Degrassi’s Latest Season Tackles The Syrian Refugee Crisis

The show welcomes two new characters adapting to life in Canada

New episodes of Degrassi: Next Class just hit Netflix, and we’re loving that its latest season features Syrian refugee characters.

Rasha Zuabi (portrayed by Dalia Yegavian) and Saad Al’Maliki (Parham Rownaghi) play young Syrians struggling to find their footing at the Canadian high school.

“We look at what’s happening in the world and our job is not to make these stories political, or about social injustice, but to explore the authentic emotions characters might be going through,” says the show’s Canadian creator and executive producer Linda Schuyler.

As millions of Syrians continue to be displaced due to conflict in their home country, Canada has welcomed nearly 40,000 refugees and helped more through donations and government initiatives.

“What we have said as a country is, we know there are difficulties, we know there are problems. But on a much larger scale, it’s the human thing to do. It is the right thing to do,” Schuyler added. “I’m very proud of our country for doing that.”

We love that one of our fave shows is humanizing the Syria’s civil war and telling such an important story. Watch the trailer below and don’t miss the new season, streaming on Netflix now!