Yesterday’s #EasternArc session on HE in Palestine felt like a direct call to action - so much can be achieved if we put effort into working with/round clunky university processes - pooling open resources, giving Gaza students honorary fellowships to enable library access… 1/2
My key takeaway from today is that co-creation/inclusion is the only way to properly and effectively support communities. We can take the first step, propose ideas, enable institutional actions… but then we need to ask what’s actually needed and design solutions collectively #EasternArc
Great to hear about the importance of peer-led support from UEA University of Sanctuary students, who co-organise a regular community kitchen (cookbook to come!). Involving displaced students in activities is essential to build trust for those who may not reach out for formal help #EasternArc
Vicki Tennant from UNHDR sets out a vision of sanctuary as a pathway to inclusion, not a place apart - where refugees can join new communities or return to their home community. Policy shift and cultural change are needed. We must raise our voices and take action now #EasternArc
Prof Geoff Gilbert from @essexuni.bsky.social reminds academics ‘nothing about us without us’ - if we’re not involving (co-creating with?) displaced persons in our research, from the design to the dissemination, then we’re stealing #EasternArc @easternarc.bsky.social
Excellent keynote from @krishk.com on engaging with right wing media to understand their language, how they generate outrage and set the political narrative. And the power of proximity, when we stop othering people, to break down barriers and enact positive change #EasternArc #SanctuarySolidarities
