REFUGE-ED Open Assembly ‘Dialogic creativity for inclusive education of migrant and refugee children’ in New Bulgarian University
June 19, 2023
On June 19th the team of Policy and Citizens’ Observatory organised an Open Assembly in the frame of the European project REFUGE-ED (Horizon 2020). The event entitled ‘Dialogic creativity for inclusive education of migrant and refugee children’ was organized as a round table and was attended by more than 40 people - representatives of all of the project pilot sites as well as various stakeholders working in the field of education and refugees and migrants’ integration in Bulgaria. Among them there were teachers, psychologists, social workers, experts from national institutions, representatives of international, national and local NGOs and scholars.
During the first panel ‘Creative inclusive practices from the REFUGE-ED project experience’ the Bulgarian REFUGE-ED team introduced the participants to the work in the frame of the project, the main outcomes and some of the successful stories. Dr. Mina Hristova presented the documentary film "Farjam Roshan: The Illuminated Path" created by her and UAMs from Afghanistan as a result of the psychodrama sessions conducted with them with the support of IOM in the frame of the REFUGE-ED project.
The three pilot sites schools were represented at the assembly by the members of the Community of Practice and Learning (CoPL). They expressed their gratitude for being chosen as the Bulgarian pilot sites for the REFUGE-ED project and for having the opportunity to take part in such a meaningful project. In the end, they also thanked the Bulgarian team and the volunteers for the good cooperation and support by highlighting how important the efforts for helping refugee and migrant children in terms of adaptation and integration in school and in general were in Bulgaria.
During the second panel ‘Creative inclusive practices of institutions and international and civil organizations’ the invited stakeholders, policy makers and NGO representatives shared their experience, commented on the project and discussed the current challenges they are facing in their work in terms of the integration of migrant and refugee children in Bulgaria.
During the open forum a creative workshop was organised for a group of refugee children and UAMs from Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, Russian Federation who are accommodated at two of the Registration and Reception Centres in Sofia. Experts from the Know-how Centre for Alternative Care for Children in New Bulgarian University helped the children to paint and recreate themselves in the ‘River of Life’.
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The funded REFUGE-ED project aims to promote innovative high-quality solutions tailored for the dynamic integration of migrant and refugee children. Specifically, it has identified, implemented and evaluated existing evidence-based practices in education and mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) that have showed to achieve social impact. By creating the Brokering Knowledge Platform of Effective Practices, the project will rely jointly on education and MHPSS and feature dialogic co-creation with children, families, teachers, policymakers and practitioners working on the ground as well as other relevant stakeholders. REFUGE-ED is caring out pilot actions in Bulgaria, Ireland, Italy, Greece, Spain and Sweden. The project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 101004717. (https://www.refuge-ed.eu/)
