Published on October 25, 2024 – Updated on October 25, 2024

Between October 2018 and April 2019, four European higher education institutions (the Institut des Hautes Études des Communications Sociales in Brussels, the London College of Communication in London, the Clermont Auvergne University in Clermont-Ferrand, and the Libera Università Maria Ss. Assunta in Rome) implemented an 18-month pilot program. This initiative allowed refugees, recruited based on their skills and expertise, to teach courses and share their knowledge with students.


This project, carried out under the European Union and Council of Europe’s joint program Democratic and Inclusive School Culture in Operation, aimed to promote inclusive practices within European universities to approach the situation of refugees differently and improve understanding of their circumstances. It sought to shift perceptions, viewing them not only as individuals in need but also as people with skills and expertise that could benefit their host communities.

In total, 28 refugees from 14 different countries participated in the project, covering 20 subjects, from archaeology and journalism to cultural mediation and political science.

Five refugees taught at Université Clermont Auvergne, delivering both lectures and seminars on diverse topics matching their expertise, such as marketing, communication strategies, intercultural communication, and civilization.

 

A documentary film was made about this experience:

To preserve a record of this human journey and to promote this initiative in other higher education institutions, the UCA Communication Department produced a documentary film about the experience.

For one year, from Clermont-Ferrand to Brussels, they followed Rabab, Souzan, Yahia, and Ahmad to share their personal stories: four unique stories united by the academic environment and the coLAB project.

Through their daily lives, all phases of the project are revealed—from preparation to execution to final reflections—interwoven with questions of inclusion and integration.
 

 
Learn more :

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