Truth Be Told: A Creative Agency exhibition that explores messaging, media and visual storytelling 

In October 2023, the Glucksman invited teenage asylum seekers, refugees and migrants to work with artist Seiko Hayase and facilitator Molly Sterling on a series of creative workshops that explored the art of détournement. Taking inspiration from the exhibition détour: Selected works from the FRAC Bretagne collection, participants learned creative skills under the guidance of the artist and facilitator. Détournement is the art of mixing, sampling or editing advertisements or images from mainstream media to subvert or ‘détourn’ the meaning behind the original image in an effort to highlight a social injustice. The teenagers aged 15-17 years developed their ideas and skills over 4 days of workshops as they worked to create original art for public presentation. Their artworks will be displayed in the Glucksman Foyer Exhibition Space for the duration of UCC Refugee Week 2024.

Creative Agency is an ongoing project devised by the Glucksman to empower young asylum seekers, refugees and migrants to participate in imaginative projects that enable them to present their voices and views in the public realm. Creative Agency is funded by the Arts Council of Ireland. 

Truth Be Told runs from 19-24 February.

The Glucksman opening hours: 10am – 5pm, Tuesday to Saturday, 2-5pm, Sundays, Closed Mondays.

Admission Free / Suggested donation €5

Visit www.glucksman.org

Racism and the rise of the far right – historical and international perspectives

This seminar, hosted by the ISS21 Migration & Integration Research Cluster, brings the focus to the recent rise of anti-immigrant sentiment in Ireland and internationally.

When & where:

Monday 19th Feb, 12:00-13:15, ORB 255.

Speakers:

Dr Amin Sharifi Isaloo, Department of Sociology & Criminology

Dr Piaras Mac Éinrí, Department of Geography

The work of SAR and the role of member universities like UCC

Dr Sarah Field, Programme Officer with Scholars at Risk Europe, which is based at Maynooth University, will speak to us on the role of Scholars at Risk in supporting academics who are at risk all around the world. Scholars at Risk is an international network of institutions and individuals whose mission it is to protect scholars and promote academic freedom. Sarah will detail how SAR works and the important role that member universities, like UCC, play. 

Monday 19th Feb 14:00-15:00 Boole Library Seminar Room

Facilitating Integration with Graham Clifford

The Sanctuary Runners was founded 6 years ago by Graham Clifford in Cork. It focuses on the very simple concept of running alongside refugees, asylum seekers, migrants and Irish-resident people and it has Solidarity, Friendship, and Respect at its core. Now a nationwide movement that has spread internationally, the Sanctuary Runners provides a gold standard of community integration and support. Graham will tell the story of the Sanctuary Runners and discuss how the model can be the basis for a robust community integration strategy in Ireland.

Áras na Laoi G02, Tuesday 20th Feb 11:00-12:00

Sanctuary Run

Join us for a lunchtime Sanctuary Run with UCC Staff AC.

The UCC Staff Athletics Club and the UCC Students Athletics Club are collaborating with the Cork Sanctuary Runners in a lunchtime run in solidarity with refugees, asylum seekers and migrants. All are welcome to join us down at the Sonia O'Sullivan athletics track on Tuesday 20th Feb for a 1.15 start. Bring your running shoes! Information will be available on how to join the Sanctuary Runners and the UCC Staff AC.

Raising Awareness of Child Trafficking & Exploring Potential Research Collaborations

ISS21 Poverties, Social Justice, & Inequalities Cluster in collaboration with the Inclusion Health Research Group (IHRG) in the College of Medicine and Health

As part of UCC Refugee Week 2024, the Poverties, Social Justice, and Inequalities research cluster of ISS21, in collaboration with the IHRG, is pleased to host Mr J.P. O’Sullivan, Network  and Communications Manager of MECPATHS.

MECPATHS works to raise awareness on Child Trafficking and educate frontline and emerging professionals on how to recognise indicators and report their concerns to the authorities.

Much of their work involves training healthcare, hotel, transport and other staff to be alert to cases of child trafficking and ensuring understanding of reporting structures. JP is a graduate of UCC (B.Soc.Sc 2006, MSW 2008) and is interested in talking to ISS21 and IHRG researchers about potential research collaborations.

To learn more about the issue of child trafficking, the work of MECPATHS, and to discuss research possibilities please come along to this talk. All are welcome. Please register so we can plan refreshments.

