LGBTQ – INCLUSIVITY IN THE HIGHER EDUCATION CURRICULUM

Location/geographical coverage

University of Birmingham, United Kingdom, West Midlands region, Edgbaston, Birmingham.

Background and description

Widely accepted that university is a ‘good place’ to be gay, lesbian, bi, trans* or queer – that moving away from home and connecting with a wider range of people is a liberating experience and can positively shape students’ identities and enable them to build supportive social networks. On the other hand, people who identify as LGBTQ continue to experience higher levels of discrimination and abuse than the general population in all aspects of their lives, which can have a negative impact on their physical and mental health.

In order to address the issue, mentioned above, the guidance on best practice for an LGBTQ-inclusive curriculum was developed.

Guidance was rooted in the experience of students and colleagues, as well as being informed by theoretical developments in education. This guide supports colleagues across further and higher education to be inclusive about LGBTQ identities in their teaching practice and to feel confident in making gender and sexual diversity visible within the curriculum. Inspiring examples were shared and tailored to different academic disciplines, on how to do this in practice.

The model for the LGBTQ-inclusive curriculum consists of three domains of inclusivity (Language, Content and Role Models) and three levels of inclusivity (Awareness, Additive and Transformative).

Stakeholders and Partners

The beneficiaries of the good practice were students, the users – University staff. The project team consisted of a range of colleagues from across the University of Birmingham. The main partner was Stonewall – an organization which stands for all LGBTQ+ people.

Methodological Approach

The project was developed over two years. First, a literature review was conducted which provided some context for the study and influenced the model of inclusivity. Second, a survey of staff and students was conducted to better understand the situation at the University of Birmingham. Third, meetings with various colleagues were organized to complement this quantitative and qualitative research data. Fourth, collaborative workshops with students and academic colleagues were conducted to share the findings from the project and gather further examples of good practice. Finally, a best practice guide was developed.

Validation

Students confirm that the good practice addresses the needs: ‘One of the reasons that drew me into coming to study and the University of Birmingham was the range of topics discussed on my course. This proved evident during last term when I had a selection of lectures exploring medieval sexuality in which I was able to dwell on a personal study for my assignment. Many of my friends studying the same topic at different universities aren’t fortunate enough to be able to learn about historical conceptions of gender and sexuality… I’m pleased my course offers this.’

Innovation potential

Developed guidance led to the creation of welcoming and inclusive environment in higher education where all students can reach their potential. In an environment where discrimination, fear of discrimination and hatred are declining, LGBT students can have a positive experience in higher education and better educational outcomes.

Success Factors

1. Structures and policies. Where project team could, they continually made reference to University policies on inclusion. When issues emerged that were not covered by University structures or policies, the team contacted those with the authority to change them and shared findings and suggestions.
2. Supporting staff to be more inclusive. Project fed into formal training systems of the University – such as a new component in the induction programme for new staff (run by HR) and increasing content on inclusivity in the teaching qualification for new lecturers (run by Educational Enhancement team). Also, supportive workshops within subject groups on becoming more inclusive were offered.
3. Workshops with staff and students. Two-hour workshops with staff in discipline-specific groups were held. Workshop structure: (a) description of the national picture of LGBTQ inequalities in health and higher education, (b) data on completion rates and experiences of students from their own courses, (c) description of the model of inclusivity and reflection of the participants where their department was currently, (d) participants had to identify priorities for change within their department, and (e) participants had to make personal pledges on actions they would take in the next 3–6 months (on postcards which were sent back to them after 6 months).
4. Developing wider networks and support. International network ‘LGBTQ inclusivity in Higher Education’ was set up which ran its first conference in September 2016.

Constrains

Many people initially find it difficult to identify ways in which LGBTQ inclusivity can be woven into the STEM curriculum. Content was sometimes more challenging to think about, but lecturers were able to introduce and make students aware of diversity and its impact on research and the wider discipline. For example, in lectures of computer processing of human language one can touch on use of pronouns such as ‘he’, ‘she’, ‘they’, and in giving example sentences one can use ‘Bob loves Bill’ occasionally instead of ‘John loves Mary’. In Database classes, one standard example is how to represent marriage relationships, and that provides a great opportunity to discuss how to cater for non-traditional marriages.

Lessons learned

LGBTQ issues shouldn’t be an add-on but in line with the whole rationale of the module. Lecturer should demonstrate transformative practice in both the language and content domains, as well as be a role model for students. Initiatives could come from students and the staff should show support. Although the staff and students acknowledge that there is still some way to go in terms of full inclusive practice in teaching, their effort has already had a significant impact.

Sustainability

Lecturers need to participate in regularly organized workshops and review their curriculum. Students can also take part in workshops, learn more about the project, get involved in it, present their ideas. It takes time, effort and, in some cases, university funding but benefits (LGBTQ people feel more comfortable to be themselves) outweigh costs.

Replicability and/or up-scaling potential

Crucially this guidance has been informed by research amongst the University’s own community, and the report’s authors strongly recommend institutions ensure that they tailor their own approach to their local context and challenges and engage critically with their current practice. However, the accessibility and practicality of this guide should prove a strong foundation for institutions seeking to embed and explore LGBTQ inclusive practice within their own teaching and learning spaces.

For example, workshops could vary depending on context – such as whether there was clear leadership around LGBTQ inclusivity at organizational or department level, or whether the drive for change was coming from student or junior staff members.

Conclusion

Letting people know they are equally valued is important, especially when wider society is not always supportive. For LGBT people, universities can be environments that truly allow them to be themselves.

This guidance from the University of Birmingham brings together the first hand experiences of its own teachers and LGBT students. It demonstrates the importance of a fully inclusive curriculum and the impact that it can have on students and teachers. And it provides practical information for other institutions to create the changes that can and will make a difference. Most importantly, it will have a significant impact on the lives of many LGBT students, helping to ensure that they feel free to be themselves and accepted without exception.

Contact details

Twitter: @nickijward; @drnicolagale; @LGBTQinHE

Emails: n.j.ward@bham.ac.uk; n.gale@bham.ac.uk; sean@getoutstayout.org.uk

URL of the practice Reference document

https://intranet.birmingham.ac.uk/staff/teaching-academy/documents/public/lgbt-best-practice-guide.pdf

Related Web site(s)

University Web site about the project: https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/social-policy/departments/health-services-management-centre/research/projects/2017/lgbtq-inclusion-in-higher-education.aspx

Related resources that have been developed 

LGBTQ+ Mentoring Scheme:

https://intranet.birmingham.ac.uk/as/employability/careers/mentoring/mentoring-schemes/lgbt-mentoring-support.aspx

STEM at the University of Birmingham:

https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/university/colleges/eps/outreach/diversity-in-stem.aspx

Being an LGBTQ student at the University of Birmingham:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_XSePA4QLo

REFUGEES WELCOME! – GEORG-AUGUST-UNIVERSITAT GOTTINGEN

Location/geographical coverage

University of Georg-August of Gottingen, Germany

Background and description

The university of Gottingen has a multicultural student body with a total of 3380 international students[1] who are engaged in teaching, academia and research, representing the 12% of students.

To support the inclusion of refugees and people with a migrant background, the university implements different services:

• Information office supporting since the pre-enrolment phase by providing information on how to apply for the different degree courses. This includes also information on how to validate previous qualifications obtained abroad and opportunities for financial support.
• Language courses – the university, together with the Institute for Intercultural Communication, offers an intensive programme of course in German as foreign language for refugees who want to study there. The programme prepares students for the DSH exam, a prerequisite for admission to the university. Classes are not only attended by refugees, but also by participants who do not have a refugee background. As part of this programme, assistance is available for participants requiring homework support or advice on how to learn a new language. The courses are funded by the German Academic Exchange Service through the programme Integra – Integrating Refugees in Higher Education.
• Library offerings–open to everyone both with or without registration for research and reading.
• International Writing Lab–supporting all students in working on their writing projects and in developing academic and professional writing skills. The university offers writing consultation service as well, but the workshops are particularly suitable for those who want to learn about academic writing, the writing process or different kinds of text in general. The consultation is addressed to those who are in the process of writing a project and need support to address specific objectives.

In the Multi Con Text workshops and in academic writing partnerships, the teaching languages are German and/or English. While, in the other workshops, the language of instruction is German and students should have at least a level B2.

The workshops focus on writing in multilingual contexts meaning that they address, for instance, how to deal with writing in a language different from the one in which you are reading texts or taking notes.

