Overview of innovative educational responses to needs of traumatized groups with specific reference to refugee camps in Greece and theoretical perspectives of conflict resolution.

1. Dr Alan Bruce
Imelda Graham
Maria-Antònia Guardiola EDEN 2018
Genoa, Italy
Supporting Learning in Traumatic
Conflicts:
Innovative responses to education in refugee
camp environments

2. Overview
• Issue of mass migration has dominated European discourse for at
least 40 years.
• Since Iraq invasion an entirely new phenomenon has emerged –
millions fleeing failed States, violence, terrorism and despair.
• New problems: family fragmentation, emotional trauma, the need
to rebuild lives.
• Education provision for refugees is not being done in a consistent
and qualitative manner in Europe.
• Aim of paper: theoretical, design and implementation issues
addressing conflict resolution theory with practical steps to
support learning in crisis or traumatic environments.
• Case study of Lesvos

3. Scale of crisis
• 5.5 million Syrian refugees (UNHCR, June 2017).
• Human cost of drowning, disruption, injury and trauma.
• Legal obligations of international law: requirement for
States to provide sanctuary and succor.
• EU responses uncoordinated, fragmented and often
counter-productive.
• Rising tide of racism and discrimination in many Member
States matched by a highly prejudicial mass media.
• Total number of refugees on Greek islands (June 2018):
15,988

4. The challenge
• Situation will continue in future.
(a) humanitarian response
(b) concrete supports
(c) strategies for integration
(d) Inclusion.
• If done well and consistently, refugees can acquire the
tools to succeed: Education, Training and Employment
• Concrete measures to engage these populations require
vision, policy and action.
• Key role for universities to raise issue, provide research,
train staff and engage policy makers.

5. SDG

6. Quality Education
Ensure inclusive and
equitable quality
education and promote
life-long learning
opportunities for all

7. Universities and the
refugee crisis
Rethinking the universities’ role
✓Universities are not NGOs.
✓ This crisis is a Human Rights matter.
✓ Avoiding a lost generation.
✓ Building shelter cities and a new welcoming culture.
✓ Beyond the humanitarian emergency: long-term
initiatives:

8. Scholarships Program
for Refugees
● Pilot test
● 2 call for applications: in February and in
September 2017
● Specializations and languages
● 61 scholarships in all
● 2018: 30 new scholarships in June
● 15 different refugees nationalities
● Laptops for training
● Volunteer refugees
● Mentorship program
● 100% UOC funding
● Partners: Red Cross, ACNUR, FC Barcelona

9. UOC Masters in Conflictology
• Development of a significant new level of technological capacity with
advanced ICT supported learning enables a significant expansion of scale
in recent years for students across the world.
• UOC School for Cooperation runs different programs on conflict resolution
on line and in English.
• UOC’s virtual campus was an efficient system for UN staff taking this
program online - students can connect and have a welcoming tutor to help
them navigate through the campus.
• This is a two-way agreement that also benefits UOC students wishing to
take any subjects in the UNITAR course catalogue, as their credits will be
validated.

10. Joy and Necessity of Learning:
the beginning

11. From Early Years…..
‘Children come to us stuffed
with wonder, eyes lit bright
with projects. Their hands
are eager to pull apart life’s mysteries,
their voices ready
to shout out accomplishments,
each echo adding shape to
their being.’ (Greenman, 1998 in
Graham, 2014)

12. To Adult Years….the Joy of
Learning @Mosaik in Lesvos
Students
from 29
Nationalities
now
studying in
Mosaik

13. Background
Lesvos Solidarity Pikpa Camp
founded by Efi Latsoudi in 2015
Awarded the Nansen Award in 2016.
Full – time staff, Volunteers, Refugees

14. http://lesvossolidarity.org/index.php/en/
https://youtu.be/t2hxGn7MkjY
ECI 2018 Imelda Graham
Lesvos Solidarity:
Pikpa Camp

15. Mosaik: Founded in 2016 by Lesvos
Solidarity and Borderline Europe
https://vimeo.com/232090772

17. Learning Achievements!

18. Conflict: Consequences

19. Possibilities: From the graveyard of
life jackets

20. Contact
Dr. Alan Bruce
Imelda Graham
Maria-Antònia Guardiola (UOC, Spain)
mguardiolalop@uoc.edu
www.ulsystems.com
www.changelearning.eu