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Mobility and Migration – Orientation

People move for different reasons: for work, for love, for fear for one’s life. Whatever the reason, one thing is certain: a transition to a new place is always a shock to our comfort zones. Adapting to a new environment requires a steep learning curve.

This issue of LLinE looks at three types of migrants.

We look at migrants who move to another country on their free will, often after work or marriage. We also focus on temporary foreign workers who come to a new country with the intention of leaving after a specified time. In addition, we examine refugees who are forced to flee from their homeland.

Further still, we look at several contexts of migration: migrating into a big city is a different story than settling into the countryside. Migrants from outside Europe face different challenges than people who move within the continent. First-generation migrants may be culturally worlds apart from their children.

Through these foci we hope to cover the whole spectrum of mobility and examine what kind of learning needs migrants have. The issue features many good practice examples from around Europe. The issue highlights the migrant as a proactive actor in his or her learning – rather than an object of top-down integration education.

This issue is produced in cooperation with the InfoNet adult education correspondents’ network.

Intime Ontime

Anton Markmiller

In the camp: refugee camps and adult education

In Dadaab, Kenya, half a million people live in the biggest refugee camp in the world. The camp has turned into a permanent town and residents need to gain access to education. An adult education system adapted to local needs can scale down conflict and reduce poverty.

Michael Voss

Migrants are doing it by themselves

Education of migrants can often be viewed as a top-down exercise aimed at integration. A case from Denmark presents migrants taking their learning into their own hands.

Olga Vizthum

Migrants and rural areas – a challenge for adult education in Thuringia

What is it like for a foreign person to settle into a rural area? Olga Vizthum argues that in theory the countryside would actually be ideal for a migrant as social connections are often better established there. However, locals often unrealistically expect instant integration. Adult education centres come to the aid, helping create novel ways of integration.

Sue Waddington

A super-diverse city – migration and adult learning in Leicester

Leicester is the first provincial city in the UK where there are more black and ethnic minority residents than whites. The city is celebrated for its tolerance and diversity. Sue Waddington argues that learning has had a major role to play in this success story.

Hetty Rooth

Parental support for migrant families

First-generation immigrants can struggle with their parenthood. How to raise children properly in a new culture? Parents in a migrant neighbourhood in Stockholm, Sweden got active and asked for support for their parenthood. The result was a partnership project with non-formal adult education and NGOs.

Research

Ramon Flecha and Itxaso Tellado

*La Verneda: Contributions from democratic adult education to lifelong learning

It is a known fact that migrants benefit from adult learning that equips them with skills to integrate. But how can we build something more: welcoming communities of learning with dramatic positive impact in people’s lives? The authors argue that the very future of lifelong learning in Europe lies in being able to create such spaces. The article focuses on La Verneda, an adult school in Barcelona. Flecha and Tellado visit contemporary research literature to draw very practical recommendations for building successful educational actions.

Maurice De Greef

*“I am not deaf anymore” – outcomes of migrant language courses

A new study reveals that learning the language of the host country has a positive effect on a variety of issues, including migrants’ feeling of safety. The opportunity to use the learned language skills in practice is the most crucial factor for learning success.

Policy

Natalija Vrecer

Slovenia shapes up Intercultural Adult Education

A survey on integration policies in 33 European states placed Slovenia in the 24th place concerning the inclusion of migrants in the education system. The Southern European country is nevertheless stepping up its inclusion efforts and is actually now among the first in Europe to prepare a new Strategy for the Inclusion of Migrants into Adult Education.

Petra Herre

Inclusive education and intercultural opening: More participation for migrants through continuing education in Germany

The German education system is institutionally discriminating regarding social origin and migration background, writes Petra Herre. This has a negative effect on the future opportunities for migrants, and is fatal for integration policy. The topic of this article deals with the concepts used to solve these problems and what this means for education institutions.