Supporting University Community pathways for REfugees-migrants Erasmus Project

Project Title

Supporting University Community pathways for REfugees-migrants

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for higher education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2016

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Integration of refugees; Migrants’ issues; Intercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong)learning

Project Summary

The S.U.C.RE. Project is a two-year KA2 Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership in the field of Higher Education granted by the Hellenic National Agency via the European Commission. It was Coordinated by the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and the consortium also consisted of the University of Cologne, Vrije Universeteit Amsterdam and the Greek Council for Refugees. It has produced three extensive free online publications and four free digital courses which answer two main objectives 1) They establish how universities can facilitate tertiary pathways and the successful completion of an academic curriculum for refugee students and scholars. 2) They analytically explore the role played by Higher Education Institutions, in collaboration with stakeholders in order to provide support and training opportunities for practitioners helping the general refugee population.

In more detail, the first two publications identify the main challenges that stand in the way for refugee students trying to access higher education and for those refugee students after admittance. These publications subsequently develop tools to overcome them establishing a repository of best practice strategies to support refugee students in transitioning from community to university. Those publications, were built using a plethora of approaches including, a desk study with research on 120 European Universities, a more focused European University online survey on 39 of them, round table discussions with University representatives and interviews with university advisors as well as refugee students.

The third publication successfully sets the path for identifying the needs of scholars and their hosts for their proper integration into HEIs. Through three extended surveys, challenges and potential solutions for improving the placement of refugee scholars/scholars at risk at universities across Europe have been mapped out and substantiated. and a number of good practices were identified and documented. All three above publications constitute valuable assets for European Universities and Institutions for policy and decision making.

As regards the digital courses, the first one is on Psychosocial Support of refugee population and 1) includes a brief presentation of the main thematic categories identified in practitioner’s interviews. 2) analyses some important assumptions and considerations from the relevant literature, such as debates on the conceptualization of ‘crisis’ and the rhetoric of emergency, models of integration, and perspectives of psychosocial interventions. and 3) proposes examples of ‘good practices’. The course on the role of Sport in refugees’ social integration identifies a number of difficulties that may hinder the effective implementation of sport activities in camps and proposes a set of non competitive games to overcome such problems. The course concerned with Health includes sections on First Aid, common emergency occurrences, alongside with emphasis on CPR, sexually transmitted disease prevention, basic hygiene rules, and national vaccination programs. The course on Legal issues consists of parts on: 1) Useful Definitions on Asylum Law, 2) The Refugee Status Determination, 3) Asylum Procedures, 4) Reception Conditions, 5) Administrative Detention of Asylum seekers and 6) Extended chapters dedicated to issues of social security. In all cases, field staff will also find practical advice in the form of dedicated manuals of good practices for field testing. All the above online course were built after extensive working with focus groups and based on feedback from events attended by professionals and volunteers working in the field and having direct contact with the everyday challenges the immigrants and their caretakers face in camps. The material provides trainers with needed extended information filling a gap in organized training material on supporting refugees on health and legal issues.

S.U.C.RE. has throughout paid a lot of attention on disseminating its activities and deliverables around Europe and beyond using its database of more than 500 local, national and international stakeholders (including European Universities, relevant NGOs, municipal authorities, EU policy contact persons, refugee welcoming centers’ staff). It has organised four highly successful multiplier events. Its members have participated in 72 different dissemination activities (in many cases as invited speakers) spreading the word for the importance of refugee student and scholar integration as well as for the need of support of general refugee population through constantly informed and well educated practitioners. It has provided hope, empowerment and a sense of security for refugees, guidance for University staff, and support for practitioners in the field. It has also created new and strengthened existing ties among Universities and Stakeholders paving the way for future effective inclusion of refugees in Europe.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 206006 Eur

Project Coordinator

ARISTOTELIO PANEPISTIMIO THESSALONIKIS & Country: EL

Project Partners

• STICHTING VU
• UNIVERSITAET ZU KOELN
• ELLINIKO SYMVOULIO GAI TOUS PROSFYGES