• Aid for threatened scholars and scientists – the Scholars at risk (SAR)[2]provides funding to host scientists and scholars at risk. Researchers from all countries outside the EU who are demonstrably exposed to a significant acute threat can be nominated by the university as the host institution. Successful institutions will receive funding to provide their nominated researchers with fully funded fellowships, alternatively employment for up to 24 months of research. The university takes part to this initiative.

Along with these services, the university encourages and supports initiatives offered by other students, such as:

• Conquer Babel – founded in 2015 with the goal to support efforts by the city of Göttingen to integrate the rising numbers of refugees into the community, it is a team of volunteers from various countries and fields of study aiming at helping refugees with translations, German lessons and intercultural events as a way to foster their inclusion. They are currently offering translations in the following languages: Arabic, Farsi, Tigrinya, French, Albanian, Urdu, Pashto, Swahili, Russian and the Kurdish dialect Sorani.

As part of the tutoring programme they offer, one student and one refugee meet once a week and the student helps with the German language and homework.

• Refugee law clinic – a not-for-profit association founded by Göttingen students providing people without a German passport can obtain assistance and support on legal matters.
• Talk2Us – a group of psychology students providing psychological counselling for refugees and migrants in Göttingen. Their main aim is to provide relief from acute stress, to stabilize and to enable self-help through our counselling. However, they state clearly that this service is not a substitute for psychotherapy.

Stakeholders and Partners

The stakeholder involved in the service include:

• representatives of the various committees at Göttingen University from the Presidential Board, Senate, the deans’ offices
• researchers at the faculties who are working on the topics of migration, diversity and interculturality
• the heads of the departments and administrative boards of the University (Göttingen International, Student and Academic Services, Gender Equality and Diversity)
• non-university partners like representatives from the MPI for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity and the HAWK University of Applied Sciences and Arts and the Private University of Applied Science (PFH)

Furthermore, representatives of the Student Services Centre and the City and District of Göttingen are participating as well as are volunteer students from initiatives who provide support on legal matters, language learning and intercultural exchanges during mutual activities.

The beneficiaries of the service are refugee students at university independently from their country of origin.

Methodological Approach

The initiative is coordinated and managed by the Refugees Task Forcebringing together all locally relevant stakeholders who deal with refugees. İt was established as an initiative in reaction to the diverse group of refugees arriving in Göttingen. It is designed to provide a forum for sharing information about all activities revolving around the subject of refugee integration and meets at irregular intervals.

The task force is further divided into four working groups examinating and working on the different aspects of how the inclusion of refugees on the Göttingen Campus work:

1. Shaping the process for integration into degree programmes – during their meetings, individual programme offerings can be discussed and potential synergistic effects implemented on the campus. The university will continue to intensify its information and advisory activities for refugees to further facilitate their integration into study curricula.
2. Qualification and sensitisation of students–they mainly work on: offering teachers, non-academic staff and students information on how to support the inclusion of refugee students; support in the development of needs-based offers for language qualifications; making topic-oriented offers in research and teaching on the topics of gender, diversity and migration more visible.
3. Qualification and sensitisation of students -particularly dealing with issues relating to the law on residency and status that the refugees have after their arrival and during their stay in Germany.
4. Service learning – combining academic learning with civic engagement in the form of services rendered for charitable organisations. This approach helps students make a meaningful contribution to improving community service and solving problems for the common good.

Validation

• Video on the experience of a Pakistani refugee – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcUjaYFJT6U
• Testimonials of three Syrian refugees – https://www.uni-goettingen.de/de/654416.html

In both cases, the students highlight how the services provided by the university supported them throughout their studies. Being able to access extra-training and information on aspects related not only to their academic studies, but on the community they are living in has further supported their inclusion and helped them in accessing other services available in the territory.

Innovation potential

The practice provides refugee students with a number of services that are not only strictly related to their academic studies. This aspect allows to provide a wider support in terms of social inclusion in the community where the university operates and the students live.

For instance, providing laboratories in which they can learn how to write academic papers and what elements to take into consideration when doing so, it is a way to fosters skills that can be used also in other contexts and that are a valuable resource for their entire academic path.

Success Factors

One of the main success factors of this practice is the capacity to involve the whole community, not only at university level but also the organisations active in the town. The university provides some of the services outlined, but favours also the engagement of associations of current and former students as well as organisations working in the territory to favour the inclusion of refugees and migrants.

At the same time, this allows to provide a support that goes behind academic related challenges and barriers. Among the services provided, there are also ones related to support in legal matters, bureaucratic procedures, psychosocial inclusion, etc.

Furthermore, the participation of the City and District of Göttingen is another element of success of the practice. Having the support of local institutions has allowed the university to develop an inclusive community for refugee students also outside its buildings. In this way, it is favoured also their inclusion in the society and in the labour market.

Constrains

Through the desk research, it was not possible to identify the main challenges and constraints met by the university in developing and providing the services included in this practice.

Lessons learned

Providing a variety of services that can support refugee students in different aspects of their life is one of the most important elements of this practice. This is possible thanks to the participation and cooperation of different stakeholders in the territory, both in terms of typology of actor and of issues tackled by them.

By working together under different aspects, these actors are able to provide a comprehensive support to the refugee community in Göttingen.

Sustainability

It is not possible to retrieve data on the cost/efficiency of this practice as this information is not available online.

On the implementation sustainability, it should be underlined once again the importance of the partnership composed by different actors that are able to address different aspects that might prevent the academic and social inclusion of refugees.

Replicability and/or up-scaling potential

The first step to be done for the replication of the practice should be to contact and reach the local authorities in order to identify the actors and strategies that should be put in place to create a bridge between the university and the wider society. This will allow to develop services that take into consideration the specificities and needs of the territory.

From this initial collaboration and analysis, it will be possible to develop and put in place the kind of services that are needed in the specific context.

The other important aspect to take into consideration is to involve the student community, including associations that can offer collateral services to ones offered by the university. At the same time, it will increase the awareness of other students on the importance of taking actions and being supportive towards fellow students.

Conclusion

Through the information gathered and the experiences from refugee students, it is possible to say that the comprehensive approach used in this practice has mostly impacted who benefitted of it.

The kind of services provided can serve as an input to other institutions for the development of initiatives that can foster the inclusion and participation of refugee students in higher education.

As mentioned in previous session, refugee students have the opportunity to be involved in activities and get access to services enhancing their capacities to fully participate to academic and social life.

Contact details

Anke Anwand

Email: gefluechtetenarbeit@uni-goettingen.de

Phone: +49 551 39-27775

Contact information available on the website

URL of the practice Reference document

https://www.uni-goettingen.de/en/540426.html

UNIV’R PROJECT – UNIVERSITY CORRIDOR TO FRANCE

Location/geographical coverage

The initiative is open to all the universities based in France (mainland).

Background and description

This initiative fits into the Memorandum of Understanding between UNHCR and the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) of February 2021 which aims to facilitate access to higher education for refugees and include the development of education pathways.

University corridors fall within the Three-Year Strategy on Resettlement and Complementary Pathways[1] as well as within the Refugee Education 2030 Strategy[2] of UNHCR.

The project will enable French-speaking refugees living in a targeted first country of asylum to study a master’s degree (2 years) within a higher education institution in France (mainland). This includes also professional courses.

It is expected that 50 refugees should benefit from the project over two years: 20 as of September 2022 and another 30 as of September 2023. Considering that only 5% of refugees worldwide have access to higher education, this project could facilitate refugee access to the universities and provide them with administrative, legal, psychosocial and financial support.

The project builds on initiatives led by the French authorities or by NGOs. It is also inspired by the successful programmes implemented by other EU member states and Canada. It will interact with European projects of complementary pathways, like the SAFE – foStercooperAtion For improving access to protEction and the COMET – COMplementary pathways nETwork projects funded by the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF).

Each participating university issues a call for applications including the description of the host institution and offered MA, eligibility criteria and procedure.

• As required by French authorities, only recognised refugees are eligible.
• The beneficiaries of the project will travel to France on student visas. There is no guarantee they will be allowed to stay in France at the end of the course. Asylum being a right, they could claim it if they want to, but they will have to follow the normal procedure (no protection transfer).
• At the end of the university corridor, students will have different options: required a provisional stay authorization which allow staying 1 year in France to look for employment; continue their studies in France; change their student permit for a work permit if they find employment (the majority of courses offered in the framework of the project propose a second year of studies  in apprenticeship which could facilitate integration within the job market), return to their country of first asylum, etc.
• The implementation of the project will depend on the success of universities’ fundraising activities to cover the subsistence allowances of refugee students

The common eligibility criteria:

• Be legally recognised as a refugee in a first host country by the State or by the UNHCR
• Have a B2 level of Frenchlanguage

Finally, the project may also include a complementary dimension of distance-learning courses.

