'Becoming adult': Conceptions of futures and wellbeing among young people subject to immigration control in the UK
Lead Research Organisation:
University College London
Department Name: Humanities and Social Sciences
Abstract
Young people who migrate to the UK alone without a parent or legal guardian face a range of possible outcomes as they make the transition to 'adulthood' (as institutionally defined) at the age of 18. For many, this stage in their lives corresponds with a transition into illegality as they become no longer eligible for support services dedicated to 'children', and reach the end of their legal right to remain in the UK. Many disengage from institutions in order to decrease the risk of being forcibly removed to their countries of origin. Some may migrate on to other parts of Europe or, if returned to a country of origin, may subsequently come back to Europe. Even if they stay in the UK, being labelled an 'adult' usually means a drop in entitlements with respect to access to education, housing and other welfare services.
Innovative and participatory in nature, this research addresses a significant gap in our understanding of what happens to young people subject to immigration control once they 'become adult'. It explores young people's own conceptions of their futures, how these are formed and the factors which affect their ability to realise these future plans over time. This is the first ever attempt to systematically investigate the longer term wellbeing outcomes for young people subject to immigration control in the UK once they turn 18. The research prioritises the intersection between wellbeing and futures and addresses the following questions:
1. How do young people 'becoming adult' while subject to immigration control in the UK conceptualise and seek to realise their future plans over time?
2. In what ways are young people subject to immigration control influenced in how they conceptualise and seek to realise their future plans by the cultural norms and social networks with which they interact over time and place?
3. Given the pre-established association between a well defined future and a sense of wellbeing, how do processes of immigration control impact on young people's wellbeing outcomes over time?
4. What policy implications emerge from an analysis of the synergy/ dissonance between policies governing the outcomes for young people subject to immigration control and their lived experiences of 'becoming adult'?
Bringing together sociological, anthropological and social policy modes of inquiry, the study combines: in-depth longitudinal research with young people subject to immigration control from four countries (Afghanistan, Eritrea, Vietnam and Albania); a critical analysis of culturally embedded understandings of futures and wellbeing (and their associations with migration and 'adulthood') in four country contexts; an analysis of relevant immigration and asylum policies and their applications; a measure of wellbeing (using objective and subjective indicators) over time; and the building of a national profile of outcomes for young people subject to immigration control as they make the transition to adulthood. A key methodological innovation is the involvement of young people subject to immigration control as central members of the research team throughout the course of the project.
By critically juxtaposing young people's lived experiences of migration and their associated cultural attachments with immigration control policies, this work examins the relevance of such policies, their likely efficacy and their impact on young people's wellbeing. A range of academic outputs will be supplemented by additional policy outputs including: a set of policy and practice guidelines for supporting young adults subject to immigration control of international relevance; an accredited training programme in research methods completed by 10 young adults who are/ have been subject to immigration control; an international Europe-wide policy conference; a set of educational materials for schools and colleges; and a participatory art project as a medium for disseminating key research findings.
Innovative and participatory in nature, this research addresses a significant gap in our understanding of what happens to young people subject to immigration control once they 'become adult'. It explores young people's own conceptions of their futures, how these are formed and the factors which affect their ability to realise these future plans over time. This is the first ever attempt to systematically investigate the longer term wellbeing outcomes for young people subject to immigration control in the UK once they turn 18. The research prioritises the intersection between wellbeing and futures and addresses the following questions:
1. How do young people 'becoming adult' while subject to immigration control in the UK conceptualise and seek to realise their future plans over time?
2. In what ways are young people subject to immigration control influenced in how they conceptualise and seek to realise their future plans by the cultural norms and social networks with which they interact over time and place?
3. Given the pre-established association between a well defined future and a sense of wellbeing, how do processes of immigration control impact on young people's wellbeing outcomes over time?
4. What policy implications emerge from an analysis of the synergy/ dissonance between policies governing the outcomes for young people subject to immigration control and their lived experiences of 'becoming adult'?
Bringing together sociological, anthropological and social policy modes of inquiry, the study combines: in-depth longitudinal research with young people subject to immigration control from four countries (Afghanistan, Eritrea, Vietnam and Albania); a critical analysis of culturally embedded understandings of futures and wellbeing (and their associations with migration and 'adulthood') in four country contexts; an analysis of relevant immigration and asylum policies and their applications; a measure of wellbeing (using objective and subjective indicators) over time; and the building of a national profile of outcomes for young people subject to immigration control as they make the transition to adulthood. A key methodological innovation is the involvement of young people subject to immigration control as central members of the research team throughout the course of the project.
By critically juxtaposing young people's lived experiences of migration and their associated cultural attachments with immigration control policies, this work examins the relevance of such policies, their likely efficacy and their impact on young people's wellbeing. A range of academic outputs will be supplemented by additional policy outputs including: a set of policy and practice guidelines for supporting young adults subject to immigration control of international relevance; an accredited training programme in research methods completed by 10 young adults who are/ have been subject to immigration control; an international Europe-wide policy conference; a set of educational materials for schools and colleges; and a participatory art project as a medium for disseminating key research findings.
Planned Impact
The research promises economic and societal impact at local, national and international levels. It will benefit policy makers, practitioners, the general public; and, through their direct participation, the main beneficiaries: young people who are or have been subject to immigration control.
Firstly, the project will build the capacity of young people subject to immigration control by: a) developing the research, analysis and communication skills of a group of research apprentices; b) engaging an additional group of young people as members of a project advisory group; and c) directly involving young people in the dissemination of research findings to help inform policy and practice. This will include the creation of a set of internationally relevant policy and practice guidelines for supporting young adults subject to immigration control.
Secondly, the work will benefit policy makers and practitioners by generating: a) the first national quantitative database on the outcomes of unaccompanied minors leaving care; and b) an authoritative evidence base on the lived experiences of young people becoming adult while subject to immigration control. There is an established yet poorly understood disconnect between the ways in which future options for these young people are institutionalised in policy terms and the aspirations and strategies which they pursue themselves. Our findings will inform policies which can better safeguard young people's wellbeing as they make the transition to 'adulthood' and have greater relevance to the realities of young peoples' experiences of 'becoming adult' within immigration controls. Through the coordinating role of a Young People Subject to Immigration Control In Transition working group, the research will influence the work of several UK government departments, leading ultimately to the proposition of more evidence-based, reflective policy which is economically and politically viable. The high financial and emotional costs of forced removals, rather than voluntary returns, are illustrative of how policies might be better informed through this work.
The work also has relevance for stakeholders internationally, specifically in Europe, where policies affecting young migrants in transition to 'adulthood' are much criticised (Hammerberg 2010) and where thousands of young people await the outcomes of legal processes, unable or unwilling to return home and forced to plan for multiple possible futures. In particular the research will inform efforts to protect the human rights of migrants, including by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Given young migrants' right to a 'durable solution' with respect to the outcome of their migration (UN Committee on the Rights of the Child 2005), findings from this work will shed further light on possible alternative futures outcomes for young people which may not yet previously have been considered in policy terms.
