Woekshop in East Cork Schools

The aim of this project is to raise awareness on asylum seekers, refugees, migration, and promote and encourage multiculturalism, integration, and inclusion in East Cork. This six-sessions are interactive ones that promote developing involvement with each other, understanding and respecting the differences among that related to ethnicity, race, religion, or nationality. The general aim is to build a more inclusive and equal community in East Cork and connect them to UCC community.   

The target group are six schools in Midleton and Carrigtwohill, at both primary and secondary level. Moreover, it includes printing an all-weather sicker that promote welcoming the new communities, and embraces diversity and cultural differences.  

Publication for asylum seekers, refugees around entry to UG courses

The number of prospective undergraduate students who are asylum seekers, refugees and other migrants is on the increase, evidenced by the higher number of applications from these cohorts in recent years. The issue of fees status for asylum seekers, refugees and other migrants is complex and is not only challenging for these cohorts to understand but is also challenging for professional staff to fully understand and then articulate clearly.  

This proposal is for the production of a brochure to contain a set of printed guidelines which would outline for these cohorts:  

• How to apply for an UG place  
• Key points on other study options (part-time, ACE, PG) 
• How to find out about entry requirement equivalencies  
• Key guidelines around fees status  

• How to confirm fees status 
• Information around accommodation  
• Any other relevant information.  

Movie Night & Snack and Chat

The Africa Society seek funding for two events. The first event being the movie night in which we will showcase a movie. We have selected 5 movies which portray the lives of refugees and asylum seekers and will give everyone a greater understanding of their lives behind the scenes and what it really means for one to seek refuge. The audience will choose what they would prefer to watch via an online poll. 

Names of Movies:  

1. Human Flow 

1. First They Killed My Father 

1. Beasts Of No Nation 

1. Born In Syria 

1. Refugee 

Our second event is called Snack and Chat. As the name suggests, this is when we eat snacks and discuss various different topics. We hope to utilise this event by bringing up topics in regards to student solidarity, refugees, asylum seekers, vulnerable migrants and the mental health surrounding these areas.

Football club project for kids in Drishane Castle

A voluntary Football club project for asylum-seeking children at Drishane Accommodation Centre, Millstreet.

This initiative is in collaboration with the Connect project at Nasc, who will further support its implementation. The project serves the aims of the Sanctuary initiative in developing a sustainable culture of welcome for asylum seekers and refugees.

Travel costs for lecture series

ACE is hosting a 5-part lecture series from January-May 2020 for UCC Sanctuary Scholars and any other individuals/asylum seekers residing in direct provision centres. This series will involve the Director of ACE and a representative from each of the four Colleges delivering a lecture on a topic of broad appeal to the audience. This initiative aims to extend a welcome to visit the university and experience a learning opportunity to a community who may otherwise feel excluded.  At the end of the series, the participants will receive a certificate of attendance from ACE which will potentially help them with their future studies/careers/job prospects.  

Ceangal Enactus

Ceangal is a group formed within the UCC Enactus society that aims to help refugees to secure employment in Ireland and support them through the process. We understand and have seen first-hand the refugees' willingness to find work and security within our country. When someone flees from their country, their home, their familiar life, they leave behind everything in the hope of finding a better, safer life. One that can allow them to build a sense of security and home. For any individual to build a home andlife in a new country, getting employment is a key step. Our purpose is to help with this step, because alone, it can be a daunting and difficult jump in such an unfamiliar culture.

Sisters Keeper Safe Space

The key objectives of the Sister’s Keeper Safe Space will be to provide an area where refugee, asylum seeker, and migrant women and can:  

• Socialize and re-build their social networks; 
• Receive social support; 
• Acquire contextually relevant skills; 
• Access safe and non-stigmatizing multi-sectorial GBV response(psychosocial, legal, medical); 
• Receive information on issues relating to women’s rights, health, and services.

Aligned to the UCC University of Sanctuary mission, this safe space will ideally be a space were women can deeply understand what it means to seek sanctuary.

End FGM Panel Discussion

Seeking to increase the discussion around the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) on campus by hosting an 'End FGM' panal discussion.

The Moving Museum

Dr Nita Mishra, part time lecturer, tutor, researcher and poet is actively engaged in community projects (migrant and non-migrant) in Ireland. The Moving Museum aimed to show that vulnerable migrants are ordinary human beings and have [be-]longings similar to settled people locally. The idea owes its origins to the proposed facilitator/ trainer (of the project)- Laragh Pittman who was the curator of the Invisible Museum and facilitator of 'Culture Clinic'. 

