As young people of diaspora heritage, we are neither fully here nor there, we live with a sense of loss and disconnection.

A key concern is language. Language is the key with which to connect to and unpack one’s heritage. As the famous quote goes, ‘to speak another language is to have another soul’. What then, is it like to have your soul taken away? As diaspora members in a globalised, English-dominated world, our native language is constantly diminishing.

The bottom line is, if your language capability doesn’t at least match your parents, there’s a good chance the next generation won’t speak it at all.

This process will happen naturally unless efforts are put in otherwise. However, the loss of ‘identity’ and language need not be inevitable.

IHYA is about changing this trajectory, about changing how we view things, about taking agency back in our own hands. Deriving its name from an Arabic/Urdu/Farsi word meaning ‘revival’, and further taking inspiration from Imam Al-Ghazali’s epic work, an ethos of resurrection and retrieval is what infuses the teaching philosophy of IHYA.

Offering personalised Urdu, Arabic and Farsi language tutoring, IHYA gives diaspora youth (16+) a way to navigate alienation in a post-colonial world. Based in Australia, IHYA’s vision is to provide affordable, transformative, engaging and holistic education - by diaspora youth, for diaspora youth.

This is not just an investment in yourself, but an investment in future generations.

Core Values of IYHA

• Empowering - Giving you the capacity to engage with your heritage

• Paradigm-Shifting - A decolonial project - shift away from Euro-centric worldview

• Spiritual - Underlaid with the core importance of the Soul as central to human life and endeavour

• Dignifying - Respectful, dignifying and cosmopolitan

Teaching Method

• Interactive Lessons: Learning a language requires speaking, not just listening. Lessons will involve plenty of spoken practice, alongside vocabulary and grammar.

• Personalised Curriculum: There is no one size fits all in language learning. Whether you are learning the alphabet or you want to study poetry, your learning goals are front and centre.

• Personalized Feedback: After each session, you will be sent a document with feedback for review, including grammatical mistakes and new vocabulary.

• Flexible Scheduling: Via audio or video call, sessions are scheduled based on mutual availability.

Pricing

• Lessons are priced in bundles of $200AUD/5 Hours or $360AUD/10 hours. Please note that as each student is unique, with differing needs and capabilities, the time required to reach competency will vary from case to case.

• IHYA offers discounts to students and prospective learners from the Global South.

• If you’re not satisfied after your first session, IHYA will offer a 100% refund. Refunds after the second lesson will not be given.