From 24-29 July, I participated in the Summer School on International Protection of Refugees in Çeşme (Izmir Province, Turkiye), organized as a part of the Human Rights Academy by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, UNHCR, and Mülkiye Migration Research Center (MÜGAM). The school included lectures, discussions, and panels on the topic of refugee and migrant human rights, as well as debates about management and different policies of the migration situation in our countries. As a EUROSUD student from Bosnia and Herzegovina, I shared some of the challenges that my country, as well as the rest of Southern Europe is facing in this field. Furthermore, we discussed possible solutions, and positive examples coming from civil society, media, governmental policies, etc. The 20 participants of the summer school were coming from more than ten countries, and included MA and Phd candidates, human rights lawyers, social workers, artists, and researchers, which allowed us to have a fruitful discussion during all our sessions. It was particularly interesting to me to hear about first-hand experience from people who work in international organizations about migrations such as UNHCR, or to talk with me who have been researching the topic of migration for decades already.
During my first two semesters in Glasgow and Athens, we have worked on the topic of migrations in Southern Europe during multiple courses, which offered me a great background knowledge before attending the summer school. Besides the academic aspects of the program, I was given the opportunity to discuss and network with motivating people from around Europe and the MENA region, and soon I hope to collaborate with them on new projects and research activities.
By Suljo Corsulic – 2021-23 student cohort