Two speakers from Direct Provision for PH3045 module

This proposal would bring two Cork Direct Provision residents to UCC to speak to a class about their experience of ‘the home’ in Direct Provision. The aim of their visit is to raise awareness amongst the students about Direct Provision in Ireland, and in particular build student capacities to critically analyse contemporary political and public debates about Direct Provision. A module is an effective way to raise awareness, because it provides the opportunity to scaffold knowledge and skill building on a topic.  In this module, I aim for the students to gain critical engagement skills on a number of issues related to Direct Provision.  The visit of the Direct Provision residents is a key part of the learning plan. 

Concert

Our proposal is for a public event, provisionally in UCC’s Aula Maxima. We are planning to host a concert of music in collaboration with Citadel in aid of direct provision centres around Cork. Citadel are a band made up of 8 musicians living in a direct provision centre on the Kinsale Road in Cork.

One Voice

This project seeks funding for an “Online Collaborative Broadcast with European partners” in conjunction with 98.3FM UCC Campus Radio. The broadcast will be produced by a group of 8 asylum seekers currently residing in direct provision centres in Cork.Broadcast partners will be identified once funding has been allocated to the project. Potential partners include grassroots radio and media outlets from Denmark, Greece, Germany and Italy. Themes that will guide the broadcast include but are not limited to global citizenship, asylum, globalisation, politics and policy, arts and media.

BetterTogether Summer Camp

BetterTogether organises a week-long summer camp for children who are living in direct provision centres in Cork City and County – we welcome the children living in Ashbourne House, Kinsale Road and Davis Lane in Mallow. This summer, we will be organizing our 4th annual childrens’ summer camp in Glounthaune in August of 2020. Children take part in the following activities: art, drama, sport, science experiments and games. We are joined by Clowns Without Borders who will entertain the children, and carry out circus skills workshops. For the past three years our volunteers have been largely made up for UCC students.  

Let's Dance

• A weekly dance class for women in Cork City.  

• The project will be run by women living in direct provision and welcomes all women in the wider settled community.  
• The classes will be supported by student volunteers from the UCC student body.  
• The project will be coordinated by BetterTogether  

Overall Aim: 

• Aid integration of women living in direct provision with the wider community 
• Volunteer opportunity for UCC students  
• Mental health initiative 

BetterTogether Volunteering Showcase

A showcase of organizations working with refugees and asylum seekers in Cork City and county. The showcase will take place on the 6th of February 2020 in the creative zone of the Boole Library. This Showcase will bring together a variety of organisations which are involved directly in supporting refugees and asylum seekers. This event will provide an opportunity for staff and students in UCC to learn more about and volunteer with these organisations. The event will also allow for networking between organizations with the possibility of future collaboration.  

PME TY Workshop

I work with Professional Masters in Education students at the School of Education, UCC on “The Global Teacher Award”.  For their project work this year the PME students are working with a group of Transition Year students at Colaiste Choilm Ballincollig.  For Refugee week we would like to dedicate the PME and the TY classrooms that week to refugee issues specifically.  This will form part of a wider artistic project which may not be ready for Refugee week but will be shortly afterwards.

The work of the project will be shared through the Id Est Project website.  Id Est is about introducing student teachers to Development Education. 

The project aligns with the US mission in that it aims to increase students’ knowledge about refugee and asylum seeker lives; it helps PME students to explore how they might address refugee issues in their second level classrooms; it welcomes refugees as facilitators with our students; and it seeks to share good practice with other institutions. 

UNICEF Talk for Refugee Week 2020

This seminar will be an interactive seminar between the Failte Refugee Society, UCC, the students of St John's University Newfoundland, Canada and the University of Veracruz, Mexico.  This will be done virtually with students from Canada and Mexico and hosted in UCC.  The event would involve sharing work that is on-going within these universities to highlight awareness on promoting the participation of refugees and asylum seekers in higher education.  This would also include showcasing initiatives that are on-going within universities and the wider community.  For example, showcasing the involvement of the students of Failte Refugees in initiatives within UCC that promote the inclusion of asylum seekers and refugees, the University of Veracruz involvement in setting up an intercultural university within indigenous communities in Mexico and work closely with migrant organisations supporting refugees and the students of the University of Newfoundland  have recently voted in a referendum to add a fee to their student union fees to support refugee students coming to their campus.