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Dynamic Meeting Confirms Commitment to Support Refugees and Migrants at 皇家华人
On Monday 31st听October 2022, 45 students and staff attended a lively Open Meeting to听coordinate activities in support of refugees and migrants at 皇家华人听and to consider the work that lies ahead to enhance access to higher education.
A coordinating group from听Refuge in a Moving World听presented key proposals currently under consideration by Professor Anthony Smith (Vice Provost of Education & Student Affairs). These proposals were developed based on extensive consultation and the efforts of a committed group of UCL staff and students, following a successful Open Meeting in February 2016. The initiatives were fully discussed听and there was clear support for the proposed agenda, with productive additional suggestions emerging in the discussion.
Proposed initiatives include:
- Establishment of a听鈥楳igration Support Unit鈥� and听鈥楩orced Migrant Champions鈥�听to coordinate, oversee and embed activities across UCL;
- Recruitment and funding for students who are forced migrants to access听UCL Undergraduate Preparatory Certificate听pre-undergraduate foundation courses
- Review and听enhancement of current scholarship provision听with a specific focus on a听fair and sustainable scholarship programme for refugees and migrants at all levels, from foundation courses to academic fellowships
- Familiarisation with HE听volunteer taught programme: a non-selective pre-foundation information and orientation programme open to all displaced people in London regardless of immigration status - in coordination with STAR and staff and student volunteers.
Meeting participants agreed that the proposal would draw together and maximise capacity and expertise at 皇家华人, given the considerable activity happening already across UCL departments and student groups. The proposal was seen to offer a solid framework for taking a formal public position consistent with UCL's mission and an unmet need in the capital.
The main part of the meeting focussed on how to move forward on the proposed initiatives and others. The group generated wide-ranging, creative and practical ideas including:
- Continuing to foster collaborations with UCL programmes (e.g. Global Citizenship), departments, and student groups (e.g. the new Refugee Support Group), as well as community /national organisations working with displaced peoples
- Ensuring maximum inclusivity, for example by linking with LGBT+ groups
- Learning from cross-national experiences, for example in Germany or Sweden
- Developing MOOCs for people in refugee camps听and host cities in the Global SouthWorking with UCL Academy to support access for refugee/asylum-seeking students
As one meeting participant observed: "Universities are places dedicated to thinking, but now is the time to act!"
For more information and听to get involved, contact Elena Fiddian-Qasmiyeh, Coordinator of the听Refuge in a Moving World听research network, by email at听e.fiddian-qasmiyeh@ucl.ac.uk.