On-going collaboration with our European partners as part of a planned comparative research programme will ensure the work's wider resonance. Its replicable methodology will shift political debate across Europe beyond the 'child/'adult' migrant binary towards closer attention to the transition between these two phases in life, a debate likely to benefit young people subject to immigration control the world over.
Thirdly, recognising how public opinion influences policy debates, the research will produce two educational outreach programmes and make extensive use of public and social media channels to engage the public in measured debate about youth migration. This will benefit society as a whole, helping to promote social cohesion through increased societal understanding of the circumstances of young people subject to immigration control; and facilitating the inclusion of an important number of young people at risk of social and political marginalisation.
Firstly, the project will build the capacity of young people subject to immigration control by: a) developing the research, analysis and communication skills of a group of research apprentices; b) engaging an additional group of young people as members of a project advisory group; and c) directly involving young people in the dissemination of research findings to help inform policy and practice. This will include the creation of a set of internationally relevant policy and practice guidelines for supporting young adults subject to immigration control.
Secondly, the work will benefit policy makers and practitioners by generating: a) the first national quantitative database on the outcomes of unaccompanied minors leaving care; and b) an authoritative evidence base on the lived experiences of young people becoming adult while subject to immigration control. There is an established yet poorly understood disconnect between the ways in which future options for these young people are institutionalised in policy terms and the aspirations and strategies which they pursue themselves. Our findings will inform policies which can better safeguard young people's wellbeing as they make the transition to 'adulthood' and have greater relevance to the realities of young peoples' experiences of 'becoming adult' within immigration controls. Through the coordinating role of a Young People Subject to Immigration Control In Transition working group, the research will influence the work of several UK government departments, leading ultimately to the proposition of more evidence-based, reflective policy which is economically and politically viable. The high financial and emotional costs of forced removals, rather than voluntary returns, are illustrative of how policies might be better informed through this work.
The work also has relevance for stakeholders internationally, specifically in Europe, where policies affecting young migrants in transition to 'adulthood' are much criticised (Hammerberg 2010) and where thousands of young people await the outcomes of legal processes, unable or unwilling to return home and forced to plan for multiple possible futures. In particular the research will inform efforts to protect the human rights of migrants, including by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Given young migrants' right to a 'durable solution' with respect to the outcome of their migration (UN Committee on the Rights of the Child 2005), findings from this work will shed further light on possible alternative futures outcomes for young people which may not yet previously have been considered in policy terms.
On-going collaboration with our European partners as part of a planned comparative research programme will ensure the work's wider resonance. Its replicable methodology will shift political debate across Europe beyond the 'child/'adult' migrant binary towards closer attention to the transition between these two phases in life, a debate likely to benefit young people subject to immigration control the world over.
Thirdly, recognising how public opinion influences policy debates, the research will produce two educational outreach programmes and make extensive use of public and social media channels to engage the public in measured debate about youth migration. This will benefit society as a whole, helping to promote social cohesion through increased societal understanding of the circumstances of young people subject to immigration control; and facilitating the inclusion of an important number of young people at risk of social and political marginalisation.
Organisations
- University College London (Lead Research Organisation)
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Collaboration)
- MAXXI - National Museum of 21st Century Arts (Collaboration)
- After 18 (Collaboration)
- Pigorini National Museum of Prehistory and Ethnography (Collaboration)
- University of Bergen (Collaboration)
- Shpresa Programme (Collaboration)
- Refugee Week (Collaboration)
- New Walk Museum (Collaboration)
- Jesuit Refugee Service (Collaboration)
- Charnwood Arts (Collaboration)
Publications
Allsopp J
(2017)
Best interests, durable solutions and belonging: policy discourses shaping the futures of unaccompanied migrant and refugee minors coming of age in Europe
in Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies
Allsopp, J
(2017)
A Gendered Approach to the Syrian Refugee Crisis
Allsopp, J.
(2017)
Out of the Woods: Cultural conceptions of Albanian Youth Migration
Chase E
(2019)
Transitions, capabilities and wellbeing: how Afghan unaccompanied young people experience becoming 'adult' in the UK and beyond
in Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies
Chase E
(2019)
Medicalising policy problems: the mental health needs of unaccompanied migrant young people.
in Lancet (London, England)
Chase E
(2019)
The Politics of Wellbeing in Transition
| Title | 'Dear Habib' - Animation, comic and educational materials |
| Description | Dear Habib is a short 2 minute animation depicting the life of Habib and through this, informing others of the different pathways for former unaccompanied migrant young people as they turn 18. It is supported by an educational tool - a comic- which has been developed along with lesson plans for use in secondary schools globally. |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2018 |
| Impact | The animation has received over 3,000 views on Youtube and has been used widely at conferences as a prompt for discussion for teaching and other events. The comic is being used as an educational tool in schools along with the lesson plans |
| URL | https://positivenegatives.org/story/dear-habib/ |
| Title | 'Together: A Retrospective of Art by Young Refugees' |
| Description | Booklet and art exhibition at New Walk museum |
| Type Of Art | Artistic/Creative Exhibition |
| Year Produced | 2016 |
| Impact | Encouraged participation in the research project, helped to give skills and achievements to research participants and raised awareness among the general public about the experiences of young refugees |
| URL | http://refugeeweek.org.uk/events/together-a-retrospective-of-art-by-young-refugees/ |
| Title | 'Transformation' art workshop with migrant young people (MAXXI, Rome) |
| Description | Narration Project: Migrant Transformations between the MAXXI and Pigorini museums in collaboration with 'Becoming Adult' and Centro Astalli. A series of 8 artistic workshops were run by Jennifer Allsopp with 6 unaccompanied minors in Rome, Italy hosted by Centro Astalli's Aver Drom reception centre on the theme of transformation. The theme drew on the Transformers art exhibition curated by Hou Haru and Anne Palopoli and in particular the artwork 'Disarm' by the Mexican artist Pedro Reyes which sees weapons transformed into musical instruments. The workshops included visits to the MAXXI modern art museum and Pigorini Ethnographic museum, in particular the exhibition of African weapons. The project culminated in a performance of narrations themed around the topic of personal and political transformations which were developed by the young people around some of their artistic creations and their responses to the museums. Their artistic outputs included 2D and 3D media such as painting, drawing, origami and sculpture. The final narrations took place at the MAXXI on Education Day in front of the Transformers exhibit with an audience of approximately 75 people including representatives from the Italian Ministry for Culture and the Italian Ministry for Integration. The project took place in collaboration with SWICH Sharing a World of Inclusion, Creativity and Heritage which is supported by Creative Europe 2014-2018 of the European Union. The idea of the project is to involve museums in creating reflections on the themes of citizenship and belonging in contemporary Europe. |
| Type Of Art | Artwork |
| Year Produced | 2016 |
| Impact | Confidence building for the young people, a site of exchange and understanding between unaccompanied minors and general public during the final narrations and through the production of a book bringing together the narrations with the young people's artwork. Hard copies of this are available at the MAXXI and Pigorini museums and in the next week it will also be available online through the Pigorini ebook page (this will be linked to our project website and that of the MAXXI and Centro Astalli for wider circulation. |
| URL | http://www.fondazionemaxxi.it/events/trasformazioni-migranti-tra-maxxi-e-museo-pigorini/ |
| Title | Becoming Adult - Song |
| Description | A song written and produced by migrant young people in Italy and the UK - captures the theme of the project concerning outcomes for young people. |
