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This collaboration between UCL and the University of Lincoln will pilot an innovative cross-cultural exchange educational model

This project trained Syrian refugee youth enrolled in Higher Education Platform to design and lead seminar workshops for UK secondary school students. MAPs, a refugee-led community-based humanitarian organization in Lebanon, was a partner in this participatory project that takes a co-design approach.ÌýThe key action-oriented objectives related to community engagement beyond the academy included:

• changing attitudes on global challenges and harmful stereotypes around refugee capabilities through cross-cultural communication and dialogue
• strengthening refugee leadership and criticalÌýthinking capacity
• enhancing engagement on global challenges and collective solutions for all students

The activities were designed to contribute new knowledge around innovative forms of connected learning practices and the influence this can have on both students and the leaders from marginalised backgrounds.Ìý

The project was designed to impact the lives of students in both Lebanon and the UK. The outcomes included:Ìý

1. Introducing students at schools inÌýLincolnshireÌýto global challenges and perspectives, new ideas, concepts and culturesÌý
2. Enhancing leadership and critical thinking skills for refugee leadersÌý
3. An innovative cross-cultural exchange educational curriculum is piloted to inform future scaleable models for Connected and Social-Networking Based Learning.

The group co-created a short documentary Through the Lens of Dignity.ÌýThrough the Lens of Dignity (22 mins) is an educational documentary exploring the experiences of three Syrian women living as refugees in Bekaa, Lebanon. We follow Reem, Eman and Bayan as they fight for their dignity in displacement. The film takes aÌýcommunity-based and participatory approach to capture unheard narratives crafted on the terms of refugees themselves.

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