Stakeholders and Partners

This multi-stakeholder project will be implemented with the support of French authorities [Ministry for Higher Education, Ministry of Interior, General Secretary of European Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, local governments], higher education institutions, the Migrants in higher education network, the Exiles Students Union, NGOs, the civil society, foundations, the private sector and refugees.

Several stakeholders have already demonstrated a strong interest in complementary pathways.

The Migrants dans l’Enseignement Supérieur (MEnS) network[3], partner of the project, includes 42 universities in France.

These universities will take part to the initiative. Among them:

• Clermont Auvergne University
• Univeristy of Rennes 1
• University of Paris 1 Panthéon – Sorbonne
• Université Paris 8 Vincennes – Saint Denis

The initiative is open to students who have been legally recognised as a refugee by a first country of asylum or by UNHCR and being graduated from a bachelor’s degree, or an equivalent degree.

The gender issue is under attention. However, beside the mandatory requirements, each university can decide whether or not to put attention on gender balance during the selection process.

Methodological Approach

The project provides beneficiaries with easy access to the university system, administrative, social and financial support.

The methodology is under development since the initiative is still running. Notwithstanding, it is built upon similar experience already carried out in other countries.

These include a regular assessment from UNHCR on the results achieved by involving both the universities and the students. It allows to adjust the programme throughout the years in order to better address the needs of the students. The assessment includes moments of debates and encounter among the participants to the initiative to share their experiences and provide their feedback on their learning experience.

Innovation potential

The initiative allows to create a dedicated path for refugees to access higher education.

This is guaranteed by the participation of different stakeholders, both at institutional and private level. In this way, it is possible to provide a further support to these students by addressing also different challenges they might face.

The cooperation among all these different stakeholders allows also to reach a higher number of refugees giving them the possibility to know the opportunity offered to them.

Students are selected because of their merits and their motivation into entering higher education paths.

Success Factors

The main success factor of this initiative is the multi-stakeholder partnership that, as mentioned above, guarantees a better coverage both in terms of people reached and of instances taken into consideration in terms of barriers and challenges refugees face in entering higher education.

The participation of government authorities and universities guarantees the effectiveness of the practice and the long-term sustainability of the project. This element is needed when considering to implement similar initiatives. The participation of institutions such as ministries is one of the main elements determining the success and spread on the territory of the project. At the same time, it allows to build on the results of each universities and to support the development of shared standards bringing to a common framework for sponsorships to refugee students.

As regards the economic conditions, these are mainly related to the financial capacities of universities. It is necessary that the universities in the network are able to support the funding of the sponsorships.

Constrains

It is still not possible to list all the challenges and constraints faced in the implementation of the initiative as the same is still running out.

Furthermore, these are elements that might change depending on the university, the students and their country of origin.

The main challenge is currently represented by the capacity to reach out refugees that are residing in refugee camps or that are living in rural areas. For them, it is more difficult to be reached and to get to know that this opportunity is available.

Moreover, in this case, that might also be difficulties linked to transportation as the universities participating to the initiative are mainly based in cities.

Another constraint is related to the fact that the implementation of the project depends on the success of universities’ fundraising to cover subsistence allowances of refugee students. Securing the required funds is, therefore, up to the universities representing a risk in terms of financial sustainability in the medium and long term.

Lessons learned

It is still not possible to list the lessons learnt as part of this project.

However, as mentioned above, it builds upon similar experiences in other European countries. These experiences have been promoted by the UNHCR as well.

From the lessons learnt out of this experience, this project has been developed.

More information on this part will be included as soon as available.

Sustainability

The institutional sustainability of the initiative is represented by the participation of the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF). They are partner of the project and guarantee the participation of universities in their network.

However, the financial stability is strictly linked to the possibility of each university of securing funds for the implementation of the project and being able to activate the scholarships.

Replicability and/or up-scaling potential

This initiative has a high potential to be replicated as, in other contexts, it has demonstrated to be an effective approach for the inclusion and participation of refugee students in higher education.

One of the main factors to take into consideration for its replicability is the importance of involving different kind of stakeholders that can bring on the table the variety of instances and challenges refugees encounter to access higher education.

The willingness of the governmental institutions in realising the project is also a necessary condition for its replicability. Without it, the risk is to not have a common framework and ground, but only different small initiatives in the different partner countries.

Another important element to take into consideration is the recognition of previous qualifications. To ensure that this is possible for a vast majority of countries, it should be promoted the participation of refugee students coming from countries for which there is a recognition of qualifications and, at the same time, to promote the dialogue among institutional actors for the recognition of the ones obtained in countries for which there is still not the possibility to validate previous qualifications. This will ensure to enlarge the number of refugee students benefitting from the sponsorship.

Contact details

NA                                                                                                   

URL of the practice Reference document

NA

Information available on

• UNHCR, Summary. UNIV’R project, University Corridor to France, October 2021 – https://reseau-mens.org/presentation/ (access: 28/06/2022)
• Scholarship opportunities in France for refugee students https://ug.ambafrance.org/Scholarship-opportunities-in-France-for-refugee-students (access: 28/06/2022)

ItaStra – SCHOOL OF ITALIAN LANGUAGE FOR FOREIGNERS (UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENTS’ GROUPS) OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PALERMO

Location/geographical coverage

ItaStra is promoted by the University of Palermo, which is based in Sicily (Italy), but by providing support to foreign students from all over the world, it can be considered international.

Background and description

The School of Italian Language for Foreigners is a teaching, research and innovation center working in the area of language inclusion and the teaching of Italian. It was established in 2007 with the aim of promoting teaching, training, consulting and research activities in the field of teaching Italian as a second and foreign language.

In detail, the ItaStra School:

• throughout the year activates ordinary intensive and semi-intensive courses aimed at all foreigners, Erasmus and Marco Polo project students and foreign students enrolled at the University of Palermo; organizes the intensive Italian language and culture Summer School (July to September) and Winter School (February/March);
• is the official seat of the Cils exam thanks to an agreement with the University for Foreigners of Siena and organizes preparation courses for the test;
• collaborates with the Level I Master’s in “Teaching Italian as a non-mother tongue” provided by Dipli and the Level II Master’s in “Theory, planning and teaching Italian as a second and foreign language”;
• organizes language integration projects with local primary and secondary schools;

• participates and promotes international mobility projects with several foreign universities including Sichuan International Studies University (China).

Stakeholders and Partners

It is a structure that, working in close synergy with the educational realities of the University, moves in several directions looking at:

• to the internationalization processes of the Athenaeum and promoting courses specifically aimed at Erasmus students, foreign students enrolled in the Athenaeum, foreign doctoral students, visiting scholars and visiting Professors, international cultural and youth tourism interested in language courses within study-stays or vacations;
• to Third Mission activities in particular by supporting the world of immigration in its different components (adults, children and youth) and types (associations, organizations, public bodies, etc.), second and third generations.

From 2008 to the present, the School has registered a strong increase in the number of its enrollment from all over the world (from Asia to the U.S., from Australia to European countries) thanks to the teaching quality of its language courses.

On the side of Italian teacher training, the School promotes training courses for in-service teachers, in collaboration with the Regional School Office with which it has signed an agreement, and is a promoter of International Seminars on cutting-edge teaching techniques. To further its purposes, the School signs and implements international agreements with university institutions in different parts of the world. To date, there are dozens of foreign universities with which the School has entered into collaboration agreements on the teaching and training side, and other collaboration protocols are in the process of being signed. The School also promotes courses aimed at the training and language certification of immigrants staying in Italy, with particular attention to unaccompanied foreign minors and women. In particular, ItaStra has dealt with Unaccompanied Foreign Minors (MSNAs) and Asylum Seekers with multiple directions of work:

1. language inclusion (thousands of MSNAs and Asylum Seekers have been included in Italian language and literacy courses),

2. training (a thousand teachers and reception workers trained),

3. applied research (creation of a research line on inclusion for MSNAs and language teaching for illiterates with also multimedia products),

4. individual study support activities for MSNAs.

5. communication to the territory through high quality artistic projects (theater, music, visual arts).

The School’s activity, which grows year by year, is differentiated and moves on several levels, with the common intent of putting learning at the center of teaching activities and proposing a model of language open to uses, culture, territory, and social.

Methodological Approach

Currently, ItaStra is a reference hub for the dissemination of the Italian language to foreigners and has become over time a best practice for language inclusion policies addressed to Unaccompanied Foreign Minors (MSNA), trafficked women, and Asylum Seekers. The school is based on the construction of a linguistic learning model that brings together language uses and everyday practices through the use of participatory methods.

