Action for Refugees are delighted to welcome Anna Jones, RefuAid co-founder, to campus to speak about the innovative work of this award-winning NGO.
RefuAid was founded in 2015 in an effort to provide a practical response to forced migration for refugees and asylum-seekers living in the UK. Their primary focus is to provide solutions to the main barriers facing refugees trying to restart their life in the UK: finance, re-qualification and language tuition.
Action for Refugees supports the Migration Working Group North-West, led by Edge Hill academic Dr Zana Vathi. Members of AfR are affiliated to this new group, which brings together academics and activists across the region working in, or researching migration in the North-West. Affiliated members beyond Edge Hill include arts, health and housing organisations based in the region.
Did you apply for university when you were 18 or 19, or go back to study as an adult? You may remember the application process as challenging: trying to find out what might work best for you from many options, work out what you could afford, perhaps, and convince your chosen institution that they wanted to give you a place.
If you want to go to university in the UK and are from a refugee background, there may be a number of additional barriers. In common with other students from a less affluent background, some of this will be in the form of resources (the chance to travel to visit different institutions before applying, for example) Some of the members of AfR have supported applicants, and report that they may also face hidden costs, such as taking English language tests. In some cases students from a refugee background have been asked to pay international rate fees.
Some organisations have recognised these barriers and offer support. Continue reading
The Migration Working Group – North West is holding its inaugural seminar on 19th of October 2018 at 2pm. Migration Working Group-North West brings together academics, organisations and practitioners working on migration who are either based in the North West of the UK, or researching migration in this region (including Action for Refugees). For the inaugural talk, the group have invited Prof Adrian Favell (University of Leeds) to share his work on ‘From political economy to political demography: beyond methodological nationalism’.
For more information about this free event and to register please see the event page.
Guy Smallman and Clare Woolhouse in Hale Hall.
The Growing up in Afghanistan exhibition is now open. Guy Smallman visited the university to set up his photographs in Hale Hall. On Thursday 4th October 12-1pm there will be an opportunity to hear Guy discuss his work and answer questions in a short talk.
Please contact educationresearch@edgehill.ac.uk to reserve your place.
HALE HALL Edge Hill University
Monday 24th September —Thursday 4th October 2018
This is a ten day exhibition of the work of freelance photographer Mr Guy Smallman. The exhibition will take up residency in Hale Hall for 10 days and involve a display of selected photographs from Mr Smallman’s time in Afghanistan.
Visitors are welcome to drop in to view it at any time. Continue reading
Dr Jack Sugden
In 1983 Benedict Anderson wrote ‘Imagined Communities’, a book that pointed out, among other things, that the communities, towns, cities and especially nations in which we live are not actually real. Although they might feel real to us, part of our lives, our identities, have you ever actually seen an England? Touched a Manchester? The point I make here, in an admittedly abstract way, is that we dwell in a world in which we are divided by many categories and identity hooks that are essentially made up.
The United Kingdom only exists because we all agree it does, just as we agree to follow, uphold and even celebrate its laws and culture. If we were to wake tomorrow having forgotten the UK, it might be a nightmare in terms of law and order, but we may also feel free, albeit isolated and alone. As though these categories and labels dive us they also unite us, giving us commonalities that we share, and which make us feel safe, like we belong. It is this exact feeling of collective national consciousness that captivates the nation during a royal wedding, at times of national crisis, or during the football world cup, the last two being much the same.
Football for Peace in Jerusalem, Jewish and Arab kids pre-game
In terms of sport, from growing up in Belfast during the “troubles” I was witness to bitter and divisive nature of sport, but also, fleetingly, its capacity to cross the sectarian divide through a football team made up of both Protestants and Catholics called ‘Belfast United F.C.’ Continue reading
Visiting from Goldsmiths’ University, last week Dr Julia Hope shared with the faculty her wealth of experience from her PhD research and a decade as a ‘refugee teacher’, working with children from a refugee background in the classroom.
Her paper explored the range of ways in which children’s books can support children with a refugee background to recognise themselves in fiction, as well as the opportunity for children without these experiences to develop empathy and understanding. Her examples demonstrated that even very young children can through discussion and art demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of the reasons people leave, and what it might be like to come to a new classroom, a new school, a new country.
Feedback from the session was excellent. One delegate stated, ‘Excellent session – thoroughly enjoyed it. Thankyou!’ Another, who is a trainee teacher commented, ‘We need more talks like this.’ Students and staff plan to read more of the titles Julia included in her presentation, approaching them critically, and seeking to undertake research in the area. Others reflected on the way the session would help in the classroom to work with refugee families and children.
Monday 14th May 2018 at 1.00pm, Room E1
This seminar welcomes Julia Hope, author of, ‘Children’s Literature About Refugees: A Catalyst in the Classroom’. This book addresses one of our most pressing global issues – often called “the migrant crisis” – in a form accessible to younger children.
For child refugees to feel that their experiences are validated, and for others to understand their situation, engaging with the growing field of children’s texts on the subject is crucial. Teachers also need to be encouraged to find ways in to tackle such challenging topics, with fiction providing the perfect catalyst.
In exploring the use of Mary Hoffman’s The Colour of Home and Beverley Naidoo’s The Other Side of Truth in the classroom, this book is indispensable for educators in the younger age range, and for researchers who are interested in controversial children’s literature.
Organised by the Faculty of Education and sponsored by I4P, this event will take place in the Faculty of Education, room E1.