| Type Of Art | Performance (Music, Dance, Drama, etc) |
| Year Produced | 2017 |
| Impact | Has brought migrant young people together facing similar experiences in Italy, France, UK and Germany. |
| URL | https://becomingadult.net/2017/12/20/becoming-adult-the-definitive-song/ |
| Title | Comedy workshops with unaccompanied migrant young people |
| Description | We worked with actReel (http://www.actreal.org/) an organisation specialising in using research for policy and public engagement. Using participatory methods, migrant young people wrote and produced a series of short comedy sketches addressing serious issues that they had faced during the asylum and immigration process. These were then professionally filmed to engage wider audiences. The themes covered included: turning 18; the asylum interview; the asylum process; and interpreting in the asylum process. |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2017 |
| Impact | The outputs were presented and highly positively critiqued at the Becoming Adult end of project conference (December 2017) to a wide and diverse audience. We are currently in the early dissemination stage of outputs but believe this is an innovative and creative way of engaging the public and policy audiences in serious issues affecting young people's lives. |
| URL | http://positivenegatives.org/comics-animations/dear-habib/animation/ |
| Title | Drama Production (Mandala Theatre Company) - 'Nightlight' |
| Description | 'Nightlife' is a theatre for Social Justice production by the Oxford-based Mandala Theatre Company . The plot for the play was drawn from (among other sources) engagement with young people working as research team members on the 'Becoming Adult' project. It is a format which powerfully raises awareness about the circumstances and dilemmas faced by unaccompanied migrant young people as they turn 18. The two rehearsed readings were made to packed audiences in Oxford and Birmingham. The response was very positive. The play will soon tour as a theatre in education project to schools and communities around the UK. |
| Type Of Art | Performance (Music, Dance, Drama, etc) |
| Year Produced | 2016 |
| Impact | Large audiences responded highly positively to the production and gave feedback. Young people who had helped to develop the plot attended rehearsed readings and engaged with the actors about the production - its strengths and areas for development. It was a powerful way to raise awareness about the issues faced by young people in these situations - and the Q&A afterwards indicated just how little is known about this phenomenon. |
| Title | Touring of 'Nightlight' drama production with panel discussions (Mandala Theatre Company) |
| Description | Following from the rehearsed readings of Nightlight (theatre production) and their feedback last year; the Mandala Theatre Company toured the revised production to schools and community theatres across the UK. Members of the project research team (including young people) sat on panel discussions following the theatre shows and engaged with audiences of 200-300 people at a time |
| Type Of Art | Performance (Music, Dance, Drama, etc) |
| Year Produced | 2017 |
| Impact | The panel discussions following performances prompted lively debate and were well received. It was notable how little some audiences knew about the situations of young people seeking asylum and what happens as they make the transition to 'adulthood' at 18 years. |
| URL | http://www.mandalatheatre.co.uk/our-work/year-one/ |
| Title | Walking a tightrope Photography project |
| Description | An exhibition and booklet produced from photography workshops with unaccompanied migrant young people |
| Type Of Art | Image |
| Year Produced | 2017 |
| Impact | Engagement and collaboration with key NGOs in the field; giving voice to young people subject to immigration control; engaging broader public in discussion and reflection on the factors affecting the wellbeing outcomes of migrant young people. |
| Description | The study has shifted the boundaries of research with migrant young people, offering methodological innovation and conceptual insights into the complexity of understanding wellbeing in the context of migration. We have gathered the best available longitudinal, qualitative data on the wellbeing outcomes of former unaccompanied migrant children who have made the transition to 'adulthood' (WP1). Adopting a socio-ecological approach to our analysis, enabled a deeper understanding of how social, economic, legal and political factors combine with factors such as gender, ethnicity and country of origin to determine young people's outcomes. These varied widely and included: (i) securing a permanent right to remain in the UK (or Italy), usually leading to more positive outcomes in terms of health, education, social support, sense of belonging and identity etc; (ii) continued uncertainty regarding their status in the UK (resulting in insecurity in terms of accommodation and income; confusion and uncertainty about continued eligibility to welfare support; uncertain learning and education prospects; and difficulties with mental health and emotional wellbeing; (iii) Being refused a right to remain and becoming appeal rights exhausted, which could mean disengaging from all statutory services and facing conditions of destitution and living illegally in the UK ; or moving to other parts of Europe where they considered it might be easier to 'disappear'; (iv) forced removal to countries of origin which usually resulted in re-migration and extended periods of uncertainty and risk for many young people. We found that outcomes for young people from Afghanistan and Albania were different to those from young people from Eritrea (and from Vietnam). The cultural conceptions work (WP2) enhanced understanding about cultural norms surrounding concepts of 'migration'; 'adulthood'; 'futures'; and 'wellbeing' and how these influence and impact experiences of migration for young people. A key achievement has been the successful application of the research design which involved a team of migrant young people as core members of the research team throughout its duration. They have been central to refining the research design, facilitating and conducting fieldwork, informing processes of analysis and in writing and dissemination activities. This methodological intervention proved invaluable in both meeting the research objectives and in enhancing the quality of the research that we were able to carry out. In keeping with the design, the study successfully incorporated a broad range of arts-based methods to generate data in ways which gave young people greater choice over how they discussed their lived experiences and which enhanced their participation in the research. The study has established a better understanding of the impact of policy and practice frameworks which largely define young people's wellbeing outcomes (WP3). This was achieved through in-depth policy analysis, interviews with a range of international, national and local authority stakeholders and through conducting the first ever freedom of information request on the wellbeing outcomes of former unaccompanied minors to all local authorities in England. Overall, we discovered a clear disconnect between current policies and procedures governing the lives of unaccompanied migrant children becoming 'adult' in the UK and their lived experiences. |
| Exploitation Route | A range of academic papers have been published or are in press including: Humphris and Sigona (2017); Chase (2019); Meloni (2018); Haile, Rezaie and Meloni, 2018); Chase, Rezai and Zada (2019). In addition, two volumes are currently in press: (1) an authored volume: Youth Migration and the Politics of Wellbeing ( Chase and Allsopp, Policy Press, 2020) which outlines the key findings from the research and the impact of migration on young people's wellbeing; (2) an edited volume- 'Becoming Adult on the Move: Journeys, Encounters and Transitions' (Chase, Sigona and Chatty 2020) which brings together the three main components of the research (cultural conceptions, lived experiences and policy analysis). A series of 8 policy briefs have now been produced from the project and widely disseminated (and are available on our project website). We know that these are used regularly by advocacy and non-governmental organisations to inform and support their work. The team continues to be invited to a number of events to share findings and to inform policy and discussion and debate on the issues which the research raises. Beyond conferences and workshops (see section on Impact), we have engaged with a range of public audiences and young people in school and community settings. Moreover a set of strong research partnerships have been established with civil society and other academic institutions which continue to pursue a research agenda related to migrant young people. These have led to additional funding for an ESRC-funded research collaboration ; ' Children Caring on the Move'; and ongoing work to secure funding for research to better understand how young people with precarious immigration statuses end up within the criminal justice system. Our work has been referenced in the Guardian newspaper and we have written a piece for the Conversation. Innovations in methodology and dissemination including the use of theatre, photography, music, poetry, comedy, video, comics and animation (see project website) mean that the findings from the research can continue to reach an extensive range of different audiences. The animation 'Dear Habib' (which captures many of the themes from the study) has had around 9,000 views and will be a central feature in the forthcoming ESRC/AHRC/ Imperial War Museum's major exhibition : 'Refugees forced to flee' (April 2020) |
| Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Education,Healthcare,Government, Democracy and Justice,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections,Security and Diplomacy |
| URL | https://becomingadult.net/ |
| Description | The findings from the research have generated policy interest and practitioner interest at national and international levels. As can be seen from the report of outputs in ResearchFish, the team has engaged with a wide range of national and international audiences and facilitated a number of key stakeholder (non-academic) events to raise awareness and promote debate and discussion about the issues faced by young people. The key policy question which our work attempts to address is how best to offer realistic and viable options for the future to migrant young adults (who previously arrived on their own as children). Raising awareness of this disconnect between policy and the lived experiences of migrant young people and promoting debate on how best to redress it, is the main impact of this work. We feel this work has had the following impacts to date but believe the dissemination of findings will continue to promote further discussion and debate; - At the European and international levels, we have managed to put this issue of transition to 'adulthood' at 18 for former unaccompanied minors on the agenda of groups such as the Europe-wide General Directors of Immigration Services, the European Programme for Integration and Migration(EPIM), and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) - At the national UK level, we have produced policy briefs (detailed in publication outputs) for practitioners and policy makers about the current state of knowledge/ evidence on the wellbeing outcomes of former unaccompanied minors who have previously spent time in local authority care. These have been disseminated widely both through targeting relevant all party parliamentary groups of MPS; through our recent project international conference and national policy event (November- December 2017); and through on-going dissemination through our website. We have held a specialist high-level workshop with national level legal, policy and practice stakeholders for the specific context and circumstance for unaccompanied migrant young people from Albania becoming 'adult'. We have also maintained a central focus throughout in giving young people a voice in the debates and discussions concerning their future wellbeing outcomes. This participatory approach has been a highly successful impact of the research and has been taken up subsequently as a model for further research by the PI and colleagues -e.g ESRC-funded project 'Children Caring on the Move' and the ESRC-Funded LOHST project (Vulnerable Children in a Hostile Environment: The Legal and Social Impacts of Covid-19 on Young Unaccompanied Asylum-Seekers in England, ESRC ref. ES/W000474/1-) . The use of a broad range of arts-based and participatory methods has facilitated innovations in research which can be used beyond the life of the project and has enabled reaching an extensive audience for our research (e.g the Youtube animation 'Dear Habib' has already had close to 20,000 viewings and was featured in a major ESRC/AHRC/Imperial War Museum major exhibition: Refugees forced to flee ( May - June 2021). The related comics from the animation have been used in curricular materials to support education and learning about migration issues in schools. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2017 |
| Sector | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Education,Healthcare,Government, Democracy and Justice,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections,Other |
| Impact Types | Cultural,Societal,Policy & public services |
| Description | Influencing agenda of General Directors of Immigration Services (Europe) to consider needs of migrant children post 18 |
| Geographic Reach | Europe |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Impact | As a result of the input into the international conference of General Directors of Immigration Services, there was demonstrable commitment to continue to engage in policy debate/discussion to further consider the needs of migrant children and young people once they had made the transition to 'adulthood' at 18. This was evidenced by a follow up event organised in Rome to discuss the same issue 17-18 November 2016 |
| Description | Member of WHO (Regional Office for Europe) Expert Group on Refugee and Migrant Child Health Technical Guidance |
| Geographic Reach | Europe |
| Policy Influence Type | Membership of a guideline committee |
| Description | Participant in General Directors of Immigration Services Europe Workshop on Unaccompanied Minors in the EU (17-18 November 2016) |
| Geographic Reach | Europe |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Impact | Raised a number of issues and contributed knowledge from research findings to discussions which fed into peer learning among officials responsible for shaping policies concerning the reception of unaccompanied minors across European Member States including on: age assessment practices, gender and durable solutions. |
| URL | http://www.gdisc.org |
| Description | Between protection and exclusion: Separated child migrants' care relationships and caring practices |
| Amount | £99,967,719 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | ES/S001980/1 |
| Organisation | Open University |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 05/2019 |
| End | 08/2022 |
| Description | ESRC Brexit (Nando Sigona, University of Birmingham) |
| Amount | £300,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Economic and Social Research Council |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 04/2017 |
| End | 09/2018 |
| Description | Undergraduate law studentship from a charity for one of the young research assistants on the project who otherwise had no recourse to public funds for education |
| Amount | £30,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Marks Family Charitable Trust |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2018 |
| End | 06/2021 |
| Description | Vulnerable Children in a Hostile Environment: The Legal and Social Impacts of Covid-19 on Young Unaccompanied Asylum-Seekers in England |
| Amount | £354,136 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | ES/W000474/1 |
| Organisation | Economic and Social Research Council |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2021 |
| End | 07/2022 |
| Title | Unaccompanied migrant young people as partners in research |
| Description | Eight young people who had previously migrated on their own to the UK as children were core members of the research team from the beginning. This meant that they were able to guide and advise on the research throughout and enabled the team to access and engage with young people's experiences and perspectives which would not have been possible in a more orthodox research design. Using a range of research engagement activities co-facilitated by young people on the team (including music, drama, comedy, art and photography) widened young people's participation throughout the course of the research. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2018 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | - Migrant young people had a voice in all stages of the research project from refining the design stages (post award); through to dissemination activities. The approach enabled engagement with highly marginalised and dispersed communities of young people which would not otherwise have been possible. Young people have had the opportunity to write and publish about their experiences of their position in the research project (being the 'researched' and the 'researcher'), offering important learning from the process for future research. |
| Description | 'Transformations' collaboration with MAXXI Modern Art and Architecture Museum and Pigorini Ethnography Museum in Rome |
| Organisation | Jesuit Refugee Service |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | During my fieldwork in Rome I organised a series of eight artistic workshops with unaccompanied asylum seeking minors under the care of the Jesuit Refugee Service and co-led visits to the MAXXI Modern Art and Architecture Museum and Pigorini Ethnography Museum in Rome. As a result of the series of workshops and visits the young people created a series of creative outputs and narrations which they presented to and discussed with an audience composed of members of the general public at a special event at the MAXXI Modern Art and Architecture Museum. I was responsible for training them in artistic methods, guiding them in the development of these creative outputs and bringing these outputs together for publication in a booklet and presentation at said event which took place on Education Day, 6th March. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The collaboration was part of a project called 'Transformations' which took place as part of a broader programme called 'Narrations from Museum to Museum'. This programme forms part of the MAXXI Foundation's outreach activities. MAXXI and Pigorini museums as well as staff at the Jesuit Refugee Service contributed staff time for the visits and tours and also contributed financially for the production of a booklet showing the young people's artistic outputs. The Pigorini organised a temporary exhibition of the young people's artwork in their museum. |