The methodological aspect that has made it an inclusive good practice is the typical approach of action research that has made it possible to identify very specific strands of applied research that has considered as direct beneficiaries a specific target group of young people.

ItaStra’s research strands were aimed at creating an educational model for MSNAs and adolescents and adults with low or no literacy. In particular, for adolescents and young adults who are making the migratory journey alone, projects were developed for the enhancement of multilingualism as an individual and collective wealth also through language autobiography and art projects.

The lines of research-action were mainly two. The first moves from the analysis of the cognitive and linguistic situation of people who have not learned to read and write at an early age or have a very weak relationship with the written language; the second, from the concept of literacy as the formation of communicative and social skills, of which the mastery of reading-writing is only one aspect. At the convergence of these two lines, lies the work of constructing, experimenting and reflecting on teaching devices that build on the skills students already havè and orient them to the simultaneous approach to all levels of language. Thus, the research unfolds on paths that aim at the enhancement of mother tongues and oral language competence as a starting point toward the processes of abstraction and metacognitive and metalinguistic awareness specific to written language, and on the development of strategic learning skills.

Validation

Indicators for the years 2015-2019 testifying that the practice meets the needs of beneficiaries:

Number Total Italian language course students – 15,000

Number of migrant students – 8000

Number of teachers, volunteers included in training activities – 2000

Number of teaching contracts activated over the years – 300

Number of Unipa student trainees who participated in individual tutoring, study support and social and language inclusion activities at ItaStra – 100 to 150 for 600 hours

Number of dissertations that focused on ItaStra activities – 100

Number of doctoral dissertations that have worked within ItaStra number – 2

Number of partnership projects presented (Fami, Fondazione con Il Sud, Giovani per il Sociale, City of Palermo) – 50

Number of third mission projects funded (to date) – more than 10

Number of collaboration protocols signed (City of Palermo, USR Sicily, Schools, NGOs, Cultural Associations, Sprar, Cultural Festivals, Unicef, etc.) – 150

Number of Public Events addressed to the territory (theater, music, photo exhibitions, film screenings, production and screening of original videos) – 300

Number of people who participated in ItaStra events – 30,000

Number of articles, television broadcasts, RAI reports – 30

Innovation potential

The innovative potential of this good practice lies first and foremost in promoting a participatory method based on the importance of the sharing of daily life practices and in having created a network of institutions in the area that generates and regenerates inclusive processes. Particularly in the years 2015-2019, the city of Palermo has been a place of arrival of impressive migratory flows “by boat” that have required the construction in a support network unique in Europe. ItaStra and the university spaces of the former Convent of St. Antonino have been among the protagonists of this extraordinary activity of reception and linguistic inclusion towards new migrations.

Success Factors

To be successful and replicable, it is essential that the practice be:

• a convergence of intentions among the actors operating in the area,
• a deep understanding of the needs to which the practice wants to respond;
• a level of flexibility such that it can adapt to changes that contextually occur locally and globally.

Constrains

The challenge was to create networks on the ground and to spread a more inclusive mindset that was respectful and welcoming to other cultures. The results show that this challenge was met with the perseverance and determination of those who believed in this mission and still continue to believe in it and carry it forward.

Lessons learned

Through mixing in class, in common spaces, in moments of conviviality, each student is contaminated by life experiences totally different from his or her own and acquires, along with the Italian language, new perspectives on the world.

Sustainability

Networks on the territory and funding from multiple funds have ensured its sustainability over all these years (more than 14 years now), which gives hope that it can be continued in the future.

Replicability and/or up-scaling potential

It is a replicable practice on a large scale in that it is based on a model of cultural sharing that starts with the sharing of daily practices and a model of language that is open to customs, culture, territory, and social.

It is not a practice closely linked to particular characteristics of our local context. Here in Palermo it could be experimented with as a multicultural city par excellence.

Conclusion

The impact of the activities carried out by ItaStra in the five-year period 2015-2019 is measured in relation to the individual areas of action in which the School operates, but also in relation to the local national and international context.

Collaborative agreements are in place with the City of Palermo and the Provincial Centers for Adult Education (CPIA) that have made it possible to reach, through language training courses built on the needs and requirements of the target group, an important number of students. These include those who, starting from a condition of illiteracy (not having previously undertaken any kind of schooling), have learned both literacy skills and a language, Italian, which they use alongside the often vast multilingual repertoire. Continuous training initiatives have been carried out in the years 2015-2019 in collaboration with the Regional School Office, in response to requests for training gradually submitted by schools in the area. Language training activities aimed not only at students but also at trainers have been outlined and detailed by specific collaboration agreements. ItaStra has then been collaborating for years with Italian and European institutions and research centers by participating in funded projects specifically aimed at research and teaching in the area of language inclusion of adolescent and adult migrants with low schooling and unaccompanied foreign minors (MSNA).

ItaStra is also a best practice in the certification of the Italian language at the European level: it has been awarded the European Language Label, awarded as part of the Erasmus+ Project, managed by the European Commission – DG Education and Culture, in cooperation with the Member States, with the assistance of the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency and the National Agencies of the different participating countries. The European Language Label is a “quality label” aimed at promoting the language skills of European citizens that is awarded to organizations and institutions that implement innovative language learning and teaching projects in education and vocational training each year. Demonstrating the overall impact of ItaStra’s activities on the national level is the collaboration agreement between the Ministry of Education, and the Department of Humanities of the Universitỳ degli Studi di Palermo, within which the School of Italian Language for Foreigners operates, for the provision of teaching modules for ill national project directly implemented by MIUR “Language Literacy and Access to Education for MSNAs – ALI MSNA” aimed at 1,000 newly arrived young migrants. The agreement sanctions and affirms that the Department of Humanities “is, on a national level, a center of absolute excellence in the field of teaching Italian as a second and foreign language. In particular, ItaStra has a consolidated experience in the research of educational and training paths aimed at the linguistic and cultural inclusion of foreigners, using innovative approaches, models and methods that put the person at the center of the teaching action. The Ministry through this agreement has recognized the high degree of excellence, exclusivitỳ and specificitỳ technical and scientific expertise within the university administration. This agreement allows ItaStra to carry out projects aimed at the development and adaptation of models for the analysis of learner profiles and disciplinary content for the learning and enhancement of basic (Italbase) and didactic (Italstudio) Italian and civic and social modules, to be conveyed via digital platform in e-learning mode, for the specific target of unaccompanied foreign minors (MSNA).

The impact and usefulness of the good practice ItaStra can be explained through the words of noted local intellectuals:

“Today Sicily is really the new frontier of Europe. I am not thinking of the physical and symbolic landing place of Lampedusa. Far from the spotlight, in the heart of Palermo, the spirit of Erasmus is being reborn updated by new challenges among the desks of the School of Italian Language for Foreigners “ItaStra,” where the flower of university students who have come from the old continent and the rest of the world and the young people who landed in Italy by barges, the so-called ‘unaccompanied foreign minors’ (MSNA), sit shoulder to shoulder.” So begins Benedetta Tobagi’s 2016 chapter “Palermo. The Europe to Come” of her successful book The School Saved by Kids. Viaggio nelle classi senza confini (Mondadori 2016), which goes on to describe for more than ten pages a reality that is still unique today, not only in Italy. “The School of Italian Language for Foreigners “ItaStra” is based in the former seventeenth-century convent of Sant’Antonino, renovated in 2011, which is part of the University of Palermo’s University Museum system. Here the cloister has become something more. Together with the classrooms, it is the place where siderally distant universes touch: unaccompanied foreign minors and the international student elite. (…) The idea was exactly this: through mixing in class, in common spaces, in moments of conviviality, each student would be contaminated by life experiences totally different from their own and would acquire, along with the Italian language, new perspectives on the world.” A few years later, Vinicio Ongini, in “Grammar of Integration. Italians and Foreigners in the Classrooms” (Laterza 2019) also dedicating a chapter to ItaStra, confirms it as “a point of reference in the field of linguistic integration and a laboratory of ideas” with points of contact with the School of Barbiana and the Popular School founded by Tolstoy,” places where barriers fall and the idea of exchange and reciprocity makes its way. A few months earlier reasoning about the word ‘Accogliere’ in the pages of L’Espresso (October 10, 2018) Evelina Santangelo, about the docufilm, Soulyemane Bah, made on ItaStra and screened in front of more than 1,000 people at the Politeama Theater in Palermo, speaks of it as a place from which to learn that “language is a form of salvation”, it is an extraordinary force.

