Raising Awareness about the Situation of Newly Arrived Migrants

This course will act as a basis for vital knowledge-sharing about the situation of newly arrived migrants in general as well as provide concrete ideas for classroom activities that raise awareness amongst students about the situation and enables them to have a more informed opinion about the topic.

The course will explore issues around causes of migration, migration journeys, psychological impact, the situation in shelters, legal status, human rights as well as intercultural understanding and common values. The course will be relevant to teachers working with newly arrived migrant students but it will also support teachers confronted with the topic of newly arrived migrants, regardless of any direct involvement in culturally diverse environments or work with migrant students.

Due to the speed of developments over the last few years, schools, and teachers, in particular, have often had to improvise in addressing the situation without a sufficient support infrastructure in place they can call upon. This course, in combination with course 3, therefore aims to guide teachers with a framework and process to build a support network of colleagues, experts and local organizations that can support the work of the school and teacher in their work with newly arrived migrant students. By the end of course 3, teachers should have established such a network as a key result of the courses.

By the end of this course, participants should have an understanding of the situation of newly arrived migrant students, and of how migration has been part of their own country’s and Europe’s history (possibly their own family history). Teachers will be also taught how to develop awareness and informed debate about the situation of newly arrived migrant students and their impact on Europe.

Participants will also acquire practical experience on Identifying a set of fellow course participants who are facing similar challenges, and how to establish informal connections with them in order to share resources and expertise and support each other after the course by Identifying local partners working with newly arrived migrants who can help to better understand their situation.

1. The situation of newly arrived migrants
2. Raising awareness and fostering informed debate