Reyhane is the founder and director at Ferdowskids. She founded Ferdowskids in 2014 to serve her Persian community in Toronto who were seeking to teach their children the Farsi language and Persian culture. 

Reyhane holds a bachelor degree in industrial engineering, system analysis from AmirKabir University of Technology in Iran and ECE degree from Algonquin college in Canada. Upon immigration to Canada and in pursuit of her dream to work with children, she collaborated with organizations such as Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture and METRAC. 

Her experiences with organizations like the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture and METRAC, where she worked with children who had escaped from war in Syria and Afghanistan, likely provided her with valuable insights into the unique challenges and needs of immigrant and refugee children. This background, combined with her pursuit of an MA in Counseling Psychology, demonstrates her commitment to creating an inclusive and supportive learning environment for all children.

Ferdowskids, with its in-person classes, virtual classes, and online Persian resources for parents and educators, helps the Persian community in Toronto preserve their language and culture. Reyhane is dedicated to making a positive impact on the lives of Persian-speaking children and their families.

Setareh has been working with socially-excluded children and women for the last fifteen years using different art mediums such as interactive theatre, drama and storytelling in search of social justice, harmony and inclusiveness. Having completed a Masters degree in Education from Oxford University, Setareh has worked with undocumented children in Iran, street children in Cambodia and refugee teenagers in the UK, trying to establish creative ways to transcend prejudice and raise critical consciousness. Setareh has been collaborating with FerdowsKids since November 2015 in strategic planning, programing, curriculum design and teaching.

Aitak is a musician, educator, visual artist, and researcher. Families with young children might recognize her by her songs. In her classes art, music & play are used as main means of teaching. 

Throughout the past two decades, Aitak has been privileged to work with culturally diverse communities & international schools, holding workshops, training teachers, and consulting educational organizations.

Having studied painting & graphic design in art school, Aitak studied music in the academy of fine arts of Tehran’s University, specializing in Piano and setar. In New York she continued her studies at Columbia University and earned a doctorate degree in art & music education, as well as two masters degrees in music & music education. Her dissertation focused on designing and developing an innovative pedagogical approach in the education of young bilingual children of diaspora through music and artistic activities. Based on this curriculum, Aitak founded Yekibood Children in NY & VA in the hopes of creating more cultural educational opportunities for Iranian American children and families. 

Aitak believes in the power of creativity, critical thinking and multicultural education of children, and her aim is to create a safe, playful and interactive space for children to experience, learn and make bonds with their culture while growing up as proud members of a global community!

Mahan Mirarab is an Iranian/Austrian guitarist, composer, arranger and music producer based in Vienna and Berlin. 

He has spent years learning about Persian traditional music as well as the indigenous sound and cultures of the country such as Arabic, African, Turkish, Kurdish, etc., while refining his skills in Jazz, western classic and popular music. Notably using fretless guitar, he specialises in blending the microtonal systems with jazz and improvised music. 

He is among some of the most innovative minds in Iran who has redefined music in their culture despite the challenges facing musicians after the Iranian revolution. His work throughout 21 years is creating a new generation of musicians, who are being inspired and influenced by his guitar playing and compositions. 

His dedication to expand his musical vocabulary brought him to Europe in 2009 where he met and collaborated with numerous musicians from all over the world such as Anthony Braxton, Erkan Ogur, Alain Perez, Hadar Noiberg, Johannes Berauer, Omar Klein, András Dés, etc. His approach to composition and arrangement introduces a unique blend of rhythms and harmonies that showcases his rich musical vocabulary as well as his depth of knowledge in many different music styles. As a result, his compositions avoid cliches and expand the understanding of how each style can be interpreted. Mirarab is composing, arranging and performing in many jazz, experimental, acoustic/electronic, folk and traditional projects as well as film, dance and theatre. 

His aim is to introduce a new narrative through music in regards to middle eastern cultures and jazz and in doing so he has succeeded to create his complex yet approachable style. 

He represents a generation of young migrant musicians in Europe who are changing the sound borders in the music industry and are pushing for more diversity with respect to quality, dialogue and creativity.

Nazgol Haghi graduated from Tehran University in 2007. She is the author and illustrator of the book named “matchstick man”, which was republished 5 times.

She has also illustrated the book "School Games" published by Tehran University.

Nazgol has done illustrations for  working children's school projects and activities on a voluntary basis.

Since his graduation, besides painting, she has also been engaged in illustration and has been working with Ferdows School since 2021, and does illustration and animation of stories and educational sections.

Gita has been working as part-time creative theatre educator and storyteller for about 15 years in Iran, Afghanistan, India, Chile and Iraq for underprivileged and marginalised children and communities in pursuing her passion for social justice, and community empowerment using drama games methods.

Milad’s musical journey began at young age when he studied piano, but his true  passion for music originated when he discovered the electric guitar as a teenager.  He continued his curiosity and eagerness to learn by obtaining his Bachelor in  music at Azad Art University of Tehran. While at the University, his love for music  broadened allowing him to explore traditional Persian music. Milad took this  excitement to another level by studying variety of Persian string instruments. Years  later, he was accepted to Berklee College of Music and graduated with a dual  major in Jazz Performance and Music Production & Engineering. 