Contact details

mari.dagostino@unipa.it

URL of the practice Reference document

https://www.unipa.it/strutture/scuolaitalianastranieri

Related Web site(s)

Developed websites:

www.itastra.unipa.it

www.pontidiparole.com

https://minorinonaccompagnatialluniversita.wordpress.com/chi-siamo/

Related resources that have been developed

Research in the strictly educational sphere, which has produced dozens of scientific papers and volumes and was deserving of a specific 2015-2017 grant, “Network for Research and Didactics for Language Learning in Low Schooling Subjects.” In this direction, the project “Bridges of Words” (www.pontidiparole.com) was implemented, which produced an e-learning platform and multimedia course for learning Italian L2 for migrant youth and adults in 3 volumes starting with the profile of absolute illiterates. Through collaboration with the Institute for Educational Technologies of the National Research Council (CNR) and with the support of the United Nations Children’s Fund UNICEF, ItaStra has produced a digital App “Studiare Migrando.” The APP is aimed at mainly Unaccompanied Foreign Minors housed in reception facilities who attend Centers for Adult Education (CPIA). The use of the APP through a platform with seven modules, two designed to consolidate skills for the language of communication, and five disciplinary ones useful for preparation for the multidisciplinary interview as part of the state exam concluding the first cycle of education, has enabled users to go beyond their status as foreigners housed in a reception center and provide them not only with language skills but also with support to begin to take vision of their potential and ability to build a future for themselves. Dissemination of the tool was planned in the Provincial Centers for Adult Education, communities, and first and second reception centers for Unaccompanied Foreign Minors (MSNA) present mainly in the Sicilian territory. The tool available on PC or Android has been designed according to a modular logic thanks to which the student accesses interactive multimedia content and teaching modules and performs a series of activities on his or her own, while others are fully developed with the accompaniment of a native Italian speaker (CPIA teachers, but also community educators, volunteers, tutors, university students carrying out internship activities).

In the years 2015-2019, a series of projects were carried out that introduced both ItaStra and the entire world of new migration (including MSNA) to a very wide audience. Among others, we recall the show Echoes of the Long Distance, at the Biondo Theater attended by 1,500 spectators, and The Blind Man Who Opens Our Eyes made at ItaStra’s headquarters attended by 600 people over several evenings, both directed by Iraqi director and storyteller Yousif Latif Jaralla. In 2017 and 2018, the artistic and workshop journey of MSNA youth produced two screenprinted books, The Little Mermaid and Gulliver’s Travels. The encounter and contamination between art, theater, and storytelling has left important traces (photos, paintings, drawings, panels) in the classrooms and common spaces of the Convent of St. Antonino, where the classrooms, library, reading room, front office, and office of ItaStra are located. In addition, there are dozens of videos documenting and narrating ItaStra’s project, which have been screened both inside the facility during public events: we recall the screening of the docufilm Io, Soulyemane Bah, which was screened at dozens of events in Italy and abroad and also at the Politeama Theater in October 2018.

FOSTERING ACCESS TO UNIVERSITY STUDIES TO PERSON DEPRIVED OF FREEDOM (CNUPP NATIONAL UNIVERSITY CONFERENCE OF PRISON CENTERS)

Location/geographical coverage

Italy, 40 universities operating in over 80 prisons with the coordination of CRUI (Conferenza dei Rettori delle Università Italiane, Conference of Italian University Rectors)

Background and description

CNUPP National University Conference of Prison Centers is an example of an institutional and interinstitutional network promoted by public universities in interaction with the Penitentiary Administration that believe it is their duty to honour their role by guaranteeing access and the carrying out of university studies also to persons deprived of freedoms, who in this way can exercise their constitutional right. It started three years ago, although a first experimentation was done in Turin twenty years ago.

The objectives in the near future are to improve the quality of training of inmates engaged in university study courses also through innovative teaching models (a first trial is underway to adopt tools for distance learning even beyond the pandemic), to improve student performance (reduction of dropouts, increase of exams taken and graduates), to work on the link between upper secondary education within Institutes and Universities.

Commitments are also envisaged with regards to the training of prison administration staff (prison police and treatment area operators), as well as with the development of research activities on prison issues.

Stakeholders and Partners

Participating Universities – CRUI – Conference of Italian University Rectors

In 2021 there are more than 1,000 inmates following university courses from the 196 university departments involved, which correspond to 37% of the departments present in the 40 universities involved.

Male and female prisoners have the right to enrol and be supported for carrying out their studies, regardless of their placement in the sections of the Institute and their possible inclusion in different circuits from the ordinary one, without prejudice to the need to guarantee the separation between the prisoners belonging to the various detention circuits.

Penitentiary institutions that have signed the application form for the Implementation Agreement are the Antonio Lorusso “Pagliarelli” prison and the Ucciardone “Calogero Di Bona” prison.

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 1,034 detained students are enrolled: 109 (10.5%) are in an external penal execution regime, 549 (53.1%) are serving a sentence in prison in medium security circuits, 355 (34.3%) in high security, and 21 (2.1%) are serving a sentence for mafia crimes; 64 are female students (6.2%).

In the first three years, universities participating in CNUPP with active students increased from 27 in 2018-19 to 32 in 2020-21 (+18.5%); the Penitentiary Institutes in which PUPs (Poli Universitari Penitenziari i.e. Prison Universities)  operate went from 70 to 82 (+17.1%); the number of students enrolled went from 796 to 1034 (+29.9%). Among these data, the significant increase in the female component stands out, going from just 28 female students in 2018-19 to 64 in 2020-21, therefore an increase of 128.6%.

896 students are enrolled in three-year degree courses (87%), while 137 attend master’s degree courses (13%). The disciplinary areas most attended by students in prison are: the political-social area (25.4%), followed by the artistic-literary area (18.6%), the legal area (15.1%), the agronomic-environmental area (13.7%), psycho-pedagogical area (7.4%), historical-philosophical area (7.3%), economic area (6.5%) and other areas (6%).

Methodological Approach

The interactions, started with the Department of Penitentiary Administration (DAP), in particular with the Directorate General of Prisoners and Treatment, responsible for training activities, made it possible to sign a memorandum of understanding in September 2019 which defines the methods for permanent confrontation between CNUPP and DAP. Shared guidelines will be soon issued to regulate university study activities within Italian prisons.

The constitution of the CNUPP allows the representatives of the individual universities to continuously discuss various problems, exchange good practices, address requests to the DAP about individual situations, and deal with problems such as, for example, the inconvenience due to the transfer of university student prisoners from a prison to another. In these cases, the CNUPP acts as an interconnected network, in which academic and administrative staff collaborate with each other and with the Penitentiary Administration to facilitate the transfer of students from one university to another.

Two other aspects that make this initiative particularly interesting are:

1. the training of prison administration staff (prison police and operators in the treatment area) and the development of research activities;
2. tuition fee waivers, and the free supply of textbooks, teaching materials and possibly computer equipment useful for completing the course.

Validation

Satisfaction and positive judgments from the rectors of the CRUI, who have expressed their commitment to continue and further extend the initiative.

The Rector of the University of Palermo, prof. Fabrizio Micari, points out: “To 2021, two inmates have completed the enrolment and at least eight others have activated the enrolment procedure or have expressed interest in activating it. The prediction is of at least ten students enrolled in our University by the end of the year”.

Innovation potential

This initiative has a significant potential as it involves a category of students – prisoners – that usually are excluded from any higher education programs.

Success Factors

Continuous discussion on various problems, exchange of good practices between institutional actors.

Constrains

Problems due to the transfer of university student prisoners from one prison to another.

Material difficulties of enrolment and access to the online procedure, given the unavailability of access to the internet for subjects under the restriction regime.

Lessons learned

Respect of human rights and promotion of individual potential.

Collaborative work with the Penitentiary Administration can make it possible to transform detention from a “suspended” time to a fruitful period, in which inmates can undertake, if they wish, even University courses that allow them to invest in their human capital, an indispensable tool for reducing the risk of recidivism, with benefits not only for the individual but for society as a whole.

Sustainability

For the 2020-2021 academic year, regional taxes have been waived.

The Regional Department has allocated a total sum of 150,000 Euros to be distributed among the Sicilian Universities on the basis of projects presented by each one of them.

Replicability and/or up-scaling potential

The possibilities of extending this good practice more widely are:

1. the constitution of an institutional and interinstitutional network promoted by public universities among them and with the Penitentiary Administration;
2. the availability of economic funds to pay taxes and contributions, as well as the free supply of textbooks, teaching materials, and possibly computer equipment;
3. the activation of training programs for prison staff.

Conclusion

CNUPP has two horizons of commitment.