| Impact | Hard copies and PDF versions of a booklet showcasing young people's art and narrations. A video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHSrBBhbutE Disciplines included the arts and humanities and social sciences |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | 'Transformations' collaboration with MAXXI Modern Art and Architecture Museum and Pigorini Ethnography Museum in Rome |
| Organisation | MAXXI - National Museum of 21st Century Arts |
| Country | Italy |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | During my fieldwork in Rome I organised a series of eight artistic workshops with unaccompanied asylum seeking minors under the care of the Jesuit Refugee Service and co-led visits to the MAXXI Modern Art and Architecture Museum and Pigorini Ethnography Museum in Rome. As a result of the series of workshops and visits the young people created a series of creative outputs and narrations which they presented to and discussed with an audience composed of members of the general public at a special event at the MAXXI Modern Art and Architecture Museum. I was responsible for training them in artistic methods, guiding them in the development of these creative outputs and bringing these outputs together for publication in a booklet and presentation at said event which took place on Education Day, 6th March. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The collaboration was part of a project called 'Transformations' which took place as part of a broader programme called 'Narrations from Museum to Museum'. This programme forms part of the MAXXI Foundation's outreach activities. MAXXI and Pigorini museums as well as staff at the Jesuit Refugee Service contributed staff time for the visits and tours and also contributed financially for the production of a booklet showing the young people's artistic outputs. The Pigorini organised a temporary exhibition of the young people's artwork in their museum. |
| Impact | Hard copies and PDF versions of a booklet showcasing young people's art and narrations. A video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHSrBBhbutE Disciplines included the arts and humanities and social sciences |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | 'Transformations' collaboration with MAXXI Modern Art and Architecture Museum and Pigorini Ethnography Museum in Rome |
| Organisation | Pigorini National Museum of Prehistory and Ethnography |
| Country | Italy |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | During my fieldwork in Rome I organised a series of eight artistic workshops with unaccompanied asylum seeking minors under the care of the Jesuit Refugee Service and co-led visits to the MAXXI Modern Art and Architecture Museum and Pigorini Ethnography Museum in Rome. As a result of the series of workshops and visits the young people created a series of creative outputs and narrations which they presented to and discussed with an audience composed of members of the general public at a special event at the MAXXI Modern Art and Architecture Museum. I was responsible for training them in artistic methods, guiding them in the development of these creative outputs and bringing these outputs together for publication in a booklet and presentation at said event which took place on Education Day, 6th March. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The collaboration was part of a project called 'Transformations' which took place as part of a broader programme called 'Narrations from Museum to Museum'. This programme forms part of the MAXXI Foundation's outreach activities. MAXXI and Pigorini museums as well as staff at the Jesuit Refugee Service contributed staff time for the visits and tours and also contributed financially for the production of a booklet showing the young people's artistic outputs. The Pigorini organised a temporary exhibition of the young people's artwork in their museum. |
| Impact | Hard copies and PDF versions of a booklet showcasing young people's art and narrations. A video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHSrBBhbutE Disciplines included the arts and humanities and social sciences |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | BRIDGE project on undocumented migration |
| Organisation | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign |
| Department | Department of Latina/Latino |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Led a delegation from the University of Birmingham to visit Prof Jonathan Inda and colleagues at UIUC to brainstorm on potential future collaborations |
| Collaborator Contribution | We hosted UIUC colleagues at the University of Birmingham and had brainstorming on joint research interests and possible joint writing projects |
| Impact | Currently developing ideas for comparative collaborative study on undocumented migration |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | Collaboration in a network of civil society organisations and academics focusing on the wellbeing outcomes of Albanian migrant children and young people |
| Organisation | Shpresa Programme |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Shpresa is an organisation working with the Albanian community in the UK. An area of their work is supporting unaccompanied migrant young people from Albania. We are collaborating through our research project to build a body of evidence supporting policy and practice (particularly in relation to legal, social care and education services) relevant to these young people. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The organisation has helped facilitate elements of our research project and helped organise policy-focused meetings and events where we have had a chance to disseminate emerging findings from the research |
| Impact | An arts/photography project created with young people which will be published in march 2017; A forthcoming policy-focused conference on outcomes for unaccompanied migrant young people scheduled for June 2017 |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | Together: A Retrospective of Art by Young Refugees |
| Organisation | After 18 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | As part of my fieldwork I participated in a series of art workshops for young refugees and asylum seekers. I invited them to talk about the artwork they had created and collated these narrations and images in content for a booklet. With the art club's organisers, I helped organise an exhibition of this art work at the New Walk Museum during Refugee Week and helped put together and distribute the booklet to the local community. My grant money contributed to printing costs. |
| Collaborator Contribution | After 18 organised the art workshops and provided in-house graphic design for the booklet. Charnwood Arts provided all of the art materials. New Walk museum gave us exhibition space and promoted the event for us. Refugee Week also helped to promote the event. |
| Impact | Hard and PDF versions of a booklet Art Exhibition |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | Together: A Retrospective of Art by Young Refugees |
| Organisation | Charnwood Arts |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | As part of my fieldwork I participated in a series of art workshops for young refugees and asylum seekers. I invited them to talk about the artwork they had created and collated these narrations and images in content for a booklet. With the art club's organisers, I helped organise an exhibition of this art work at the New Walk Museum during Refugee Week and helped put together and distribute the booklet to the local community. My grant money contributed to printing costs. |
| Collaborator Contribution | After 18 organised the art workshops and provided in-house graphic design for the booklet. Charnwood Arts provided all of the art materials. New Walk museum gave us exhibition space and promoted the event for us. Refugee Week also helped to promote the event. |
| Impact | Hard and PDF versions of a booklet Art Exhibition |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | Together: A Retrospective of Art by Young Refugees |
| Organisation | New Walk Museum |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | As part of my fieldwork I participated in a series of art workshops for young refugees and asylum seekers. I invited them to talk about the artwork they had created and collated these narrations and images in content for a booklet. With the art club's organisers, I helped organise an exhibition of this art work at the New Walk Museum during Refugee Week and helped put together and distribute the booklet to the local community. My grant money contributed to printing costs. |
| Collaborator Contribution | After 18 organised the art workshops and provided in-house graphic design for the booklet. Charnwood Arts provided all of the art materials. New Walk museum gave us exhibition space and promoted the event for us. Refugee Week also helped to promote the event. |
| Impact | Hard and PDF versions of a booklet Art Exhibition |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | Together: A Retrospective of Art by Young Refugees |
| Organisation | Refugee Week |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | As part of my fieldwork I participated in a series of art workshops for young refugees and asylum seekers. I invited them to talk about the artwork they had created and collated these narrations and images in content for a booklet. With the art club's organisers, I helped organise an exhibition of this art work at the New Walk Museum during Refugee Week and helped put together and distribute the booklet to the local community. My grant money contributed to printing costs. |
