On Monday 13th January 2025, the Hub for Education for Refugees in Europe (HERE) held our 9th webinar for members of the HERE Network and beyond to share information on a variety of refugee education projects from across Europe. The aim was to extend the critical conversations that were started at the Inaugural HERE Conference in 2022 and our previous networking sessions throughout 2023-24, and to provide a space for teachers, practitioners, academics, researchers and other interested parties to come together to learn, discuss and make connections.

 

 

 

Presentations

The online event involved five lightning presentations:

Educators’ attitudes towards refugee pupils: a mixed methods study of one local authority in England

Caitlin Prentice (University of Oslo)

This study used survey, interview and observation data to examine educators’ attitudes towards refugee pupils at their schools and to explore potential factors shaping these attitudes. We found that educators with previous experience teaching refugee pupils held more positive attitudes and that the interplay between individual and institutional factors was important in shaping these attitudes.

From emergency responses to sustainable refugee education in Finland

Mervi Kaukko (Tampere University)

In this presentation, Mervi gave a little snapshot of a participatory, arts-based study with refugee students in Finnish schools.

Former unaccompanied minors and the transition to adulthood: A voice-centred relational approach

Luke Macaulay (Tampere University)

This presentation offered a brief overview of a new EU funded project using arts-based approaches working with former unaccompanied minor youth in Finland to better understand their transition to adulthood.

LESLLA: An international, interdisciplinary group that brings together those who work with refugee adults

Martha Young-Scholten (Newcastle University and University of Washington, Seattle)

Martha described the two-decades-old Literacy Education and Second Language Learning for Adults which brings together researchers, tutors, teachers, trainers, programme managers and policy makers working with adult immigrants with little or no home language literacy. She recounted LESLLA’s major achievements via its main activity, an annual symposium.

Mapping global higher education opportunities for refugees

Amy Ross (Times Higher Education); Manal Stulgaitis (UNHCR)

Times Higher Education has partnered with UNHCR to undertake the largest ever global mapping of higher education for refugees. Supporting UNHCR’s strategy to achieve 15% enrolment of refugees in HE by 2030, the project aims to understand enrolments, scholarships, opportunities and challenges faced in supporting refugees along their HE journey.

 

Links to resources shared during the meeting

 

While this was the last event planned for the time being, we hope to meet together again in future. All information on the next event will be shared via our Twitter/X (@hubHEREeurope) and newsletter (sign up here) – all are welcome!