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InsideHalton Article: Youngs making difference for Deaf people abroad
Megan Youngs’ Master’s thesis has an audience that spans two continents — from Africa to North America.
In the process of researching, she has left her mark around the globe.
Her studies on Deaf education in Kenya’s overcrowded Dadaab refugee camp have been described at groundbreaking and she has been called a pioneer in her field.
For the 29-year-old Miltonian, it’s all in a day’s work.
“I try not to say too much. It’s basically another world and it is a hard concept for many to imagine and visualize — but in reality it is just like working at a Deaf school here in Milton but it’s in another country with a different culture,” said Youngs, part of the fourth generation born Deaf in her family.
After spending five years aboard — in Cambodia, Kenya, Costa Rica and the Philippines, to name a few destinations — as a Peace Corps volunteer, teacher, trainer and student, Youngs is happy to be back home, for now at least.
While sipping on a blended frappaccino at a Milton Starbucks, sporting a multi-coloured tunic sewn by a Deaf seamstress from Togo, Youngs epitomized the two worlds she has come to embrace.
The travel bug emerged when Youngs was in elementary school, and a Deaf exchange student from Argentina lived with her family for four months.
It was then she realized that around the world there were Deaf individuals like herself.
Later in high school she embarked on her own adventure overseas while on a one-year exchange, trading the familiarity of the Ernest C. Drury School for the Deaf for New Zealand. From there, the list of travels goes on.
Upon graduating from Washington, D.C.’s Gallaudet University, she spent two-and-a-half years in rural Kenya as a Peace Corps volunteer followed by a couple months in Phnom Penh, Cambodia as a teacher trainer for the Deaf Development Programme. Youngs then returned to Canada, where she became involved with the local Deaf community — as an advocate for the Deaf youth community and a teacher at George Brown College. She also enrolled in a Master’s program at University of Toronto, studying international and developmental education.
But something was drawing Youngs back to Africa.
“I fell in love with Africa, it’s culture and everything. Not only that, during my volunteer stint in Kenya I learned about Deaf refugees living in the camps. Upon my return to Toronto I realized that nearly no one knew about Deaf people living in the camps…I wanted to bring attention to them so that they can receive more services and programs to meet their needs,” she said.
She decided to write her thesis against the backdrop of the sprawling Dadaab camp. Originally built for 90,000, Dadaab is now home to 300,000 refugees — most who have fled civil war in Somalia. Every month, an additional 6,500 displaced people make their way to the camp.
“If you read my thesis you will see that Deaf schools are technically lighthouses for the Deaf population living in the camps — the majority are from Somalia where there weren’t any Deaf schools in the country until few years ago,” she said.
The Miltonian spent six weeks researching in the camps, where she conducted 65 interviews with Deaf students, their parents and teachers. The conversations involved a mind-boggling six languages — American, Kenyan, Somali and an improvised ‘home’ Sign Language along with spoken Somali, Kiswahili and English.
During her research she encountered four very different signs for ‘water.’
She worked with translators and Sign Language interpreters to translate the interviews from spoken tribal languages to Kiswahili and/or English and then to Kenyan Sign Language.
“We often think of literacy as meaning reading and writing, and yet when you look at a language there’s a whole lot more than just being able to read and write,” said Youngs during her thesis presentation. “Literacy has to do with being able to communicate.”
Traditionally, Deaf children living in war zones and the camps receive no schooling. Youngs wants to change that.
“Education provides them with a little bit of hope that they may have a future; gain skills like literacy, education. And it provides people with a sense of optimism,” she said.
“As a Deaf individual, I am able to relate to them on a different level, as we share a common culture and community. Unfortunately, in the real world my words would bring more attention than theirs because of my citizenship, my degree and so forth. Sad, I know, but if I could use my status to bring attention to them — sure I am more than happy to do that.”
Youngs admitted there were times she doubted she would be able to complete the rigorous research. “I have reached the point where I thought that I ought to just throw everything out and just pick a local Deaf school and be done with my thesis.
“But after seeing them all (refugees) that further reaffirmed my original feelings that I just had to do this. I did not want to just write a paper, but something that will contribute to the field of Deaf education.”
While there’s unfortunately no end in sight for the Somali civil war that has displaced millions, Youngs said the refugees remain hopeful they’ll one day make their way back.
“Many of them hope to return and establish Deaf schools back home, and I believe that they will do it once the country becomes stable,” she said.
Youngs remembers one female teacher in the camps who managed to attract many Deaf girls to school. “It is still difficult for many girls to attend schools due to various reasons like early marriage, fear of society, rape, or their families need help around the household.”
But Youngs said she herself never felt any fear in the camp. “Funny, I think once they found out that I am Deaf many seemed to become protective of me. They are great people and would just take me under their wings. It also helps that I am female as well — because I am able to reach out to Deaf females who are more likely to be isolated than men.”
Since being back home, Youngs has paid a visit to the E.C. Drury elementary school to talk about Deaf people living in refugee camps. The school is now collecting bags of schools supplies to ship to Dadaab.
But Youngs won’t be making herself too comfortable in Milton. She’ll travel to South Africa in July to conduct a presentation at the World Federation of the Deaf Congress.
As for what’s in store for Youngs, she’s in the process of looking for a job that will take her back to Africa.
Asked what that dream job would be, she said, “To work with the Deaf community; to have them realize their capacity and actually to utilize it.”
