The key role of the S.U.C.RE. project in the integration of refugees and migrants

The S.U.C.RE. (Supporting university Community pathways for Refugees-migrants) project lasted for two years and ended in 2018. As described below, the Coordinator of the Project was Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.  The project’s objective is to successfully build the necessary guidelines and training material that will allow practitioners and stakeholders to facilitate the smooth integration of students and scholars in Higher Education and generally in the society of the host country. Information about the project and its Intellectual Outputs (IO) is available on http://sucre.auth.gr/en.

Some words about the Project

S.U.C.RE. (hereinafter referred as ‘the Project’) was granted by the Hellenic National Agency (IKY) via the European Commission. The Coordinator of the Project was Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and the consortium consisted of the University of Cologne (Universität zu Köln), VU Amsterdam (Vrije Universeteit Amsterdam) as well as the Greek Council for Refugees.  The Project was a two-year KA2 Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership in the field of Higher Education.                                                                                          

The project focuses on the response of the Universities to the academic needs of refugees/migrants students and scholars and to the formation of good practice guidelines through the development of training modules addressed to the voluntary sector working with the specific population.  More precisely, the Project looks into the processes required for the proper integration of refugees and migrants (students and scholars) in higher education as well as on their academic support after their acceptance or entrance to a University. In addition, it focuses on the psychosocial integration and support of refugees/migrants and their proper information on legal and health issues. The Project aims at creating educational material that will be properly used by practitioners and trainers dealing with refugee law and generally to all interested parties.

Description of the IO 5 concerning law issues

In the intellectual output IO5 the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki was the leading partner. This IO concerns legal and health issues that refugees and migrants may face in the host country. The IO5 referring to legal matters, fulfilled under the supervision of Prof. Anna Maria Konsta of the law school of the same university and with the support of the Greek Council for Refugees (legal and sociology department). More precisely, the IO5 on legal issues presents the Greek, European and International legislation concerning refugee law. Moreover, it reveals the current Greek legislation referring to the obligations and rights of refugees and migrants as well as the problems that they may face in Greek society concerning their social rights (education, employment, social security, access to health etc.). The IO5 aimed at the creation of an online digital module on health and legal issues regarding refugees and migrants, to trainers of people involved in their health-care and legal support in the reception countries. This online module can be accessed free of charge, it is in English and it is found in the content of IO5 of the site of the Project (http://sucre.auth.gr/en/outputs). Moreover, best practices and recommendations are included in the online module regarding health and legal support of refugees and migrants in the host country. This online instrument is useful not only to asylum seekers, refugees and migrants directly but also to people who are involved with refugee law such as NGOs and lawyers.

The future after S.U.C.RE.

The Project with its online module created a useful instrument accessible to anyone who is interested in refugee law. Its great involvement is limited to this but goes further. It monitors and evaluates refugees’ and migrants’ health and legal support module in co-operation with the project recipients. Moreover, after the Project, the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and the UN Refugee Agency started open courses of refugee law in Aristotle University. The courses will be free of charge and be addressed to everyone dealing with refugee  law. Furthermore, the results of the Projects are going to be shown to different projects such as in TandEM project (Towards Empowered Migrant Youth in Southern Europe). Also, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki is part of the consortium of the project InSPIREurope supporting researchers at risk due to discrimination, persecution, suffering or violence. Last but not least, the Project gives help to refugees who were interested in continuing their studies in Greece by empowering them to continue their studies and learn Greek in Aristotle University of Thessaloniki without fees. 

Despoina Kiltidou is a Lawyer, Doctor of International Law and member of the S.U.C.RE. project.

Zitiervorschlag:
Kiltidou.: The key role of the S.U.C.RE. project in the integration of refugees and migrants, RLC Journal (2020) 7. 
< https://rlc-journal.org/2020/the-key-role-of-the-s-u-c-re-project-in-the-integration-of-refugees-and-migrants>


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