Nomadic Tardigrade School for Displaced Children: Nurturing Resilience, Inspiring Hope
The Nomadic Tardigrade, an Israeli educational non-profit, caters to the needs of displaced Russian and Ukrainian children, providing them with quality education amidst the chaos of violent conflict as a result of the Russian invasion. The organization, founded by Sophya Welle, is in many ways an amalgamation of her life’s work, as its creation demanded the use of every part of her diverse skill set.
Welle’s life and education
Welle hails from Donbas, Ukraine. Her school years were spent in St. Petersburg, Russia, where she studied with a renowned theater arts teacher, Korogodsky. Later, she obtained a master's degree in biology, which propelled her into a leadership role in the development and oversight of the Biology Olympiad for school students, a program that reached more than 45,000 students annually.
An educator and yachtswoman, Welle spent over a decade exploring the world of sailing, while leading full-immersion marine biology sessions for children in the Barents Sea, Montenegro, and Israel. She also completed another master's program at CSM, London, specializing in an interdisciplinary field of “narrative environments,” conveying stories to people through the use of spatial design.
The Birth of Nomadic Tardigrade
Welle was taking care of an elderly relative in Israel when Ukraine was thrust into the turmoil of the Russian invasion. It was during this challenging time that a close friend, the mother of three children deeply affected by the war, reached out to Welle for assistance. Overnight, Welle initiated and assumed leadership in a grassroots movement that assembled more than 30 dedicated teachers and welcomed hundreds of Ukrainian and Russian refugees as students. Nomadic Tardigrade, an online educational community, and a dynamic Telegram chat, was born.
The tardigrade mascot was deliberately chosen for its symbolism, as the microscopic organisms are legendary for their remarkable ability to thrive in adverse conditions.
Nomadic Tardigrade operates under a unique open-door policy – students can access any Zoom session by simply clicking on the links in the chat. The absence of knowledge regarding the number of participants and their respective proficiency levels places an additional weight on educators. These educators, however, excel in navigating uncertainty.
Welle underscores the significance of theater arts training in this unconventional pedagogical setting: "We must adapt to sirens, children rushing into bunkers, internet disruptions, and the pervasive instability of the whole situation. Our educators are exceptional masters of improvisation." These educators, mostly scientists with educational backgrounds, join the initiative from the US, Israel, Ukraine, the European Union, Turkey and Korea.
Nomadic Tardigrade offers neither grades nor diplomas, attracting students seeking solace from trauma, anxiety, and loneliness while seeking to stay intellectually active. It champions adaptability, ingenuity, and a profound sense of purpose, embodying its role as a symbol of resilience during challenging times.
While building Nomadic Tardigrade, Welle places a strong emphasis on depth and quality. She observes a significant issue in modern education, a dilemma between either having excellent content with unappealing packaging or beautifully designed materials with simplistic content. Welle and her colleagues strive to package profound meaning, critical thinking, and interconnectedness with a scientific approach in a user-friendly and accessible manner.
Welle acknowledges that Nomadic Tardigrade primarily serves children whose parents care about a high-quality education and gifted and caring teachers, even in wartime. Children without such parents who need additional educational support are often unaware of what they need or how to overcome the barriers they face. This begs the question of whether society needs “educational missionaries,” imposing their ideas of education onto others. Welle, however, views this as a form of personal intrusion. As a result, the Nomadic Tardigrade honors the students’ freedom of choice: children have the option to enroll or not enroll in the course, and there are no obligations or assessments.
Hopes for the future
Welle's dream for the future encompasses fostering a sense of genuine engagement among participants, an immediate immersion into real life akin to hands-on sailing experience, while preserving the thirst for scientific knowledge as a foundational value.
She also hopes to one day give the online platform a physical dimension. According to modern research, space, whether a small apartment, a castle, or a countryside cottage, has a profound influence on a person's identity and perceptions. An expert in spatial design, Welle envisions an educational space that not only imparts knowledge but also immerses children in a captivating atmosphere that facilitates their personal growth and shapes their identities, much like the magical world of Hogwarts or a real Arctic schooner. Let’s all hope that the Nomadic Tardigrade community will achieve this when the conflict subsides, building a meaningful and peaceful future for children affected by the war.
