Childhood and Youth Migration: Realities, Challenges, and Possibilities for Educational Equity and Social Justice
On June 6th, the international symposium “Childhood and Youth Migration: Realities, Challenges, and Possibilities for Educational Equity and Social Justice” took place under the coordination of professors Amalia Creus and Adriana Ornellas. The symposium focused on addressing the challenges and perspectives of social inclusion for migrants in different contexts.
This gathering, organized by the research group Nodes from Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, is linked to the project “Crossing Borders to Connect Routes: Researching with educational communities to promote equity and fight racism towards immigrants in a post-pandemic world.” The project is funded by the Spencer Foundation and driven by six universities in five countries.
The welcome and presentation of the symposium were conducted by professors Amalia Creus and Adriana Ornellas, who shared the vision and objectives of the Crossing Borders project. This project aims to understand how the pandemic has affected the education of migrants worldwide.
The first presentation was delivered by Professor Colette Daiute, who presented the paper “Experiences of Activists Mediating the Politics of Immigration Reform.” During her presentation, Professor Daiute highlighted the two-decade-long stagnation in US immigration reform. In particular, she addressed the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy implemented by the Obama administration in 2012 and subsequently reversed by the Trump administration in 2017. The talk focused on the perspectives of activists working in non-governmental organizations, legal clinics, and grassroots community groups, offering an alternative view on the challenges and strategies used to promote migrant inclusion in society.
Next, Professor Juana Maria Sancho presented the paper titled “Migrant Children and Youth in a Transforming Europe.” During the presentation, she highlighted the MiCREATE project, which aims to promote the inclusion of migrant children and youth in Europe’s educational and social systems. She shared the results of a study conducted in 16 educational centers in Spain, providing comprehensive information about the experiences and challenges faced by migrant children and youth in the process of integration into European society.
The symposium concluded with a question-and-answer session directed at the speakers, generating a wide exchange of ideas and reflections.
Thank you very much to Colette Daiute and Juana Maria for sharing their two papers with all of us! We also want to express our gratitude to all the attendees for their participation and contribution to the symposium. We look forward to seeing you again in future meetings and continuing to build an enriching dialogue together.
See you next time!