Improving refugee perspectives in policymaking – Meet-up with Refugee Academy and SYVNL
August 9, 2022 - For a couple of years, we (Syrian Volunteers NL and Refugee Academy) have been working together a... Read more
August 9, 2022 - For a couple of years, we (Syrian Volunteers NL and Refugee Academy) have been working together a... Read more
June 1, 2022 - On Monday June 27th, the LIMBO exhibition at VU Views at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam will be op... Read more
February 14, 2022 - More and more, the societal implications of scientific research and the associated responsibility of... Read more
December 15, 2021 - Personal networks can be both enabling and constraining in inclusion practices. This study focuses o... Read more
The growing number of refugees in recent years has affected all areas of Dutch society. Consequently, discussions on refugee integration have been a central topic of debate in the Netherlands. Several municipalities, organizations and local initiatives have experimented with innovative approaches to enhance inclusivity and enlarge the social participation of refugees. However, no single party involved can provide all the answers. Bringing together the knowledge and experience of scientists, policymakers, social partners and refugees themselves is therefore of the utmost importance.
The Refugee Academy organizes regular meetings that bring together a growing number of practitioners, policymakers, researchers and engaged individuals (with and without a refugee background) to discuss and reflect on different themes connected to the inclusion of refugees in the Netherlands. In the meetings, the refugee perspective is prioritized by connecting policy views and organizational agendas to refugees’ life stories, and by inviting professionals with a refugee background to actively contribute to the debate about refugee inclusion.
The Refugee Academy offers an infrastructure for connecting existing academic, professional and practical knowledge to bring research and practice closer together. Collectively, these different forms of knowledge help people to think and reflect about the necessary societal conditions for making efforts towards integration inclusive in the long term. With its approach, the Refugee Academy makes it possible to establish unorthodox connections, whereby the learning and reflective capacities of those involved are increased and actions can be formulated.
The Refugee Academy’s research is aimed at enhancing the learning abilities and reflective capacities of all parties involved, i.e. policy makers, governmental agencies, businesses, NGOs, civil society and researchers. We frequently organise public meetings on different themes and address some of these themes and research projects in collaboration with societal partners. Current and past research themes were: