Fifteen students from various disciplines and eleven different countries participated in this inaugural edition.
This year’s cohort included a mix of PhD and master’s students with backgrounds in international relations and politics, cultural studies, engineering, human rights studies, development studies, and sociology.
Four participants were professionals from organizations active in the field of migration. This diverse group allowed for a strong interdisciplinary focus in the discussions throughout the week.
This programme was part of the Antwerp Summer & Winter University.
The key concepts
During the first day of the week, the students were introduced to the concept of solidarity and its historical origins in the European context. Over the course of the week, students explored this concept of solidarity and its implications for international migration.
The topic of migration was explored from an institutional, legal, political, and socio-economic perspective.
During the sessions, students were encouraged to reflect on the lectures and to bring in insights from their own experiences and contexts.
Local social organizations
The Winter School programme also explicitly focused on the practical implications of migration. Students were introduced to the activities of several local social organizations and civil society organizations active in social care work for refugees and migrants.
On the second day of the programme, students were invited to get active themselves: during one afternoon, they engaged in the activities of the local organizations to support refugees and migrants in Antwerp.
During this experience, students met with several refugees and migrants living in Belgium, giving a face to the theory of the morning lectures.
Roadmap to More European Migration Solidarity
At the end of the week, students presented their reflections on European solidarity and migration to a number of migration experts and representatives from local social organizations.
They visualized their perspectives in a ‘Roadmap towards More European Migration Solidarity’, bringing together the insights from the lectures and their own experiences.
In addition, students wrote a fictional refugee story in which they described the challenges and opportunities in Europe through the eyes of a refugee, based on the insights they gathered from their experiences in the Winter School.
Conclusion
This first UCSIA Winter School turned out to be a great success. Students expressed a lot of enthusiasm and confirmed that the content of the programme was an added value. Lecturers and community partners were impressed by the contributions from the students and the work that they presented on the final day. It seems UCSIA is off to a good start for a next edition!
This programme was part of the Antwerp Summer & Winter University.
