Summer School 2023

Another Summer School was successfully completed at our main campus in Thessaloniki, bringing together students from a number of European countries creating a truly international dimension. Built on the success of the previews years, Summer School 2023 on “Migration and the crises of solidarity” was organised by CITY College, University of York Europe Campus 23-30 June.

Participating students came together to think about, discuss and reconsider practices of solidarity (or lack thereof) holistically from a number of perspectives and disciplines, such as sociological, political, policy perspectives and, crucially, from the humanitarian perspective. Discussions were carried out in various formats: workshops, lectures, experiential approaches and on-hands experiences both indoors and outdoors. Students got the most out of this exciting experience.

Highlights of the Summer School included the Special Secretariat for the Protection of Unaccompanied Minors, Dr Moskoff’s presentation on the current situation of unaccompanied minors in Greece and the current actions currently implemented, as well as Phevos Simeonidis’ presentation on human rights violations in Greece, an event jointly organised with the University of York which was live-streamed at York in the context of the York Refugee week. Another highlight was the round-table discussion on the perspectives of civil society organisations towards solidarity joined by Fani Galatsopoulou and Vasileios Georgakoudis (IOM), Irida Pandiri (Arsis), Apostolos Veizis (Intersos) and Nikolaos Rangos (Solidarity Now).

We would like to wholeheartedly thank colleagues from the University of York, the University of Sheffield, the University of the Peloponnese and ELIAPEP, among others, for helping us understand the complex nature of migration and solidarity from an academic perspective. Their contributions allowed participants to approach the topic with rigour and explore new ways of engaging with solidarity and understanding its importance in the context of migration.

We would also like to extend our sincere thanks to civil society organisations HIGGS, Solidarity Now, Arsis, IOM and INTERSOS for sharing with us their invaluable experiences and knowledge. Special thanks also go to IOM and Arsis for engaging with summer school participants in outdoor activities with unaccompanied minors.

• The Summer School took place in cooperation with
• The University of York Migration Network (MIGNET)
• The Department of Politics of the University of York
• The Department of Politics of the University of Sheffield
• The Department of Sociological Studies of the University of Sheffield
• The University of Sheffield Migration Research Group

“Migration and the crises of solidarity”

When: Starting on Friday, June 23^rd until Friday, June 30^th 2023

Where: Thessaloniki, Greece

Organised by CITY College, University of York Europe Campus

Ιn cooperation with:

• The University of York Migration Network (MIGNET)
• The Department of Politics of the University of York
• The Department of Politics of the University of Sheffield
• The Department of Sociological Studies of the University of Sheffield
• The University of Sheffield Migration Research Group

Description of the programme

This summer school asks – what do different crises of solidarity look like in Europe today? What central struggles and tensions are shaping practices and acts of solidarity? And ultimately, what could solidarity look like in the context of the continual movement of people to Europe in large numbers?

The summer school offers participants theoretical and practical insights into this state of continuous and successive crises that Southeast Europe has been experiencing and how this reflects on the idea of solidarity, within the Eurozone ‘crisis’, the ‘crisis’ of liberal democracy, the ‘migrant crisis’, the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

Crucially, the programme offers participants direct hands-on experience ‘on the ground’ through the opportunity to engage with NGOs working with refugees and asylum seekers.

The summer school will be carried out in the form of lectures and workshops on migration, integration and solidarity, listening to real life experiences, views and insights from people working in NGOs and public authorities managing migration flows and integration in Greece.

Read here the full description of the programme

Main Themes and Activities

Lectures - Workshops - Experiential Learning - Group Work - Engagement

The summer school focuses on making students aware of the wider political, economic and social implications of migration flows and border regimes and the new challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, through the lens of solidarity, via a series of lectures, workshops, guest speeches and engagement activities.

By the end of this summer school students will have the chance to:

• Expand their knowledge on migration and border regimes, integration and solidarity post- 2014;
• Understand how mobility and migration regimes, practices and representations affect every aspect of modern society;
• Familiarize themselves with solidarity in theory and practice and related challenges;
• Engage with NGOs and understand how the lives of refugees and migrants are shaped by the new realities

Read more about Summer School 2023