I met her once. Went to school with her younger brother.
Megan Youngs’ Master’s thesis has an audience that spans two continents — from Africa to North America.
In the process of researching, she has left her mark around the globe.
Her studies on Deaf education in Kenya’s overcrowded Dadaab refugee camp have been described at groundbreaking and she has been called a pioneer in her field.
For the 29-year-old Miltonian, it’s all in a day’s work.
“I try not to say too much. It’s basically another world and it is a hard concept for many to imagine and visualize — but in reality it is just like working at a Deaf school here in Milton but it’s in another country with a different culture,” said Youngs, part of the fourth generation born Deaf in her family.
After spending five years aboard — in Cambodia, Kenya, Costa Rica and the Philippines, to name a few destinations — as a Peace Corps volunteer, teacher, trainer and student, Youngs is happy to be back home, for now at least.
While sipping on a blended frappaccino at a Milton Starbucks, sporting a multi-coloured tunic sewn by a Deaf seamstress from Togo, Youngs epitomized the two worlds she has come to embrace.
The travel bug emerged when Youngs was in elementary school, and a Deaf exchange student from Argentina lived with her family for four months.
It was then she realized that around the world there were Deaf individuals like herself.
Later in high school she embarked on her own adventure overseas while on a one-year exchange, trading the familiarity of the Ernest C. Drury School for the Deaf for New Zealand. From there, the list of travels goes on.
Upon graduating from Washington, D.C.’s Gallaudet University, she spent two-and-a-half years in rural Kenya as a Peace Corps volunteer followed by a couple months in Phnom Penh, Cambodia as a teacher trainer for the Deaf Development Programme. Youngs then returned to Canada, where she became involved with the local Deaf community — as an advocate for the Deaf youth community and a teacher at George Brown College. She also enrolled in a Master’s program at University of Toronto, studying international and developmental education.
But something was drawing Youngs back to Africa.
“I fell in love with Africa, it’s culture and everything. Not only that, during my volunteer stint in Kenya I learned about Deaf refugees living in the camps. Upon my return to Toronto I realized that nearly no one knew about Deaf people living in the camps…I wanted to bring attention to them so that they can receive more services and programs to meet their needs,” she said.
She decided to write her thesis against the backdrop of the sprawling Dadaab camp. Originally built for 90,000, Dadaab is now home to 300,000 refugees — most who have fled civil war in Somalia. Every month, an additional 6,500 displaced people make their way to the camp.
“If you read my thesis you will see that Deaf schools are technically lighthouses for the Deaf population living in the camps — the majority are from Somalia where there weren’t any Deaf schools in the country until few years ago,” she said.
The Miltonian spent six weeks researching in the camps, where she conducted 65 interviews with Deaf students, their parents and teachers. The conversations involved a mind-boggling six languages — American, Kenyan, Somali and an improvised ‘home’ Sign Language along with spoken Somali, Kiswahili and English.
During her research she encountered four very different signs for ‘water.’
She worked with translators and Sign Language interpreters to translate the interviews from spoken tribal languages to Kiswahili and/or English and then to Kenyan Sign Language.
“We often think of literacy as meaning reading and writing, and yet when you look at a language there’s a whole lot more than just being able to read and write,” said Youngs during her thesis presentation. “Literacy has to do with being able to communicate.”
Traditionally, Deaf children living in war zones and the camps receive no schooling. Youngs wants to change that.
“Education provides them with a little bit of hope that they may have a future; gain skills like literacy, education. And it provides people with a sense of optimism,” she said.
“As a Deaf individual, I am able to relate to them on a different level, as we share a common culture and community. Unfortunately, in the real world my words would bring more attention than theirs because of my citizenship, my degree and so forth. Sad, I know, but if I could use my status to bring attention to them — sure I am more than happy to do that.”
Youngs admitted there were times she doubted she would be able to complete the rigorous research. “I have reached the point where I thought that I ought to just throw everything out and just pick a local Deaf school and be done with my thesis.
“But after seeing them all (refugees) that further reaffirmed my original feelings that I just had to do this. I did not want to just write a paper, but something that will contribute to the field of Deaf education.”
While there’s unfortunately no end in sight for the Somali civil war that has displaced millions, Youngs said the refugees remain hopeful they’ll one day make their way back.
“Many of them hope to return and establish Deaf schools back home, and I believe that they will do it once the country becomes stable,” she said.
Youngs remembers one female teacher in the camps who managed to attract many Deaf girls to school. “It is still difficult for many girls to attend schools due to various reasons like early marriage, fear of society, rape, or their families need help around the household.”
But Youngs said she herself never felt any fear in the camp. “Funny, I think once they found out that I am Deaf many seemed to become protective of me. They are great people and would just take me under their wings. It also helps that I am female as well — because I am able to reach out to Deaf females who are more likely to be isolated than men.”
Since being back home, Youngs has paid a visit to the E.C. Drury elementary school to talk about Deaf people living in refugee camps. The school is now collecting bags of schools supplies to ship to Dadaab.
But Youngs won’t be making herself too comfortable in Milton. She’ll travel to South Africa in July to conduct a presentation at the World Federation of the Deaf Congress.
As for what’s in store for Youngs, she’s in the process of looking for a job that will take her back to Africa.
Asked what that dream job would be, she said, “To work with the Deaf community; to have them realize their capacity and actually to utilize it.”
I met her once. Went to school with her younger brother.