| Collaborator Contribution | After 18 organised the art workshops and provided in-house graphic design for the booklet. Charnwood Arts provided all of the art materials. New Walk museum gave us exhibition space and promoted the event for us. Refugee Week also helped to promote the event. |
| Impact | Hard and PDF versions of a booklet Art Exhibition |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | University of Bergen - developing research proposal for comparative work |
| Organisation | University of Bergen |
| Country | Norway |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Dr Synnove Bendixen (University of Bergen) is a member of the advisory board for Becoming Adult. We have organised a number of brainstorming events in Bergen and Oxford over the duration of the project to develop ideas for further collaborative and comparative work. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Becoming Adult research team was hosted in Bergen three times. As part of the visits we were also invited to give public talks as part of 'Migration Week' and 'Bergen Exchange'. |
| Impact | Dr Bendixen contributed to an edited book by Dr Sigona (Routledge, forthcoming). Research using a similar methodology is being carried out in Bergen and we will meet to discuss possible joint papers. |
| Start Year | 2014 |
| Description | Advisor Law and Education Project (London) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Expertise from research project used to advise new Law and Education project (run by the Migrant and Refugee Children's Law Centre- London). This is on-going activity. The project will reach professionals and practitioners nationally -and aims to train all professionals engaging with migrant and refugee children about the legal rights of children and young people and how they can get access to more appropriate and better quality information about their legal rights. This is of fundamental importance since a lack of accurate legal advice soon after the arrival of refugee children and young people creates major difficulties for their legal status as they make the transition to adulthood (the focus of our research). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Al Jazeera's Inside Story: Cologne attacks and refugee integration |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Refugee integration is the big challenge for the next few years. I joined a panel to discuss how this can be achieved. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | http://superdiversity.net/2015/11/13/al-jazeeras-inside-story-on-refugee-integration-in-europe/ |
| Description | Article for openDemocracy |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Article for openDemocracy, 9 March 2017, 'A very British tug of war over Europe's child refugees' |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | https://opendemocracy.net/5050/jennifer-allsopp/very-british-tug-of-war-over-europe-s-child-refugees |
| Description | Blog on project website |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A blog on the project website provides a platform for young people involved in the study and their peers to have a voice about factors affecting their experiences of migration and access to support and care services. Young people who are members of the research team frequently write blogs and comment on policies affecting their lives. The blog is generating an increasing amount of interest among other migrant young people and the general public |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015,2016 |
| URL | http://www.becomingadult.net |
| Description | Book Launch for 'Youth Migration and the Politics of Wellbeing' - |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | A high-level book launch for one of the main outputs from the project : 'Youth Migration and the Politics of Wellbeing: Stories of Life in Transition (E. Chase and J. Allsopp). The invent was jointly hosted by the United Nations University, the Immigration Initiative at Harvard University and UCL Institute of Education. It included speakers from UNICEF, IOM and the UNU Centre for Policy Research (among others). The intended purpose was, through the publication, to promote the work of the project internationally. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_HnuvgnUGSrOcsYUFT-PJ8g |
| Description | Childhood without a future |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | This was a radio interview which was podcast as part of the Monday Morning Meetings on Migration series from the Institute for Migration and Ethnic Studies, University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The podcast is part of a series which engages students, academics and other professionals in current policy and political debates surrounding migration. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | https://becomingadult.net/2016/05/04/childhood-without-a-future-unaccompanied-youth-migrants-in-euro... |
| Description | Constructing Viable Futures: Unaccompanied Migrant Young People Transitioning to Adulthood |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | This conference marked the end of the research project. It presented key findings from the 'Becoming Adult' research project alongside research, legal and policy perspectives concerning unaccompanied migrant children and young people from across Europe, Turkey, Afghanistan and the USA. It brought together internationally recognised experts in the field from both research and policy communities. A central panel at the conference was run by young people presenting their perspectives and experiences of participatory research activities throughout the course of the project. All sessions were podcast and are available at the URL below |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | https://becomingadult.net/2017/12/28/becoming-adult-conference-podcast-now-available/ |
| Description | Debating Calais on France24 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Joined a panel discussion on France decision to evict Calais camp residents. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | https://nandosigona.wordpress.com/2016/02/23/debating-calais-on-france24/ |
| Description | Delivered a seminar to the Department of Education, University of Oxford |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Delivered a seminar to the Department of Education, University of Oxford on 'Trust, rapport and respect in qualitative research with young men on the move', 3 November 2016 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Delivered work in progress seminar at the Refugee Studies Centre, University of Oxford |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Delivered work in progress seminar at the Refugee Studies Centre, 'Unaccompanied young migrants and refugees coming of age in the UK and Italy: pathways through immigration control and welfare regimes', 21 February 2017 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Dissemination of research briefings to All Party Parliamentary Groups |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | A set of research briefings emerging from the research were mailed to Chairs and all members of All Party Parliamentary Groups for Refugees; Migration and Children and looked after children. All MPs were invited to contact the research team for further information or to continue discussions on the issues raised. This activity has just taken place so it is difficult to assess impact as yet. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Ethics of collaborative research |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Presented findings from the Becoming Adult research relevant to the ethics of conducting collaborative/ participatory research with unaccompanied migrant young people. The discussion sparked debate and conversation about the benefits and potential risks of conducting research in this way. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Facing Deportation: A game of cat and mouse (featuring the Life Facing Deportation team) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | The podcast discusses the impacts of deportation through the experience of one young man. It highlighted the importance of the Life Facing Deportation research and its focus on adopting an international/ comparative perspective in order to understand the complexities of deportation procedures and their global impact. The podcast has generated further debate and discussion among students and promoted the Life facing deportation research and its importance. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.deporting-lives.co.uk/resources?lightbox=dataItem-kdii623r |
| Description | Feature profile on E-IR.info |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Long interview with E-IR, the world's leading open access website for students and scholars of international politics, on the refugee crisis and how it is shaping our research agenda |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| URL | http://www.e-ir.info/2015/11/01/interview-nando-sigona/ |
| Description | Friuli Futures Forum |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Participated in Friuli Futures Forum in Udine, Italy, on a panel on 'Migration and Cities', 14-18 February 2017 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | http://www.friulifutureforum.com |
