context in north-western Kenya through a partnership with community-based organisation Hope of the Hopeless.

Learners gather together locally while ELNOR tutors teach remotely, using shared digital equipment to connect the classroom with teachers elsewhere. Local facilitators support participation and bridge the physical distance between tutors and students.

The project builds on lessons ELNOR has learned since its earliest work in Greece: remote education works best when technology is paired with trusted local relationships, accessible spaces and people who can support students in person.

ELNOR’s Annual Virtual Conference extends education beyond the classroom by bringing students, researchers, educators, practitioners and members of the wider ELNOR community into the same conversation.

Since the inaugural conference in 2022, each edition has explored a different dimension of displacement and opportunity—from refugee education and humanitarian support to professional access, educational technology, resilience and labour-market integration.

Students are not treated only as an audience. Their perspectives and experiences form part of the programme, and ELNOR compensates participating student speakers. Selected presentations can be shared publicly, while panel discussions remain unrecorded to preserve a private environment for open participation.

Since 2022, ELNOR has served as an internship partner for the S. Jay Levy Fellowship for Future Leaders at the City College of New York.

Summer fellows join ELNOR as working members of the organisation and contribute to curriculum development, research, communications, teaching and nonprofit operations. Placements are shaped around the interests and academic backgrounds of individual interns while also giving them experience working collaboratively.

The partnership reflects the same principle that guides ELNOR’s programmes for students: education should lead to practical experience and meaningful opportunities. Fellows gain professional exposure while bringing new perspectives and skills into ELNOR’s work.