Violetta Kyriakou’s Post

HADRI Research Publication: This article by Valentina Baú examines the communicative ecologies of young people in protracted situations of encampment through findings from research conducted in Kakuma refugee camp (Kenya) and Za’atari refugee camp (Jordan). Understanding existing communication platforms and networks adopted by the youth in camp settings is crucial for humanitarian agencies operating in these contexts. Such understanding can facilitate the design of more effective and targeted communication interventions that not only address humanitarian needs but also promote community development and enhance a sense of belonging among the youth. Ultimately, the article argues for the importance of understanding young people’s communication practices from an ecology perspective, in order for humanitarian agencies to engage more purposefully in strengthening community bonds among the youth through the use of communication.  https://lnkd.in/gP2Dg5y2 #communication #refugeecamps #youngpeople #refugees #displacement #developmentcommunication #humanitariancommunication #forceddisplacement #communitydevelopment #media #communitymedia #internationaldevelopment #humanitarianwork #humanitarianassistance #humanitarianaid #socialcohesion  

I am pleased to announce that our article titled "Adapting and Validating a Survey to Assess Host Communities' Support for Migration" has been published today in the Social Indicators Research Journal. 🎉🎉🎉   🔖 Unlike research on integration, our research focuses on the early years of forcibly displaced population movements, where host communities do not necessarily think of the migration as long-term or permanent. In that phase of humanitarian response, animosities towards migrants flare. It is necessary to make a short-term assessment, especially considering the social and infrastructure responses a community provides. 🔖 This work addresses this critical gap. We relied on social science and Tourism literature to inform the adaptation and design of a survey that enables the assessment of support for migration while extending the application of social exchange theory to migratory contexts. 👉👉 You can read the full article here: 📑 https://lnkd.in/eiebSZgF

What comes next after localisation and decolonisation? I've stepped away from my work in the aid sector to focus on my doctoral research. After three years (including this last one spent mostly conducting fieldwork), I am ready to step back in and share my insights. Starting with this important concept: Worldmaking in the margins I set out to find what we can learn from the everyday actions (and resistance!) of ordinary people, especially those in crises. By now it is obvious that our sector needs to change – via localisation, decolonisation and other ways of shifting the power – to serve them better. But something we've not paid nearly enough attention to is how people in the margins, through their everyday actions and resistance, can teach us how to remake our worlds! I hope you find this interesting. If you or your organisation are keen to explore these questions, or to undertake research or a project with similar themes, let’s have a chat. https://lnkd.in/e6x7vPGF #decolonization #localization #humanitarian #aid #internationaldevelopment

🌍 🎓 📢 NEW PROJECT: WHAT ROLE DOES CLIMATE CHANGE PLAY IN ASYLUM MIGRATION TO GERMANY? I am very pleased to support this project as a scientific advisor: In a new research and outreach project, funded by the Stiftung Umwelt und Entwicklung Nordrhein-Westfalen, the Cologne Refugee Council / Kölner Flüchtlingsrat seeks to find out whether #climate change is already a (significant) factor in the multi-causal decision-making process for forced #displacement/ asylum migration to Germany. To this end, the Refugee Council is conducting a comprehensive data collection in the form of interviews with refugees to subsequently use scientific data to examine whether the information on their (forced) migration experience is related to the effects of climate change. The Refugee Council is processing the data and results and making them available to the public. The findings will also be integrated into the educational work of the Cologne Refugee Council to provide children, young people, educators and specialists with comprehensive information and training on the topic. Find out more 👇 https://lnkd.in/e8Q98TYi

A few thoughts about the making of Humanitarian Studies

📣 New article! “𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀: 𝗮 𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴” written by Valérie Gorin, Head of learning at the Geneva Centre of Humanitarian Studies. → https://lnkd.in/ep3cBdsz This article explores the academic development of humanitarian aid from two angles. The first questions its very name (and the value of approaching it as a “study” rather than an “object”). The second examines the boundaries of the field, caught in a constant struggle between the development of critical and reflective thinking about humanitarian aid and the desire to address training needs with and for humanitarian workers. This article was published in our 25th issue "𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲𝘀: 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀?". ➡ The issue can be freely accessed on our website, and you can purchase hard copies from our online shop: https://lnkd.in/dg3mF-UN

