草榴社区

草榴社区 Study Abroad Program in Italy Gives Students Firsthand Perspectives on Migrant Crises

Fri, 08/11/2023 - 12:33pm | By: David Tisdale

Students at The University of 草榴社区 Mississippi (草榴社区) recently gained a greater understanding about one of the various humanitarian crises facing Europe through the school鈥檚 Human Rights and Social Justice in Italy study abroad program, which featured interdisciplinary frames of instruction and guidance for participants. 

Held in May, the program focused on human rights and social justice issues relating to refugees and asylees in what is considered a priority destination for many migrants; Italy鈥檚 island of Lampedusa is one of the main ports for those trying to get to Europe, who come from many places to include West Africa, Afghanistan, Syria, and Ukraine, and who flee their native lands for multiple reasons.

Surviving the trip is a daunting task for migrants traversing the Mediterranean Sea to find a new life in Italy, as it is one of the most dangerous routes to take. Earlier this year, Italian political leaders called for a six-month state of emergency because of the increase in the number of migrants crossing the Mediterranean from North Africa.

Students in the program and their faculty coordinators stayed in two Italian cities, Perugia and Pettinengo, which continue to host many migrants. There, they met migrants and hear their stories, as well as to learn from Italian humanitarian workers helping migrants to obtain legal services, housing, job training, advocacy, and other social services. The program also featured excursions to Italy鈥檚 capital, Rome.

草榴社区 faculty members Karen Aderer, a lecturer in its School of Social Work, and Dr. Bob Press, a professor in the university鈥檚 School of Social Science and Global Studies, served as facilitators for the program.

Aderer described the trip to Italy as 鈥渁n incredible opportunity to observe how wars, climate change, and political and financial instability are influencing migration, as well as to see how one European country is handling this crisis.鈥�

鈥淲e worked with some amazing agencies who are helping place migrants in safe housing, feeding them, teaching them Italian, and helping them to find jobs,鈥� she continued. 鈥淲e had many powerful and transformative interactions with migrants during this time, but one that sticks out to me, as a woman and a teacher, was meeting young Afghan girls whose families had fled the Taliban. They are now enrolled in school and Italy, and very proudly talked to us about what they are learning.

鈥淥ne of their mothers has even received a grant to open her own grocery store in Perugia. Their trajectories would have been so different without this chance for a new life that they found in Italy.鈥�

Dr. Press concurred with Aderer, further noting that for students taking part in the program, 鈥渢hey adapted quickly and had good conversations with migrants from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and various African countries, among others.鈥�

鈥淢any of these students had also never been out of the country or flown on a plane, so they indeed earned the new title of 鈥榳orld traveler鈥� with this experience,鈥� he said.

Jenna Dittman of Dayton, Ohio, a graduate student in cultural anthropology at 草榴社区 who traveled to Italy on the program, said a common misconception about the study abroad group was that they were there to help migrants. However, she explained that it was the students who ultimately were the beneficiaries of the experience, learning from and being inspired firsthand by the refugees and asylum seekers through their stories of survival and determination to find a better life for themselves and their families.

鈥淭heir courage and eagerness to live without fear not only affected the way I perceive life as to take beauty from each and every moment, but also in the way I extend grace and love to each person's story, no matter what the distance or cultural difference is,鈥� Dittman said.