Wednesday 21^st February 11.00-12.00 Room G14 Western Gateway Building

For further details contact Dr Angela Flynn, Convenor of ISS21 Poverties, Social Justice, and Inequalities Cluster angela.flynn@ucc.ie

Building Education Pathways for Refugee Students: UCC’s Experience 

This event will provide an overview of Education Pathways. Education pathways are scholarships allowing refugees to study abroad and find a safe and stable new home. Attendees will gain an appreciation for why these safe pathways are needed and get a sense of the refugee crisis worldwide. Presenters Tessa Cornally (Complementary Pathways Officer, Nasc) and Dr Ruth Hally (Community Engaged Learning Officer, UCC) will share the exciting news of UCC’s first foray into Education Pathways through its involvement in the EU-Passworld project. Come along to learn more. 

Location: WGB226, Western Gateway Building, UCC 

Date and Time: 21st February, 3-4 p.m. 

Supporting the integration and inclusion of refugee and migrant children in schools: evidence and practice

Presenters: Dr Shirley Martin, School of Applied Social Studies, UCC and Champion School of Sanctuary Representatives; Francis Moynihan, Millstreet Community College and David O’Keefe, Blarney Street CBS School

This joint lunch-time seminar will explore good practices which support the integration and inclusion of refugee and migrant children in schools. There will be a brief overview of research evidence on socio-educational integration for migrant and refugee children from the recently finished IMMERSE project. IMMERSE is a 5-year H2020 project with partner countries including Belgium, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy and Spain. Data was collected directly with children using specially designed questionnaires, resulting in a database of responses from over 25,000 children, aged 7 to 18.  The project has created various digital tools designed to help school leaders, teachers, educators, and social professionals identify supportive environments and practical resources that facilitate inclusion.

The second half of the seminar will be led by two Champion School of Sanctuary Representatives who will share their experiences of engaging with the Schools of Sanctuary Journey and how they are helping every student, especially newcomers to feel welcome, safe and included.

Wed 21st, WGB 226 13:00-14:00

Websites:

IMMERSE Dashboard of Indicators: Dashboard of socio-educational integration indicators – Immerse (immerse-h2020.eu)

IMMERSE Child Friendly Report – Immerse (immerse-h2020.eu)

https://schools-ireland.cityofsanctuary.org/

Millstreet Community College – School of Sanctuary Portfolio

Blarney Street CBS Primary School- School of Sanctuary Portfolio  

Translating ethnographic writing on migrants and outreach work with refugees for mixed audiences

Julius-Cezar MacQuarie (PRECNIGHTS) in conversation with Roos Demol (ICD) and Guest. 

Tag-line: Celebrate International Language Day with a talk on language used in research with migrants, outreach and advocacy with refugees 

Blurb: Join a night ethnographer, one advocate and their guest, to uncover the importance of language in working with migrants and refugees. This panel will discuss the struggles of multi-lingual migrants and refugees relying on English as a second or third language lack of facilitation resources at work, school or in health institutions, in the country of destination. Julius-Cezar will talk about the difficulties of translating ethnographic research and writing about hidden and vulnerable populations, and how to make these visible to mixed audiences. Roos will talk about language as a tool in rapport building, feelings of belonging, and identity. The Guest will talk about inequities and inequalities, un/deservingness at the workplace, in healthcare or education of migrants and refugees. 

Organiser 

Julius-Cezar MacQuarie | Marie-Skłodowska Curie Research Fellow.  He conducts (PRECNIGHTS), a project on Precarity in Women Migrant Nightworkers in Ireland, under mentorship of Dr Caitríona Ní Laoire at the Institute for Social Science in the 21st Century (ISS21), University College Cork, Ireland. Julius-Cezar’s latest book is Invisible Migrants: Working the Night shift in 24/7 London. IMISCOE Research Series (2023). 

Collaborators 

Roos Demol and Guest | Co-Founder & CEO International Community Dynamics & PRECNIGHTS ADVISOR on Advocacy for migrants and refugees in Cork, Ireland. Roos is a Flemish woman from Cork. She moved to Ireland in 1998. She is a mother of 4 and recently became a grandmother. A passionate defender of human rights, Roos has advocated for refugees on webinars with IBEC, IHREC and Tech4Good, at UCC and TCD. She has been heard on the local radio with her programs ‘The New Rebels’ and ‘Sounds and Places’ and been seen on the stage with Citadel, a music band of residents of Direct Provision, and supporting the cricket team of the same centre. 

This talk is organised within the remit of PRECNIGHTS project, which adopts an intersectional lens to look at several dimensions of Women Migrant Nightworkers (WMN) experiences,  such as identity and language. We’re interested in whether WMN use in their daily and nightly experiences, mostly their mother tongue or the language from their country of origin? or the language in the country where they work and live in? Perhaps the language of their partners (if/when other ethnicity or nationality)? Or perhaps they use a language that they feel more attuned culturally to?  

