From September 26 to 28, 2022 the Refugee & Migrant Education Network (RMEN) in partnership with the Blessing Foundation held its annual international conference entitled “Initiatives in Refugee & Migrant Education: Moving Forward – Diving Deeper – Together”. The organization of the program was assisted greatly by the UNHCR and JRS at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, Italy. The conference was an international gathering of experts, university faculties, students, educational practitioners as well as leaders of NGO’s, international agencies as well as humanitarian organizations in the field of migration.
The conference included a large number of panels, discussions and more than 20 workshops and plenary sessions with the world-renowned experts such as Sarah Dryden Peterson, Alan MacKay, Roberta Malee Bassett, Rebecca Telford, Marco Tavanti, Chiara Cardoletti-Carroll, etc. More than 175 participants from all over the world had an ample time for networking and collaboration to explore future initiatives, as well as discussion of current opportunities and challenges in the unsettled and difficult times that the world faces.
The main speakers at the conference were the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, and Director of Jesuit Refugee Service International, Tom Smolich SJ. Dr Anthony Cernera, RMEN Founder & Team Lead and cardinal Michael Czerny, SJ, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development welcomed the participants at the beginning of the Conference.
In the section dedicated to the families of migrants and workers, members of the MIGREC team Ljiljana Ćumura and Tamara Mihajlović from the University of Belgrade – Faculty of Political Sciences presented their work and research in the field of education of migrant children in Serbia and Malta and discussed with the attendees the challenges in modern education systems for migrants and refugees around the world and how we can overcome them.
On the second day, Ljiljana presented MIGREC project and informed the audience about the main goal, activities and outcomes. This was a great opportunity for networking and new collaboration with leaders of NGO’s, international agencies, and humanitarian organizations who are committed to enhancing and expanding educational opportunities for refugees and displaced people.
Day after the conference, on September 29, the private audience with His Holiness, Pope Francis was organized in Vatican.
