This article is based on five years of longitudinal participatory action research on how former pre‐bachelor programme students with a refugee background experience finding their way into Dutch higher education and society. The four‐member research team and authors (two of which were former refugees), found that refugee students face a significant barrier of “us‐versus‐them,” especially in an educational context. We explored how creative co‐creation contributed to rethinking difference and sameness in higher education by breaking through or transcending this divide. Creative co‐creation through play, storytelling, or constructing artefacts enables “alterity,” approaching the other from the other’s position. Movement and action help to shape the world around us: Connecting and shifting positions creates sameness while leaving space for difference. Creative co‐creation during our research process included making co‐creation artefacts and activities, thus involving outreach to broader audiences for engagement. In the research process, it became clear that successful participation matters to all students and provides more opportunities for all, not just refugee students. A new notion of “we” in Dutch higher education and society that does not perpetuate the divide between “us” and “them” requires a shared responsibility. Higher education needs the university authorities and the teachers to make room for student stories and should provide spaces for dialogue and community development.
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The aim of this small explorative study was to get an impression of the participants’ views and understanding of the role of becoming a teacher in Swedish schools, realising the characteristic of pedagogy aimed for in the curriculum (in Lgr11 and Lgy), specifically the interaction patterns and student participation in learning processes. Main research questions addressed participants expectations of differences and challenges in the Swedish school context as compared to their experiences in Syria contexts, in specific the development of their understanding of student participation in interaction as characteristic of Swedish education and curriculum. From this, recommendations are formulated for curriculum and research for future Fast Track trajectories.
DOCUMENT
“The thing you read the most as a refugee when you start your integration programme is ‘pay’. The second thing is ‘You must complete’ and the third is ‘Take a test’. How at home would you feel if this was what you read and were told repeatedly? Are there other ways to assess if a person is becoming part of their community?” Nadine Blankvoort is passionate about being critical and questioning how our society functions, and not accepting things for what they seem. Her talk aims to explore the discourse that refugees in the Netherlands encounter while in the mandatory integration program. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.
YOUTUBE
In het project ‘Musiceren in de tussentijd’ wordt onderzocht hoe muziekactiviteiten opgezet worden in migrantenopvangcentra in Nederland. Het onderzoek focust op de motivaties en benaderingen achter deze initiatieven, evenals de uitdagingen waarmee musici worden geconfronteerd wanneer ze in deze context werken.
Het project Muziek in Pekela heeft bijgedragen aan het creëren van draagvlak en wederzijdse integratie van AZC/AMV en de Pekelders. Muziek kan bewoners van een asielzoekerscentrum (AZC) en omwonende bevolking verbinden. De resultaten van het project Muziek in Pekela: AZC en Pekelders samen aan de slag! demonstreren talrijke positieve aanwijzingen die deze stelling onderschrijven. Door middel van het ontwikkelen en organiseren van muzikale activiteiten werd in het project getracht om bewoners van het AZC en de AMV-campus (Alleenstaande Minderjarige Vreemdelingen) in Oude Pekela met de Pekelder bevolking wederzijds beter te integreren. Het project Muziek in Pekela heeft bijgedragen aan het creëren van draagvlak en wederzijdse integratie van AZC/AMV en de Pekelders.