Firstly, it intends to carry out activities of promotion, reflection and direction of the national university system and of the individual universities regarding the guarantee of the right to study of people detained or in external criminal execution or subjected to detention security measures.

For this reason, the first objective is represented by the commitment to arrive at guaranteeing opportunities for university courses in a widespread manner, even in geographical areas where today they are absent or poorly structured, so that the right to study can be enjoyed regardless of the penitentiary institution in which whoever has an interest finds himself imprisoned.

Hence, the commitment of CNUPP to support and accompany the possible launch of new experiences similar to those carried out so far. Furthermore, guidelines will be proposed establishing the conditions in which can best promote study paths for this particular category of students, support the commitment of teaching and administrative staff and, last but not least, foster encounters between the prison universe and the university community as a whole.

Secondly, CNUPP, in collaboration with the Ministry of Justice (Department of Penitentiary Administration, Department of Juvenile and Community Justice and their peripheral articulations) and with any other institution in the field, intends to define a series of guidelines for fostering higher education possibilities within prisons and more generally for people in situations of limitation of personal freedom. These guidelines, drawing from the experiences carried out so far, will be brought to the attention of the national authorities and the general public.

Events

Autobiographical writing process in prisons

https://www.crui.it/eventi-cnupp/percorso-di-scrittura-autobiografica-nelle-carceri.html

Development of the prison library

https://www.palermotoday.it/cronaca/carcere-malaspina-cultura-libro-universita.html

Contact details

Consiglio Direttivo – CRUI – Conferenza dei Rettori delle Università italiane

DIRECTIVE COUNCIL

Members of the Board of Directors of the CNUPP (triennium 2018-2020)

PRESIDENT

Prof. Franco Prina, University of Turin

MEMBERS

Prof. Andrea Borghini, University of Pisa

Prof. Emmanuele Farris, University of Sassari

Prof. Marella Santangelo, University of Naples “Federico II”

Prof. Francesca Vianello, University of Padua

University of Palermo delegate

Prof. Paola Maggio

URL of the practice Reference document

https://www.crui.it/cnupp.html

https://www.unipa.it/Il-diritto-agli-studi-universitari-in-carcere-tre-anni-di-esperienza-della-Conferenza-Nazionale-Universitaria-dei-Poli-Penitenziari-CNUPP-e-prospettive/

Related Web site(s)

https://www.unipa.it/Il-diritto-agli-studi-universitari-in-carcere-tre-anni-di-esperienza-della-Conferenza-Nazionale-Universitaria-dei-Poli-Penitenziari-CNUPP-e-prospettive/

Sapienza University of Rome

https://www.uniroma1.it/it/pagina/polo-universitario-penitenziario-sapienza-pup-sapienza

Related resources that have been developed

Framework agreement for collaboration between the universities and the penitentiary centers of Sicily

Implementıng Agreement For The Establıshment Of The Unıversıty Center Palermo Dıstrıct Penıtentıary

UniCoRE, UNIVERSITY CORRIDORS FOR REFUGEES

Location/geographical coverage

Italy, national territory, 32 Italian Universities

Background and description

The UniCoRe project was created starting from the experience of two Ethiopian graduated refugees who arrived in Bologna in 2019 to attend a specialist degree course.

The idea of creating University Corridors for Refugees was born from the need to help these young people to overcome the difficulties encountered and to facilitate them in the continuation of their higher studies.

The project aims to facilitate the access of refugee university students to specialised studies in Italy, helping them economically and socially.

Thanks also to an extensive network of partners, scholarship and mentors the students are supported in entering academic life and integrating into the local social fabric.

Main stages

2019, October: UNHCR launches the Manifesto for Inclusive Universities, including recognition of foreign university degrees and university corridors for refugees in Italy.

2020: 10 more Universities join the project for the second year, despite the Covid pandemic.

2021: 24 Italian Universities decided to join the third edition of the project, allowing 45 Ethiopian students to continue their higher education studies in Italy.

2022: version 4.0 of the UniCoRe program is underway. 69 students will be selected to begin degree courses in September 2022. The selected students will be exempt from tuition fees at the universities participating in the programme and will receive financial support for plane tickets and visa-related expenses, as well as a study grant to help them during their stay in Italy.

Stakeholders and Partners

UNHCR Italy is the project coordinator.

PARTNERS

• Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation
• Manager Italia and Federmanager business unions for the selection
• Archdiocese of Bologna
• Regional Agency of Emilia Romagna
• Caritas Italiana,
• Diaconia Valdese,
• Centro Astalli,
• Gandhi Charity,

Universities:

• University of Bari Aldo Moro,
• University of Bergamo,
• University of Brescia,
• University of Cagliari,
• University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli,
• University “G. Dannunzio” Chieti – Pescara,
• University of Firenze,
• European University Institute,
• University of Salento – Lecce,
• University of Messina,
• State University of Milan,
• University of Milano – Bicocca,
• Commercial University Luigi Bocconi,
• University of Modena and Reggio Emilia,
• University of Palermo,
• University of Padova,
• Luiss International University of Social Studies Guido Carli,
• University of Rome La Sapienza,
• University of Sassari,
• University for Foreigners of Siena,
• University Iuav of Venezia,
• University of Eastern Piemonte Amedeo Avogadro,
• University of Verona
• University of Tuscia – Viterbo.

The 2022 UNICORE 4.0 project is open to students who:

• Have been recognized as refugees in Cameroon, Niger, Nigeria, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe and are residing in one of those countries.
• Have obtained a qualification eligible for admission to the Second Cycle Degree Program;
• Have obtained a degree in or after 2017 and no later than April 30 2022
• Have never been enrolled by one of the partner universities. Have Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 3.0 according to the Ethiopian tertiary education grading system or equivalent.

32 universities participating

69 places available for students

300 courses offered

The gender issue is very delicate but subject to attention.

Some universities make separate rankings for female and male candidates precisely at the suggestion of UNHCR.

During the first year of the project no girl applied for the selections. The second year there was a female application and in the third year, in 2021, there were 10 female candidates out of 45 total applications, with an average of 20% which is very high compared to the world average.

In reading this data there are a number of factors to consider.

The target is already graduated students in possession of a three-year degree. At that age, women, especially in these developing countries, already have very burdensome family commitments and you need to pay close attention to them, also because their needs are different from those of men, even married ones.

Therefore, we are thinking about possible developments, looking at other experiences such as the Canadian one which involves the transfer of the whole family, while at the moment UniCoRe is intended only for students.

A fundamental factor of this program is the focus on the university specialization path and on the contribution of the partners, each of which is active on an aspect of the operational support, such as the language course, the computer, the clothing, the subscription to public transport. .

To allow the extension of the benefits to the family unit, it is necessary to ensure their economic sustainability.

Methodological Approach

The entire project has been evolving since its launch in 2019.

In 2022 it can be said that the Agency has so far refined and fine-tuned a successful model and methodology, which could be further improved over time.

The methodology used to verify expectations and needs of the selected students and to establish changes and improvements in the quality of the project offer foresees these phases:

1. Selection process
2. Arrival of students
3. Assessment with universities
4. Focus group discussion
5. Drafting a document
6. Checking strengths and weaknesses and improving the offer

Each year to develop the project UNHCR carries out assessments with universities and partners, always involving refugee students in several meetings, using its own tools to evaluate the project, improve it, refine it.

One of the main tools is the focus group discussion, used at least once a year to gather feedback from the beneficiaries of the project the year before with pre and post support.

For example, one implementation of the project, based on suggestions made during the focus groups by the refugee students themselves, was the use of local radio stations to disseminate the opportunity to apply for the selection and the activation of 40-hour Italian courses (which in the 4th edition became 120, offered by three universities) available upon the students’ arrival in Italy.

Validation

The project UniCoRein 2022 offers 69 refugee students the opportunity to attend a master’s degree programme at an Italian university.

This year, since there were many, an online tool was used to collect their feedback which was very high and no critic elements emerge at the time, only some requests for improvement of some aspects such as post arrival care, aspects that certainly with the covid, delays in obtaining residence permits, which is a critical procedure in Italy in general, or that the scholarships are of different entities among the universities have worsened. UNHCR has set a minimum cap on the scholarship, but there are universities that have decided to give more. As the project is unique, students confront and discover these differences, which depend on the decisions of the individual participating universities.

The Agency requires from partners a minimum support for two years or at least up to the specialist degree.

The scholarship is provided either by external partners identified by universities as partners, such as foundations or by the universities themselves on their own funds, or by the university institution for the right to study.

Students apply in July before arriving.

UNHCR only asks that there be a Plan B in which the student or female student is given support in each case.

