We respect the organisations we partner with, by designing training to meet their specific needs; we respect learners by valuing their time, their experience, and their participation; and we respect our refugee and asylum seeking friends in the way we share their stories.
We use a variety of interactive learning methods and real life examples to ensure our training is learning focused and connected to practical workplace applications.
We draw on many years of personal intercultural experience and academic study. We engage in ongoing research, networking and involvement in refugee communities to keep our training up to date.
Neşe grew up in North Eastern Turkey, and moved to the UK when she was 17. Neşe has a BA in Persian (with two years of Arabic and Ottoman), an MA in Gender Studies from SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies) and has travelled widely in the Middle East. She has worked with refugees and asylum seekers in Nottingham, London and Bristol and now works with Refugee Welcome Homes.
Alison is an experienced trainer who has designed and facilitated courses in multicultural contexts around the world. Alison undertook research in ‘the Jungle’ refugee camp in Calais, as part of an MA in Global Leadership in Intercultural Contexts. She is a trustee of Borderlands Charity, who run a Refugee Drop-In Centre in Bristol. Along with her husband Martin, she has hosted destitute asylum seekers in her home, and is now a foster carer for unaccompanied asylum seeking children.
"The presentation and delivery of the session was excellent. The activities were informative and the trainer was very engaging. The session was two hours long, but [we] would have welcomed a longer session. Neşe … has a wealth of knowledge about Middle Eastern Cultures. I would highly recommend …Neşe and Alison…, and will certainly be using them again in the future."
"There is nothing dull and boring about this study day; it's full of lively, open engagement . What's in store are real life examples and exercises to open the mind to the complexity of intercultural understanding and provide much insight.”
"Sessions were relaxed, interactive and thought provoking and Neşe’s enthusiasm and knowledge held everyone’s attention….She was quietly passionate about her work and perhaps unknowingly very inspirational."
"Alison and Neşe's training was interesting, informative and effective. As trainers, they are both approachable and knowledgeable. The tasks they set enabled us to form good, safe relationships quickly, and as a result we were able to stretch and challenge each other in new areas. I think we all felt better equipped as a result of this course, thank you!"
"Our team benefited from a thought provoking session around Culture & Identity. Tamarisk Training provided an opportunity to explore the concepts of individualism and collectivism. It also provided a space to reflect on how this can affect how we understand others especially the children and young people we work with. It was a very enjoyable session."
"A positive and well structured opportunity to reflect with others in the group around cultural issues, communication and ways of being...really useful insights into cultural differences."