| Description | Guardian newspaper article, mental health and refugees |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | An article in the Guardian was written in response to a number of unaccompanied migrant young people from Eritrea taking their own lives in London. A discussion with the journalist meant that findings from this research award supported the media reporting/ highlighting the factors negatively impacting migrant young people's mental health and wellbeing. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/jun/17/suicides-raise-alarm-about-uk-treatment-of-child-ref... |
| Description | Interview for Al Jazeera on solutions for the refugee crisis |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | I was interviewed to comment on two proposals concerning the refugee crisis |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| URL | http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2015/12/bridge-mediterranean-save-refugees-151216081619467... |
| Description | Interview on national news |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The real Theresa May: How the PM tried to introduce immigration checks in schools |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | http://www.politics.co.uk/comment-analysis/2017/10/05/the-real-theresa-may-how-the-pm-tried-to-intro... |
| Description | Interview with CNN International |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | I was interviewed for a piece on the EU's response to the refugee crisis: http://edition.cnn.com/2017/02/22/europe/europe-refugee-policy/index.html |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | http://edition.cnn.com/2017/02/22/europe/europe-refugee-policy/index.html |
| Description | Invited talk at Columbia University, US |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Invited Speaker, Italy and the Euro-Mediterranean migration crisis, Columbia University, USA |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNe5Tv3b9XE |
| Description | Invited talk, Volkswagen Stiftung, Hannover |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Invited Speaker, Interdisciplinary perspectives on unaccompanied migration, University of Leipzig, Volkswagen Stiftung. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Invited to IOM expert group |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Invited Speaker, Expert group on irregular migration, International Organisation for Migration (IOM), Berlin |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | https://vimeo.com/231508205 |
| Description | Iron rod and collander welfare: migrant young people's comparative experiences of social welfare in the UK and Italy |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The talk was part of the international IMISCOE conference in Barcelona 2018 and was part of an Medicine sans Frontieres organised panel . It generated a lot of interest from others attending and has generated on-going advisory exchanges between the project team and members of the NGO community (including MSF) about how best to provide support to unaccompanied migrant young people across Europe. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Keynote invitation - Precarity and precariousness among former unaccompanied minors |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Invitation to deliver keynote speech on unaccompanied minors |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/responding-effectively-to-issues-faced-by-asylum-seeking-and-refugee-... |
| Description | Keynote speaker at General Directors of Immigration Services Conference Rome |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | This was a keynote address at the General Directors of Immigration Services (GDIS) annual conference, 23-24 June in Rome, Italy. The conference Children On The Move In Europe was considering the outcomes of unaccompanied and migrant children. The title of the keynote: 'Unaccompanied Migrating Children Becoming 'Adult': The missing link in the policy debate' encouraged Directors of Immigration Services to consider outcomes for migrant children once they had made the transition to 'adulthood' at 18 years. The presentation sparked an extensive debate and discussion and a commitment by GDIS to have a follow-up event to consider the specific policy implications for migrant children as they turn 18. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Keynote speaker at the International Association for the Study of Forced Migration Conference in Poznan, Poland |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | I was invited to give the main keynote speech at the annual IASFM conference |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Keynote, University of Sheffield |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Keynote Speaker, 3rd Annual Postgraduate Conference on Migration and (un)belonging, University of Sheffield. Topic: immigration and citizenship nexus |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Launch of Centre for Innovation and Research on Wellbeing (Sussex) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Launch of the Centre for Innovation and Research on Wellbeing - at the University of Sussex. Generated widespread discussion on concepts of wellbeing and how we effectively conduct research in the field. An opportunity to build important partnerships with others working in the field and to think about future joint collaborations. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| URL | http://www.sussex.ac.uk/socialwork/cirw/newsandevents/ourevents |
| Description | Launch of Refugee Support Network Report on returns (UCL, London) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Close to 100 people attended the launch of a report by the NGO Refugee Support Network which looked at the outcomes for young people returned to Afghanistan from the UK. This links directly to our ESRC-funded 'Becoming Adult' Project - examining longer-term outcomes for former unaccompanied children and young people. The event was hosted by the PI on the Becoming Adult project and was an opportunity to promote the research alongside the launch of the report. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | https://refugeesupportnetwork.org/blog/after-return |
| Description | Member of Advisory Board ERC Child Move Project |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | On the back of the Becoming Adult research project, Elaine Chase was invited to be on the Advisory Board on a new ERC Child Move project examining the impact of transit and travel experiences on the psychological wellbeing of unaccompanied refugee minors. This research is taking place in Libya, Greece, Italy, Belgium |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Op-ed in The Independent |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Piece questioning general perception re refugee crisis in the UK |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/the-chart-that-shows-just-how-generous-the-uks-offer-... |
| Description | OpenDemocracy - Mind the gap: Why are unaccompanied minors disappearing in their thousands |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Drawing on preliminary findings from Becoming Adult, the piece critically engages with current debate on the disappearance of young migrants and the decision to fund a EUROPOL agency to focus on the issue. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012,2016 |
| URL | https://www.opendemocracy.net/5050/nando-sigona-and-jennifer-allsopp/mind-gap-why-are-unaccompanied-... |
| Description | Outrage Over Unaccompanied Minors Highlights Massive E.U. Data Gap / Refugees Deeply |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Op-ed summarising the findings from IOM working paper for Becoming Adult |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | https://www.newsdeeply.com/refugees/community/2016/10/10/outrage-over-unaccompanied-minors-highlight... |
| Description | Panel on the refugee crisis at the European Parliament Office in London |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | I joined a high profile panel on the refugee crisis at Europe House |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | http://www.europarl.org.uk/en/uk-events/past_events/past2016/relocation.html;jsessionid=8A0434DB65B1... |
| Description | Policy workshop to discuss how best to present findings from Becoming Adult research project for policy audiences |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | The event brought together key policy people and representatives from third sector organisations in the field of child and youth migration. Findings from the research project were shared and draft policy briefs discussed and critiqued. These were then refined in light of the discussions. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Presentation (Oxford University) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Presentation as part of a conference 'Being Outside Afghanistan'; an interdisciplinary event on migration and Afghanistan. Sparked questions and discussion/debate about the research and its specific focus on young people's migration from Afghanistan and the kinds of migratory trajectories they experience. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | http://afghanmigration.org/abstracts/ |
| Description | Presentation (Sussex University) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Presentation to students and professionals about the (at that time)new research project. Important discussion and debate about the nature of the research and research methods. Great interest in the focus of the research and the methodological innovations involved. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| URL | http://www.sussex.ac.uk/education/newsandevents/events/seminarscurrent/seminararchive/archive2014_15 |
