This was the UCSIA Winter School 2026
Interdisciplinary learning
Experts from various Flemish universities and abroad introduced different frameworks to look at the challenges of migration. In particular, they discussed the stakes of the new EU Migration Pact.
Magnus Brunner, EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, came to UCSIA to explain and discuss the Commission’s vision and priorities which underlie the Pact.
These insights were further enriched during the week by field perspectives shared by advocacy and migrant support organizations.
"The programme provided an interdisciplinary perspective on solidarity and human dignity in relation to migrants and refugees. That week was a journey of learning and encountering a rich variety of insights," as one of the participants described it.
Another highlighted that the programme not only helped her understand contemporary migration and EU policies, but also broadened her knowledge of debates on solidarity, inclusion and exclusion.
The concept of solidarity
An important part of the programme explored the politicization of solidarity, examining how social solidarity is institutionalized within the EU and extended to third countries.
It critically addressed the question of what solidarity means in a context of intra-European burden sharing and the outsourcing of responsibilities to external border countries.
It paid close attention to the role of non-state actors in addressing the needs of migrant populations, thereby correcting flaws in the system and highlighting alternative innovative practices.
It aimed to offer a broader, more nuanced perspective and a more compassionate approach to migration.
Quoting a participant: "The programme was designed to gain a better understanding of several concepts, including solidarity and human dignity. Overall, the course achieved its aims to a significant extent, considering the different theoretical lenses and perspectives and the focus on interdisciplinarity, but especially, the many insights from experts and students."
Theory and practice
One of the aims of the UCSIA Winter School was to create ample opportunity for participants to engage directly with the conceptual insights offered by academics and practitioners alike. And the students really took these opportunities. They were very active in the Q&As that followed each lecture. This gave rise to rich and open debates in which students learned both from these exchanges and from the lively debates among themselves.
"The programme succeeded in creating an engaging learning environment that encouraged insightful debates and the open sharing of thoughts, perspectives and experiences," a participant states.
Another student affirms: "I particularly appreciated that the topic of migration was explored from various perspectives and that we were all encouraged to reflect on the lectures and to bring in insights from our own experiences and personal interests/backgrounds."
In addition to the rich theoretical frameworks and debates, the winter school also offered students the opportunity to interact directly with migrants. Thanks to the fruitful collaboration with local organizations working with migrant communities, students were able to work with them (of course, in a very modest way) and connect their theoretical knowledge with practical experiences. In doing so, they got a taste of the pedagogical strengths of service-learning.
Bringing in the voice of migrants themselves was particularly appreciated: Participants benefit from migration and refugee stories by engaging in conversations with migrants.
Shared knowledge creation
The group’s diverse mix of academic, professional and personal backgrounds allowed for in-depth analysis and, above all, empathic engagement with the subject matter, with each other and with representatives of local migrant groups.
These exchanges resulted in shared knowledge creation and a roadmap towards a more just European migration system. On the last day, students presented the outcomes of their small-group discussions on how migration and solidarity should reinforce each other.
The group presentations all showed in their own way how participants had processed and digested the various inputs into original visualizations of the challenging migrant journeys.
One group designed a board game with moral and legal dice. Another group of students portrayed the journey as a climbing wall, a direct reference to their own service-learning experience with Rising You. A third group stressed the importance of moving beyond EU patriotism by emphasizing an inclusive and empathic conception of solidarity.
The last group used the image of an hourglass to make clear how a shift of narrative is needed to place common humanity, common home and common good at the centre of our approach to migration.
Key takeways
As one of the participants neatly summarized it, the key takeaways of this winter school were:
- contextualizing concepts and situations
- seeing migration as a more complex problem than it appears
- being sensitive to other people’s worldview
- focusing more on our common humanity than on our differences
- contributing to our common home
- and joining in advocating for the common good as opposed to individualism and personal interest, too often championed by the political class.
The stated aim was very ambitious: “Dignity Amidst Despair: Migration Challenging European solidarity”. Solidarity to whom and to what extent is an important part of the debate around migration and asylum policies. This winter school helped to get an understanding of what is at stake.