Of the first and the refugee students who arrived, the first three are graduates, the others are completing the master’s degree course overcoming the difficulties of the language, Covid and the different study method.

This year in Perugia there is the first graduate in two years.

The choices of study paths are very varied, for example:

• Business management
• Scientific subjects
• Artificial intelligence
• Engineering
• Computer science
• Political and international sciences
• Human rights

Innovation potential

The idea is to have an ad hoc path for refugee students in the context of the complementary role of the UNHCR.

The project is the first Education Pathway in Italy, moreover created without changing the legislation, because the students arrive with a study visa.

It is a project with strong economic, institutional and political coverage at all levels, since international organizations, institutions, universities and local associations are part of it.

On the Italian model, other European countries are developing similar paths in France, Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg.

Therefore the Italian model is an autonomous and pilot channel.

The selection is based not on protection needs but on motivation, on the skills acquired in previous degree courses.

There are already similar Corridors in Germany, but in that country the central authority prevails, while in Italy the strong partnership between various actors involved (volunteer doctors, libraries, small municipalities) prevails across the board.

Success Factors

One of the main success factors of the project is the involvement of partners at all levels, institutional, cultural, social, religious, of the third sector.

Partnership collaboration and activism is key in following the needs of students from their home country.

The choice of the country in which to disseminate and start the selection procedure is also decisive, because the acceptance of the project is subordinated to the importance that country assigns to the protection and facilitation of studies also by refugees.

It is known that there are many refugees in the world and as many countries that play the role of primary asylum (Source: Education 2030: A Strategy for Refugee Education) but it is necessary to identify a good starting country because there are a series of factors to consider such as the policies of access to university.

Ethiopia was chosen because in that country there are policies considered to be of a good standard for access to university and a certain type of university and also for the favour towards refugees in terms of scholarships, exemption from academic fees and other benefits.

It must also be considered that refugees may wish to return to the country of first asylum rather than stay in Italy and therefore contribute to the development of their communities in the countries of asylum and also for this reason the choice of the country in which to start the selections is important because not in all countries allow the return of refugees once they have left.

The project was addressed to Ethiopia in the first 3 years.

Since 2022, there are 8 recipient countries: Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique, based on the numbers of refugees present in them. But since the proposal is extremely distant from their reality, it takes some time for refugees to get the idea that it is a really viable opportunity, the first year is always a pilot.

Constrains

The constraints and challenges to be faced depend on each country: the ability to move, to obtain the documents to leave the refugee camp, to have an internet connection, to have a computer (many refugees only have a mobile phone).

Even if the colleagues of the partner associations on the spot are very helpful and active, there are many problems. For example, in Nigeria where refugees are mainly urban, free to move, paradoxically they are more difficult to reach than those allocated in the refugee camp.

UNHCR has set up contact channels via social networks such as Facebook, whatsapp groups to disseminate information, but it is very complicated in these contexts.

The admission procedure for the selection of candidates will be carried out individually by the universities and is not under UNHCR’s responsibility.

Admission requirements

Application is open exclusively to candidates who:

Are residing in Cameroon, Niger, Nigeria, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe and have been recognized refugee status in these countries in collaboration with UNHCR (candidates are strongly advised to check individual university pages as country of residence criteria may vary);

Hold a qualification valid for admission to the chosen Second Cycle Degree Programme;

Have a Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 3.0 according to the country of graduation tertiary education grading system or equivalent according to the comparable table issued by the Italian Ministry of Education;

Hold a degree obtained in or after 2017 and no later than April 30th 2022;

Meet the specific admission requirements of the Second cycle degree programme;

Have never before been enrolled in a degree program at any of the Partner Universities.

Proficiency in the English language is required.

Selection criteria and application documents

Students will be selected on the basis of merit.

The evaluation will be carried out by Committees of Experts nominated by each university individually.

Selection process

The participating universities will each identify a Committee of Experts to conduct the selection process, which will be divided into two steps:

Step 1: Evaluation of the documentation. The Committee of Experts will evaluate the documentation according to the following criteria:

• Academic background and GPA (score: 0-20);
• Evaluation of CV: professional experience and personal skills (score: 0-10);
• Coherence between previous studies and selected Second Cycle Degree programme (score: 0-10);

Candidates receiving a score of less than 25 will not be admitted to step 2 of the selection process.

Candidates admitted to Step 2 will be notified by email.

Step 2: On-line interview. Candidates admitted to step 2 will be interviewed by the Committee of Experts, who will evaluate their technical skills, knowledge of the subject and level of English. Interviews will be graded on a scale of 40 points.

Interviews will be held on-line.

Candidates will be notified by email about the date and time of the interview.

Candidates are requested to present themselves for interview with the Ration Card Number or the Refugee Identity Card used during the on-line application. A third party must be present at the beginning of the interview to identify the candidate.

Participation in University Corridors, including the application process, is free.

Lessons learned

It is a successful project, also given the response of the Italian ones.

The children who have arrived are following successful study paths, demonstrating that refugee children can not be a burden but a resource for the countries that welcome them (internships in Banca Etica, at the Canadian Embassy in Italy, …), therefore seeing the refugee in a different perspective, with a profile and skills thanks to which he can access the job for which he studied.

The project aims not only to guarantee a safe legal entry to the refugee, but to build a welcome project around him.

This was the most important message to get to the universities.

For example, a strong point of success, the added value of the project is a great attention to the individual, not only to bring these young people, but also to accompany them in their integration: every refugee lives in the student residence, in the university residence, has a mentor at the university and a volunteer family as a tutor to familiarize him with the environment and the social context.

The family is a bridge between the refugee and the society that surrounds him, as attention to the individual in addition to material equipment (clothes, computer, bicycle or subscription to vehicles).

Caritas has a great role: volunteer families are selected through local partners such as diocesan Caritas and guide them, calling them often, inviting them to lunch on Sundays, taking them to the mountains or the sea, becoming points of reference and in some cases them support in the search for some chore to round up.

The informal network works very well in Italy.

Sustainability

The project is active on a national level.

We intend to work on the economic sustainability of the project.

The idea is to enhance the project by looking more and more for a link between the world of study and that of work: a company finances a boy’s scholarship for two years and then makes him do an internship after graduation.

This is to make the entire project sustainable and self-financed. At the moment, in fact, Caritas has made a large investment, dealing with airline tickets and legal and social protection at the local level in the countries of origin.

In 2022, the local Lions Club was involved in Padua on a proposal from the UNHCR, which financed a city association that was responsible for providing local social assistance, guidance and accompaniment in the area. Having more subjects involved and above all companies to enter the project is one of the sustainability objectives.

Replicability and/or up-scaling potential

The project is being studied to be replicated in France and Belgium.

Similar but not entirely identical models are active in Canada and Germany, but the Italian project is characterized by the richness and articulation of the support offered to the student who exceeds select it.

The conditions to be respected for the replicability and success of the project are:

• identify a country of first – reception of refugees with favourable study support policies
• initiate an adequate selection process for the recognition and equalization of qualifications
• interact with motivated and active partners at all levels: institutional, cultural, economic, social.

Conclusion

Conclude specifying/explaining the impact and usefulness of the good practice. When possible, use anecdotal evidence such as a storytelling or testimony of a man or a woman showing the benefit of the good practice.

https://youtu.be/CSfyLdUw0i0

https://youtu.be/1ETd20D0upM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQ_pHtKWo5s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNri937Rn5w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyeYYYKLWVQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzPz8xImhsQ

Contact details

Andrea Pecoraro, UNHCR Italy, Holy See and San Marino

URL of the practice Reference document

https://universitycorridors.unhcr.it/

Related Web site(s)

https://www.unhcr.org/it/cosa-facciamo/partner/progetti/unicore/

https://www.univrmagazine.it/2022/04/05/unicore-4-0/

https://universitycorridors.unhcr.it/partners/

https://www.uniroma1.it/it/pagina/unicore-university-corridors-refugees

https://www.unifi.it/unicore

https://www.unimore.it/mobilita/unicore.html

https://www.unict.it/it/didattica/unicore-university-corridors-refugees

https://www.unicampania.it/index.php/studenti/opportunita/progetto-unicore

https://www.unhcr.org/it/notizie-storie/comunicati-stampa/progetto-unicore-university-corridors-for-refugees-al-via-la-terza-edizione-24-universita-italiane-accoglieranno-43-rifugiati-dalletiopia/

https://www.unibs.it/it/internazionale/cooperazione-allo-sviluppo/studenti-rifugiati-e-richiedenti-asilo/borse-di-studio-e-facilitazioni-economiche/progetto-unicore

https://www.unipa.it/Progetto-UNICORE-University-Corridors-For-Refugees-al-via-la-terza-edizione–Universit-italiane-accoglieranno-43-rifugiati-dallEtiopia/

Related resources that have been developed

https://youtu.be/CSfyLdUw0i0

https://www.unhcr.org/it/notizie-storie/comunicati-stampa/limpegno-delle-universita-per-i-rifugiati/

https://www.unhcr.org/it/wp-content/uploads/sites/97/2020/09/Manifesto-dellUniversita-inclusiva_UNHCR.pdf

https://www.unhcr.org/tertiary-education.html

https://data.unhcr.org/en/documents/details/71213

https://www.unhcr.org/5aa13c0c7.pdf

PROMOTING THE EDUCATIONAL OFFER OF UCV TO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS FROM DISADVANTAGED AND UNDER-REPRESENTED BACKGROUNDS

Location/geographical coverage

Implemented in The University of Craiova, Oltenia Region, Romania

Replicated in most Romanian universities

Craiova is the sixth larger city in Romania (269,506 inhabitants as of 2011), situated in the middle of the historical region of Oltenia, administrative residence of the Dolj county.