| Description | Presentation at International Sociological Association Vienna |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Presentation as part of the ISA conference on emerging outcomes from the Becoming Adult project. Followed by panel discussion with academics from a range of disciplines. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | https://isaconf.confex.com/isaconf/forum2016/webprogram/Symposium290.html |
| Description | Presentation at Refugees in a Moving World Symposium UCL |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Presentation as part of a symposium with the theme of Hospitality and Hostility towards refugee populations. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | https://www.ucl.ac.uk/institute-of-advanced-studies/ias-events/hospitality-and-hostility-in-a-moving... |
| Description | Presentation at international seminar Bologna, Italy (Meloni) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | The talk - Politics of Non-Responsibility? Care and Responsibility for Unaccompanied Minors in the UK was given at the seminar: Arendt's Children: Words, Stories and Gaze for Rethinking the Reception of Unaccompanied Minors. The presentation raised prompted questions and discussion about care and responsibility for migrant young people once they are no longer children, and the policy and practice implications of this shift. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Presented at the Family Research Group, Department of Social Policy and Intervention, University of Oxford |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Presented at the Family Research Group, Department of Social Policy and Intervention, 10 November 2016 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Refugees Forced to Flee - (Featuring Dear Habib animation) Exhibition Imperial War Museum |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The animation 'Dear Habib' produced by the Becoming Adult Project was part of a major exhibition at the Imperial War Museum - Refugees Forced to Flee. The event was produced by the IWM in collaboration with UKRI-AHRC and UKRI-ESRC. Despite COVID-19 this is reaching wide audiences and will be open until 21 May 2021 . The exhibition has received high level media coverage from national newspapers (including The Guardian and The Telegraph) and other media outlets .. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021 |
| URL | https://www.iwm.org.uk/events/refugees-forced-to-flee |
| Description | Seminar (SPI, University of Oxford) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Seminar to promote research and emerging findings to Social Policy practitioners and students. Generated much debate and discussion; raised awareness about the specifics of the situations of young people transitioning to adulthood wild subject to immigration control. Raised much interest in the subject area. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | http://www.spi.ox.ac.uk/fileadmin/documents/Doc/160107_CSP_Seminar_series.pdf |
| Description | Talk at Invitation-Expert workshop Children on the Move: Building Migration Data Capacities (IOM), Rabat March 2019 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | The talk (due to take place later in March 2019) will help inform data collection approaches when working with migrant children and young people drawing directly on experience developed through the Becoming Adult project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Talk at international seminar on youth migration |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | Presentation given as part of a special consortium of interdisciplinary scholars working on issues of youth migration and part of an international seminar: Navigating Shifting Social Terrains: Ethnographic Perspectives on Unaccompanied Refugee Youth in Europe, University of Bern, Switzerland, 2017: Presentation prompted discussion among participants of how best to frame and present in publication the specific experiences of migrant young people seeking asylum across Europe. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Talk at launch of Centre for Education and International Development (UCL IOE) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | The CEID at UCL IOE was launched in 2017. Migration, education and international development theme is a core theme of the centre. The presentation prompted discussion about the specific educational challenges faced by unaccompanied minors as they turn 18. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | http://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/news-events/events-pub/jun-2017/centre-for-education-international-developm... |
| Description | The Biggest Fears Come at 18: Unaccompanied Minors from Albania Transitioning to Adulthood (Meloni) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | . Presentation as part of a public engagement conference "Walking a Tightrope: The Hidden Protection Needs of Albanian Unaccompanied Asylum Seekers." London, University College London, 2017. The presentation and event generated much debate. An expert group of specialist legal practitioners was established as a result of the event to build and strengthen legal case studies supporting applications from unaccompanied minors |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/walking-a-tightrope-the-hidden-protection-needs-of-albanian-uasc-tick... |
| Description | The Conversation/Internazionale |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Op-ed: If the EU wants to be the bastion of liberal democracy, it too must stop demonising refugees and migrants The Op-ed was widely circulated through social and mainstream media and translated in Italian by the news magazine Internazionale: http://cartadiroma.waypress.eu//RassegnaStampa/LeggiArticolo.aspx?codice=PG06055.TIF?cod=20170211#Pag=1& |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | https://theconversation.com/profiles/nando-sigona-94472/articles |
| Description | The Conversation: Calais is not a problem |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The piece challenges widespread assumptions of the significance of Calais in the refugee crisis bringing a novel perspective to the debate. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| URL | https://theconversation.com/calais-migrants-are-not-invading-theyre-just-a-small-part-of-a-global-re... |
| Description | The Conversation: Lost in global asylum system |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This was a piece for the academic Blog 'Conversation' based on emerging findings from the research - it offers a powerful additional dimension to the outcomes of former unaccompanied young people - that is how some get caught up within the global systems of asylum and are shunted between different systems, unable to secure a place of safety. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | http://theconversation.com/lost-in-the-world-the-young-people-shunted-around-a-global-asylum-system-... |
| Description | Training on Participatory Research Methods |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Co-delivered training to post-graduate researchers on participatory research methods for the University of Oxford Social Sciences Division, 13 February 2017. Drew heavily on experience of our research. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Walking a tightrope participatory photography project |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | A series of workshops with migrant young people using photography to capture their experiences and engage others in understanding their lives. This work was achieved in partnership with Shpresa (organisation working with Albanian young people) and Brighter Futures (an NGO working with migrant young people in London. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | https://becomingadultproject.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/walking-a-tightrope_2017.pdf |
| Description | Walking a tightrope: Hidden Issues, Challenges and Complexities surrounding the protection needs of Albanian unaccompanied young people |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This one day event brought legal, policy and NGO experts together with young people and researchers to present state of the art knowledge and practice concerning support to unaccompanied migrant children and young people from Albania. A special legal subgroup for the case of Albania was established at the event and continues to work to review legal policy and practice in the field. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | https://becomingadultproject.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/summaryreportwalkingatightrope_final.pdf |
| Description | Workshop with Brighter Futures |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | An event to promote our research with other potential research participants and to seek their ideas about how to take the research forward in ways which were most appropriate/interesting for them as potential participants. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Young Migrants' Experiences of Becoming Adult in the UK (Meloni) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Presentation at the Conference of the International Association for the Study of Forced Migration. Poznan, 2016. Prompted debate and discussion about the specific needs of unaccompanied minors turning 18 and the policy, practice and research implications. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |