Today marks the beginning of Refugee Week which takes place each year around World Refugee Day on 20 June. Around the world the total number of people who have been forcibly displaced as a result of persecution, conflict or violence increased from 42.7 million in 2007 to 68.5 million by the end of 2017, with 25.4 million of these being refugees and 40 million being internally displaced people. Now more than ever, factual and empathic education into migration is a geographical imperative.
The aim of the initiative is to create a ‘better understanding between different communities and to encourage successful integration, enabling refugees to live in safety and continue making a valuable contribution’. This year’s theme is ‘you, me and those who came before’.
To mark Refugee Week, we’ve worked with Professor Heaven Crawley from the Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations at Coventry University to produce educational resources for geography teachers at GCSE and A Level. The resources are based on the MEDMIG project that looked into the unprecedented migration across the Mediterranean to Europe in 2015. This research sought to better understand the journeys, motivations, and aspirations of people arriving in Italy, Greece, Malta and Turkey.
Professor Crawley said: “Nearly four years after stories of the European ‘migration crisis’ dominated media headlines and political debates, the drivers of migration and the reasons why people feel that they have no choice other than to risk their lives in search of protection and a better life continue to be misunderstood and misrepresented. Our research, drawing on the experiences of 500 refugees and migrants arriving on the shores of Europe in 2015, remains essential reading for those who want to better understand how migration, inequality, and development intersect, and why the challenge of international migration requires holistic and long-term policy thinking.”
Want to find out more? Listen to an interview with Heaven Crawley on our #AskTheGeographer podcast and take a look at our resources including case study materials and lesson activities.