OUR RESEARCH

Context

Since 2015, over 5 million people have arrived, or tried to arrive in the European Union seeking refuge. Other refugee receiving countries are faced with similar situations. Many of these refugees are young people. But whilst much has been written about the experiences of adult refugees and to a lesser extent about unaccompanied minors, there is very little research on the experiences of young refugees who are not (or are not recognized as) “unaccompanied”, and specifically about how these experiences impact their pathways to adulthood in or across borders. This in turn leads to an absence of effective policies to protect young people and to ensure their access to services which are essential to their well-being – both as young people and for their future adult lives. The project aims to provide timely new research focusing on various aspects of the experience of these young people growing up in a situation of forced migration, in order to contribute research both on youth, and on migration/mobility. In doing so it will also make recommendations on how to better support rights, agency and resilience of these young people. The research will be carried out in a range of countries in Europe (France, Greece, UK) and outside (Canada, South Africa) to analyse impacts of different social, legal and political contexts. The development of innovative methodologies combining traditional qualitative methods with social media research and digital communication tools, and emphasizing participatory research methods, will enhance the participation and self-expression of young refugees to allow them to “narrate” their lives and experiences. A feminist intersectional approach avoids essentialising young people as « vulnerable » and understands age as interacting with other social categorizations such as gender or race, to determine individual’s risks, vulnerabilities, but also possibilities for agency and resilience.

Objectives

This project aims to bring greater understanding of the experiences of young people who are “growing up” whilst crossing borders in situations of forced migration and mobility. We want to understand better how they may be placed in situations of vulnerability and experience violence and discrimination. But also what are their strategies and ways of resisting? How do they manage relationships with their families and friends? And what does it mean to move from childhood to adulthood whilst on the move?

Methods

We are aiming to use participatory methods, bringing young people in to participate fully in the research. To do this we’ll use a number of different methods, engaging young people in various activities, and giving them opportunities to develop skills and learn, whilst engaging with the project. We hope these young people will shape the project and that we will all learn from each other.