This talk happens in collaboration with International Community Dynamics and is supported by the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion unit at University College Cork. This is a twin-event organised also with the support of the UCC Fáilte Refugees Society (X: @FailteSocUcc). See the exhibit co-organised with UCC Fáilte Refugees Society displayed in the Hub, UCC. 

From Global to Local - Refugees and Education

We are delighted to welcome the UNHCR to UCC for this event, the inaugural Open Book Day event on campus, for what we hope will become an annual celebration and affirmation of the power of education to give hope and opportunity to those who must restart their lives in a new country.

Joining Aoife Kavanagh of the UHCR in discussion will be:

Maeve Murphy - Head of Suboffice in Lebanon, UNHCR - UN Agency for Refugees

Maeve Murphy has worked in the humanitarian field for over 20 years and is currently serving as the Head of Sub-Office in Tripoli in North Lebanon for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. She has experience working with refugees all over the world, including Kenya, Sudan, Jordan, Bangkok and Ghana.

Mohammed Ismail – Aerospace Engineer

Ismail was resettled to Ireland from Nayapara Refugee Camp in Bangladesh at the age 11. With no education or knowledge of English, his schooling officially began in first year of secondary school in Carlow. Today he holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Aerospace Engineering from South East Technological University. Ismail is also the captain of the Carlow Cricket Club, which the Rohingya community re-established.

Dr Claire Dorrity – Lecturer, School of Applied Social Studies, UCC

Dr Claire Dorrity is a lecturer in social policy in the School of Applied Social Studies, UCC. Her research interests include Migration Policy; Migration and Displacement; Borders and Border Securitisation; Critical Multiculturalism; and Superdiversity in Education. She is currently involved in a UNIC funded research project research, Migrant Education: Challenges and Exclusion (MiEd). This project brings together 3 UNIC Consortium Partners – University of Liege, Belgium; Koc University, Turkey and University College Cork and their related community partners. The project is focused on participatory action-based research, addressing barriers to education for migrants in both a local and transnational context.

Caroline Stephens - Senior Protection Associate, UNHCR - UN Agency for Refugees

Caroline Stephens has worked in the area of refugee rights for 13 years in both Australia and Ireland. She joined UNHCR Ireland in 2014. A key focus of her work is supporting the Irish Government with their resettlement programme. In recent years, the Irish Government has been resettling Syrian refugees from Lebanon and Jordan. Resettlement is life changing, and Caroline has tirelessly worked to help many individuals and families reach safety here in Ireland.

European Union Governance of Forced Migration Impact on Health and Dignity

Hosted by: ISS21 Migration and Integration Research Cluster
Supported by the University of Sanctuary
22nd Feb 2024
12 - 1.30pm
Dora Allman Room

Dr.Apostolos Veizis will examine the governance of forced migration and its effects on the health of people on the move, drawing on his experience in Greece and the Ukraine and on the global stage. He will address the role of the EU within an increasingly polarised political landscape, coupled with policy reforms that specifically affect migrant’s access to healthcare systems. The presentation will highlight how beyond healthcare, contemporary approaches to people seeking asylum and safety increasingly normalise the harsh
and dehumanizing treatment of people on the move. In his presentation, Dr Apostolos Veizis highlights how the so-called ‘refugee crisis’ is not so much about refugees, but more relates to a problem that arises within state borders in many host countries. Based on his field experience and research expertise, he illustrates that as refugees cross borders, they experience a deterioration of health, exacerbated by inhumane living conditions, lack of access to basic services and food poverty, experienced after arrival in the host
country. Considering this, he argues, it is important expose the medical and humanitarian consequences of restrictive migration and asylum policies and the failures of states to adequately respond to the health and social needs of those on the move. Treating migration and asylum as a permanent crisis – where measures are only ever temporary arrangements made in response to overwhelming circumstances – precludes an adequate, long-term solution to providing care and improving health.