Please join us on August 8th - face-2-face or online to hear from Kaira Zoe Alburo-Cañete about her work and that of the The Hague Humanitarian Studies Centre on Humanitarian Observatories and reform of #humanitariansystems to take account of local contexts, realities, and interests. The seminar is co-hosted by the Institute for Global Development (IGD) UNSW, the Globalisation and Governance Research Network, the School of Social Sciences, and Health, Rights and Development at UNSW (HEARD@UNSW). Abstract:   Humanitarian governance faces many challenges such as those related to #aideffectiveness, #accountability, #trust, and #powerimbalances between humanitarian agencies and national aid providers. Those most affected by crises – communities, national aid providers, civil society organizations - often have little influence on humanitarian policies, systems and reforms. This is despite the focus on inclusivity, localisation, and a more proactive approach to humanitarian action that was promoted following the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit. Creating spaces that enable national and local actors to share their perspectives and experiences and to contribute to addressing contemporary challenges and reforming humanitarian governance is crucial.    This presentation describes an emerging network of humanitarian observatories, groups comprising a range of national or regional actors that reflect on trends in humanitarian governance in situ and propose and/or advance reforms. This movement that has the explicit objective of learning, sharing and advocating changes "from below" and seeks to inspire related initiatives. #humanitarianobservatories #humanitariansystem #localisation #locallyleddevelopment #humanitariangovernance Please share this invitation and register below for the face-2-face or online seminar. FYI Australian Council for International Development, Australian Red Cross, Australian HR Institute, UNSW Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, Humanitarian Advisory Group, World Vision Australia, Oxfam Australia, Save the Children Australia, Plan International Australia, Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

What does it take for young migrants to succeed in Northern Europe? New research identifies responsibility, trust, and social relationships as crucial elements. In the new publication “Relational Wellbeing in the Lives of Young Refugees”, scholars focus on the ways young refugees co-construct a sense of wellbeing for themselves and other people in countries where they have sought sanctuary. The articles are centered around the insights from the NordForsk funded Drawing Together project, and provide fresh ways to think about the causes of wellbeing in refugee lives. The publication is edited by Ravi Kohli, Mervi Kaukko, Marte Fylkesnes and Sarah C. White. #migration #research #art #relationalwellbeing

https://lnkd.in/eCDRmjZh We are thrilled to invite you to “Hope Across Borders: The Peach Foundation and the Pursuit of Education for Myanmar Refugees in Thailand”, a special photography exhibition chronicling the experiences of displaced Myanmar students in Mae Sot, Thailand, featuring the work of photojournalist Rayna Carruthers. Event Details: 📅 Date: October 27, 2024 (Sunday) ⏰ Time: 1 pm EDT 📍 Location: Virtual, RSVP via Zoom About the Exhibition This gallery invites you into the lives of Myanmar refugees who have crossed borders to seek what civil war and political instability in Myanmar have denied them—education. The conflict in Myanmar has devastated entire communities, especially in Karen State, close to the Thai border. Thousands of Karen people and others have fled their homeland in search of safety and opportunity, with many arriving in Mae Sot, Thailand.   The Peach Foundation works with undocumented refugees to help them access education and complete their high school studies. In Mae Sot, amidst displacement and uncertainty, schools have become lifelines for these children and young adults. From the Noh Bo Academy to New Blood School, and others in the Mae Sot region, migrant and refugee-led educational initiatives are creating spaces where hope can grow, and dreams can be rebuilt.  Teachers, often former migrants or refugees themselves, now serve as parental figures and mentors, raising and educating the next generation of Myanmar’s displaced youth. The Peach Foundation supports these schools by helping teachers and students cover fees and secure steady incomes, allowing children to focus on their education. These schools are more than places of learning; they are sanctuaries of hope, where dreams are taking shape despite overwhelming loss. But the challenges remain immense: lack of official identification restricts future opportunities, financial hardships strain families, and the constant threat of violence across the border is a haunting reminder of the ongoing conflict they fled. Yet, in the face of such adversity, these students and their teachers are a testament to the power of education to provide a path forward—even in the most difficult of circumstances.

I am ecstatic to share that my article has been published in the Forced Migration Review Journal of Oxford University, a renowned journal in the field of refugee studies and migration. It was an honor to co-author this piece with my colleagues, Research Director Sanjeeb Hossain, Azizul Hoque, and Tin Swe. Our article has not only been published but also featured on the FMR website among 27 other esteemed articles. You can find the article in the following link - https://lnkd.in/gUSUfUgj