Nurul Batrisyia is a Malaysian who’s recently moved to Edinburgh for higher education. She holds a BSc in Psychology (Hons), and has just graduated from the University of Edinburgh with an MSc in Global Mental Health and Society. Throughout her postgraduate studies, she has greatly emphasised the importance and urgency of systemic change for collective liberation, notably through her thesis: “The Olive Branches Beyond Borders: A Poetic Inquiry on Decolonising Resilience in Palestine and Rwanda”.

Her interests and on-the-ground experiences span widely across different communities and social issues, which can be seen from her vast volunteer work and professional experience as a community-based project worker, community care worker, and co-facilitator for humanitarian training programs. From Malaysia, to Vietnam, Egypt and now Edinburgh, Nurul has engaged with refugees, victims of abuse and natural disasters, Indigenous groups, disabled kids and elderlies, low-income mothers etc. Through all of this, she is most significantly determined to further explore knowledge and practices that are rooted in decolonial and participatory approaches, in order to champion Indigenous and community-driven values. So far, Nurul has co-produced a community Arts program under the principles of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy with Rohingya refugee women, as well a Psychological First Aid training program with low-income mothers in Kuala Lumpur. As part of her own initiatives, she has also pioneered an Arts for Wellbeing and Equality (AWE) program to encourage Malaysian communities’ discourse and practices of mental wellbeing in ways that transcend communication, socioeconomic and cultural barriers— which were explored through various mediums of art.

Outside of work and academia, Nurul spends her time reading and writing poetry (she is now finishing up a manuscript on self and collective liberation inspired by Sufi poetry). She also enjoys babysitting her friends’ kids (they bake, play music, learn the Qur’an, do arts and crafts, exercise and more on a weekly basis), and to wind down, Nurul is mostly found immersed in nature.