Dr.Apostolos Veizis
Bio: Dr Apostolos Veizis coordinates the Work of INTERSOS, Greece, an organisation supporting activities and protection services to improve the living conditions of people
on the move. He has previously worked at the Head Quarters of Medecins Sans Frontieres, Greece, as Director of the Medical Operational Support Unit (SOMA), Programs and Institutional relations Director, and Medical Director. He was also worked as Head of Mission and Medical Coordinator for Medecins Sans Frontieres and Medecins Du Monde in Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Russian Federation, Albania, Egypt, Georgia, Greece, Turkey. He has also coordinated emergency interventions and evaluations in Kyrgyzstan, Morocco, Armenia, Lebanon, Syria, Ukraine, Turkmenistan, Zambia, Malawi, Uzbekistan, North Macedonia, Cyprus, Jordan, Moldova, Poland, Bulgaria, Czechia and Tajikistan. His consultancy work includes consultancy work with the World Health Organization (WHO) and International Organization for Migration (IOM). He is a member of the Governing Board of the Centre of Competence on Humanitarian Negotiation (CCHN), Advisory Board Member of the Lancet Migration European Regional Hub and the Migrant Health Dermatology Working Group (MHDWG) of the International Foundation for Dermatology member. He has presented widely on a global stage and participated in international and national medical congresses, for which he has published related scholarly articles.
Research Gate Profile: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Apostolos_Veizis
LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-apostolos-veizis29610524/?originalSubdomain=gr

Depositions with Anton Floyd

Anton Floyd was born in Egypt, a Levantine mix of Irish, Maltese, English and French Lebanese. He studied English at Trinity College, Dublin and University College, Cork. He has worked in the eastern Mediterranean and now lives in West Cork. Poems widely published in Ireland and internationally. A member of Irish Haiku Society, he is several times winner of International Haiku Competitions. A selection of haiku is included in Between the Leaves, an anthology of new haiku writing from Ireland edited by Anatoly Kudryavitsky (Arlen House, 2016). His first poetry collection, Falling into Place was published by Revival Press in 2018). He received the 2019 Literary Prize awarded by the Dazzling Spark Arts Foundation in 2019) His latest collection, Depositions, was launched in June 2022 (in association with Doire Press). The book deals with population displacement and the worldwide refugee crisis with all proceeds from sales in support of the funds of UNHCR - Ireland the Refugee Agency of the United Nations. A new collection of poems On the Edge of Invisibility is in preparation. 

Hosted by ISS21/Collective Social Futures, join Anton for a reading from Depositions on Thusday Feb 22nd, 15:00-16:00 in the Shtepps in the Hub.

Embracing Identity: Navigating Racism, Stigma, and Equity

Praxis Workshop 

Facilitators

Raphael Cherif is a Cork-based artist who enjoys dabbling in various genres to explore his versatility. He considers himself a rapper, but he uses other genres to express himself depending on the message. His music is driven by stories that reflect where he is in life, the challenges in his life and the community he is a part of. 

He is also a final-year Occupational Therapy Student at University College Cork and youth mentor and social arts practitioner at the Cork Migrant Centre, Nano Nagle Place, where he facilitates workshops with young people, helping them to express themselves creatively around the various challenges that they face.

Fionnuala O Connell is a Liberian Irish artist, She uses her art form as an innovative medium to raise awareness and to promote social justice. Fionnuala is also a mentor at the Cork Migrant Centre, working to support young people from migrant backgrounds. She grew up between Liberia and Ireland, a life that has shown her the existing inequalities and the resilience, love, strength, and creativity of a people to not settle for what is but what could be.

Combined, Raphael and Fionnuala also used their creativity to create an anti-racism toolkit packed with tools to give real-life experiences, including their own, to provoke reflection, education, and discussions. This includes icebreakers, 

Title: "Embracing Identity: Navigating Racism, Stigma, and Equity"

I. Introduction

A. Ice breakers

B. Importance of Names: Recognizing the significance of personal names and their cultural relevance

C. Understanding Our Purpose: Who we are, our mission, and the broader context of the event

II. The Anti-Racism Summit

A. Purpose and significance

B. Real-life experiences shared

III. Confronting Stigma and Stereotypes 

A. The impact of stigma in the context of racism

B. Strategies for dismantling and challenging stigma

IV. Open Dialogue on Racism

A. Creating a safe space for discussion

B. Examining racism in the context of Ireland

V. Equality and Equity

A. Differentiating between equity and equality

B. Discussing the importance of both

VI. Microaggressions

A. Identifying and addressing microaggressions

B. Fostering awareness and sensitivity

VII. Creativity: Artistic Expression

A. Exploring the role of creativity in addressing racism

B. Showcasing diverse perspectives through creative expression

VIII. Mystery Box Activity

A. Engaging participants in an interactive exercise

B. Unveiling perspectives and challenging assumptions

IX. 1% Change Everyday

A. Encouraging daily actions for self-improvement

B. Raising awareness on combating racism and stigma

X. Question and Answer Session (Q&A)

A. Audience participation

B. Addressing queries and facilitating discussions