Background and description

The University of Craiova was founded in 1947 and currently ranks topmost among the Romanian higher education system. The University of Craiova is integrated to the academic European community, sharing its cultural, moral, scientific and educational values. It undertakes public accountability with respect to the quality of the study programmes, scientific research and services to community.

With a view to increasing access to higher education, it is necessary to offer support and to attract a larger number of applicants from disadvantaged or under-represented groups who are appropriately qualified for access to university level of study. Marketing higher education programs should focus on services provided to people, and how these programs cater for young people’s needs and specificities, and less about historical dates and buildings.

There is a great need to become more focused and tactical in university’s approach to cooperating with high schools and community stakeholders in order to ensure the outreach achieves optimum levels and impact.

Support offered by universities is essential in all stages starting from early engagement, for admission, to progress during studies and to succeed in their careers. Early and sustained outreach is crucial in boosting ambitions, particularly of youth from poor families and communities where is no history of members going onto higher education (such as poverty-stricken rural or Roma communities from Romania).

To broaden access to university programs, UCV is constantly striving to identify and to offer support for students from all disadvantaged or underrepresented groups for admission and during their studies to ensure they will graduate with success.

High school students from remote areas, or from underprivileged backgrounds have first and foremost difficulty finding relevant information with reference to their possibility to gain access to higher education. The University of Craiova regularly carries out specific activities designed to provide complex services of promotion, counselling and mentoring, within the current educational context, in order to increase access to the education offer of the University of Craiova for high school students from underprivileged backgrounds.

Stakeholders and Partners

The beneficiaries are high school students in the county of Dolj, as well as students at the University of Craiova. Among stakeholders there were local employers with a vested interest in the graduates from UCV.

The general objective was the development and adaptation of strategic promotional, information and counselling programmes of UCV to current need, regarding the educational context, as per implicit alternatives (online education) to the classical teaching-learning system.

Number of high school students from underprivileged backgrounds in the south-west region Oltenia who benefitted from information and promotional campaigns for the UCV educational offer (adapted to the current specific strategies for online education): 5000

Number of from underprivileged backgrounds students and students at risk who benefitted from (information, career, educational, support, crisis) counselling: 400

Number of mentorship programs for high school students (10^th to 12^th grades) from underprivileged backgrounds: 1

Number of student satisfaction surveys carried out among UCV alumni regarding the level of knowledge and practical abilities acquired during studies: 1

Number of UCV online intersectoral career forums for employers from in the south-west region Oltenia and UCV graduates: 1

The institution involved in the good practice is UCV through its management board, financial office, admission and administration offices.

Methodological Approach

How was the practice implemented?

• information about the UCV study offer for students from disadvantaged backgrounds published on all faculties webpages
• organizing thematic counselling sessions (online)in order to provide a more personalized approach for interaction with UCV students and to help them insert on the labour market.
• organizing information and  counselling sessions, in order to provide a more hands-on approach for interaction with prospective students and to encourage a wider range of students to apply for admission.

Explain how this approach is participatory for all and inclusive (inclusive of gender and other underrepresented groups): 

• UCV provides clear and understandable messages for all students with the potential to succeed at the higher education programs and it encourages those from under-represented groups to consider UCV as a viable choice. Students from these categories receive support before, during and after admission to university

How are data compliance and protection issues addressed?

• Data compliance and protection ensured on GDPR regulations

Explain how this approach is participatory for all and inclusive (inclusive of gender and other underrepresented groups): 

• UCV provides specific and targeted information and data for all high school students and encourages those from under-represented groups to consider our university as an attractive option.

How are data compliance and protection issues addressed?

• Data compliance and protection ensured on GDPR regulations

Explain how this approach is participatory for all and inclusive (inclusive of gender and other underrepresented groups): 

• UCV provides specific and targeted information and data for all high school students and encourages those from under-represented groups to consider our university as an attractive option.

Resources involved:

• Academic staff involved in university open days, academic and administrative staff involved in the admissions process, university webmaster, administrative staff from student hostels, etc.

Validation

Evaluation: the practice implemented had as results

1) More than 400 students at risk, from underprivileged socio-economic backgrounds were provided with counselling services (information, career orientation, educational guidance, at-risk intervention, emotional support).

2) A mentoring programme – UniCeleVi, was aimed at high school students in the 10 – 12th grades, coming from underprivileged backgrounds in the south-west of Oltenia.

3) An employability study carried out among UCV graduates, which aimed at identifying the satisfaction degree with regard to theoretical knowledge and practical abilities they acquired and developed during their studies.

4) An UCV career intersectoral online forum, in which representatives of employers from the S-W Oltenia region had the opportunity to participate with job offers and professional development prospects aimed at UCV graduates.

Continuous improvement process:

• More on-site and on-line events for marketing university programs and widening access support should be organized such as: open days, visits and advertising campaigns among high schools from disadvantaged communities.
• obtaining funds to support students through national projects such as: “Complex services of promotion, counselling and mentorship, in the current educational context, in order to increase access to the UCV educational offer, to high school students from underprivileged backgrounds”

Innovation potential

Offering support for high school students from underrepresented and disadvantaged groups to continue their education at university level was considered an innovative action undertaken by UCV.

Success Factors

The conditions needed are:

• funds for financing admission and social grants for disadvantaged groups
• availability of academic staff to organize on-site visits to inform students in schools from poor communities, as well as open days and online events
• funds for improving and maintaining the online counselling forum
• availability of academic and IT staff to offer admissions support services

Constraints

Constraints addressed:

• sharing information with students from disadvantaged groups (some don’t have access to Internet)-> visits to high schools by university transport means

Lessons learned

The students from disadvantaged backgrounds received considerable support for admission and during their studies. The practice had a great impact for high school students from remote area who couldn’t afford to get information and support for admission as well as for UCV students who were at risk of abandoning their studies.

Students, both men and women, from disadvantaged backgrounds, such as families with low incomes and from deprived rural communities are encouraged to access and continue their education at university level thanks to social grants, admission tax free for orphans, separate admission places for Roma students, etc.

Sustainability

The practice has been institutionally, socially, economically sustainable.

The key elements to be put in place for the practice to be institutionally, socially, economically and environmentally sustainable are:

• academic and administrative staff involvement, funds to support students from disadvantaged backgrounds in admission and afterwards, funds offering students in need technical support (tablets, etc.).

The practice is conducive to a decrease in abandonment of studies for students from underprivileged environments and safeguards better access to higher education for students from low-income families, support during studies and provision of assistance and guidance through all educational process.

Replicability and/or up-scaling potential

The practice has been replicated in similar contexts in other universities at national level.

The circumstances that are to be reproduced so as to ensure that the good practice is replicated, are securing the necessary funding for admission support and counselling during studies for students from underprivileged or underrepresented groups. UCV won several national competition-based projects from the Fund for Institutional Development which contributed to broader access for underrepresented and disadvantaged groups, assisting high school students from rural regions as well as young Roma students, to enrol in our programs and to continue their university studies.

Conclusion

The good practice provided by UCV represent a significant example of how universities can still provide access to their educational offer under pandemic conditions, in order to render the university studies attractive to students from underprivileged areas and to assist them in pursuing their studies.

Contact details

MĂNESCU Leonardo-Geo leonardo.manescu@incesa.ro

URL of the practice Reference document

https://www.ucv.ro/

Related Web site(s)

https://ccoc.ucv.ro/

Related resources that have been developed

Employability study to assess student satisfaction