Milad’s experimental unique style fuses traditional Persian music with jazz, blues,  rock, and funk. His unique vision guides him through life and helps to shape him  as a composer, producer, sound engineer, sound designer, teacher, and  performer. This has given him the opportunity to be versatile in his performances,  teaching and learning style. He focuses on the engagements of the language of music in everyday life and behaviors that is reflected from our culture, society, and  the environment. Milad is eager to learn and communicate through the language  of music.

Full of passion for music, Sama tries to bring a love of music to as many children’s lives as she can. 

Born and raised in Iran, Sama is the eldest of three sisters. She plays a Persian instrument called Tar and she has a Bachelor’s and Master of Music Performance from the Art University of Tehran. 

In her heart, Sama had always loved working with young children. So to further her knowledge in elementary and early childhood music pedagogy, she completed Orff Level I, II, Music in Early Childhood, and Smart Start courses through The Royal Conservatory. 

Sama uses voice, Recorder, Piano, Tar, and her knowledge of music theory to help kids thrive through music and also give them the tools to create their own music.

Outside of teaching, she enjoys painting, listening to podcasts and playing Sudoku. Also, she is an avid cat lover. :)

Raised and studied Design in Tehran,Iran.

Established ceramic design studio since 2010.

Sketching and illustration too have always been a parallel interest.

Born in Iran in 1981, after graduating in Product Design from Florence university, Azadeh moved to New York in 2007 where she found her passion working with children. Their world was always inspiring for her work. She moved back to Italy and got her masters degree in Design and Engineering at the Politecnico di Milano. She worked as designer in Florence, New York City and Milan. 

In 2018 she decided to put together her passions in Design, languages and children in AZITOYS.

Arash Bolouri is a visual artist and traditional musician from Iran. Born and raised in Tehran,

He started learning photography and videography since he was 15 and later because of his passion for visual arts he extended his knowledge by studding graphic designing and video editing.

As a visual artist and photographer he has collaborated with several labels such as Zabte Sote, Opal Tapes and also some of his pictures got published by some well known magazines and publications such as The Wire, The Fact Magazine, The Quietus, The Resident Advisor, The Boiler Room and etc.

Elmira is an Iranian sculptor and visual artist who has always been fascinated by human figures. Primarily, she was interested in sculpting with clay. This absorption was cultivated during her teenage years and further developed when she opted to take her bachelor’s degree in sculpture. In the following, she got her master’s degree in illustration from Art University of Tehran in 2014.

She represents human emotions through the forms while explores the women concerns. She tries to transform ideas into the ornaments which associate with women’s daily experiences. apart from that, she works on human figure by using exaggeration as a key element. As Elmira has always been fond of memories, she tends to make sculptural compositions in which they are made up by second hand objects. Her artwork is trying to narrate a story and the characters that Elmira’s sculptures exude, are witnesses to black humour. Her works have always figured out the relation between the human and the things that they have been using; shoe is one of those objects that she has focused on during her projects. She has participated in more than 30 group sculpture exhibitions in Iran and United Kingdom. 

On the other hand, Elmira has worked as graphic designer through the years, and she has worked as character designer and animator in several stop motion animations. Her animated short film “night night” became finalist in various international festivals in America, Canada, Norway and etc. and was elected as the winner for short one-minute film in Mister Vorky Festival in Serbia and winner of 1Minuto Festival in Brazil. She was also the winner of sixth Khwarizmi Festival with her photography project and the winner of 6th biennial of urban sculptures in Tehran. Her sculpture “The Passenger” was elected to be installed in urban space in Tehran.

Nairy Eivazy is an Iranian-Armenian independent artist and researcher. Her work mostly falls into the field of stop-motion animation and inter-media practices.

Mohammad Motamedi is a senior copywriter, brand consultant, and ideation trainer. With 18 years of experience in the creative industry, he now focuses on teaching and moderating online workshops on creativity and self-development. His purpose is to make creative connections between words, concepts, ideas, and people. He believes in the healing power of self-awareness and mindfulness.

Soolmaz graduated in software engineering in Tehran, Iran. She is a digital marketer with a deep love for children, leading her to complete various courses such as "Educational Games for Children," "Sex Education for Kids," and "NVC for Children." She also brings experience as a swimming instructor for children under 6 years old. Currently, she is employed at Ferdowskids as a digital marketing consultant and a teacher.

Lida, our Iranian-Canadian art educator, is driven by a profound passion for nurturing young artistic minds. Her impressive academic background includes a Master of Design (MDes) from York University and a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) from OCAD University, making her a true visionary in the world of interdisciplinary visual arts.

Lida's journey has been marked by collaborations with renowned educational institutions such as OISE University of Toronto, Toronto Metropolitan University, and OCAD University. She has also contributed her talents to the financial sector, working alongside notable organisations like BMO and CIBC. Her exceptional artistic abilities have even garnered recognition from esteemed sources like BBC Persian and Now Magazine.

Since 2019, Lida has dedicated herself to inspiring and guiding the young minds. She has found immense joy in helping children uncover their unique artistic expressions. During this time, she observed that children thrive in a multidisciplinary learning environment, as it allows them to discover their strengths and talents. Consequently, Lida has chosen to collaborate with Fedows Kids School, integrating Farsi language learning with the rich art and culture of her beloved motherland Iran.

Under Lida's guidance, children can expect a warm and supportive environment where they can freely explore their creativity, refine their skills, and experience the wonders of art. Join Lida on an exciting journey of artistic discovery where learning and fun go hand in hand. Together, children will unlock their potential and develop a deep appreciation for the beauty of Farsi language and culture through the world of art.