Tuesday, 15.03.2016.
Two-day seminar for Faculty of Political Sciences students
On March 7-8, Group 484 held a two-day seminar “Modern Migration Flows and Migration-Generated Social Issues: the situation of unaccompanied underage migrants in the Republic of Serbia” at the Faculty of Political Sciences. The seminar participants were students of the fourth year and master studies of the Department of Social Policy and Social Work, Faculty of Political Sciences, who will be having professional internship in Group 484 in the upcoming months.
The first day of the seminar was dedicated to conceptual delimitations: Gordana Grujičić, a researcher at the Centre for Migration of Group 484, explained to the students similarities and differences regarding the terms for migrant, refugee, asylum seeker, children on the move, etc., and also the system of asylum protection and principles that are the basis of the international legal framework for the protection of underage migrants unaccompanied by parents or guardians. Since the social protection system is competent to adequately assist and protect underage migrants and migrant children, students of social policy and social work were introduced to the procedures and experience “from the field” in the reception of unaccompanied underage migrants.
Group 484 Team (Gordana Balaban, Draženka Čelebićanin, Nataša Čakić Simić and Danica Ćirić) that had worked on a daily basis with migrants in “transit”, residing in Belgrade or staying for a few hours or days in the park near the main bus station in Belgrade in the period from August to November 2015, presented to the students in a very interactive way their own experiences and observations related to direct communication and approach in providing basic psychosocial support. In addition, students were introduced to the principles of work and experience of Group 484 in providing humanitarian assistance to refugees and migrants.
In the final part of the seminar, Ivana Bogićević Leko, Group 484 associate, and Robert Kozma, Program Manager, presented to the students the experience of working with asylum seekers, particularly the solidarity action “Bazaar Humus Party” organised by Group 484 in the past year in the centres for accommodation of asylum seekers, the work of a team of associates in collecting materials through interviews with migrants and asylum seekers for a documentary exhibition on the life of migrants “The Border is Closed”, as well as the realisation of the exhibition in Belgrade and Loznica (Banja Koviljača) and ways of working with social science teachers in presenting the experience of migrants to their students.
Project: SCORE II – Setting an Agenda for Child Oriented Social Reform – continuation; Our Neighbours – continuation.
Objective: Strengthening capacities and networking of civil society organisations and social protection institutions that provide social welfare services to children, in order to develop an appropriate system of support, services and policies related to children belonging to marginalised groups, respecting the principle of “best interests of the child”; Contribution to the development of an inclusive society where human rights and diversity are respected.
Implementers: Group 484 (Educational program “We and the Others”, Program of Direct Support and Centre for Migration)
Support: Delegation of the European Union and Save the Children; CCFD – Terre Solidaire
