Approximately 28 million children are living in forced displacement, including 12 million refugees who are five times more likely to be out of school than other children. 

Few resources and approaches have been specifically developed for facilitating learning, inclusion and intercultural communication for those living in transient conditions.

This is despite the fact that when children have had their education interrupted because of migration, forced displacement, or have experienced violence or economic precarity, they are in particular need of an approach to learning which is mediated, inclusive and enjoyable.

Innovation

To address this absence of resources, researchers at the University of Glasgow developed the Mediator Toolkit. The Toolkit has changed the practice of mediators (that is, third-sector employees, volunteers and teachers) in Mexico, Egypt and Chile by training them to use the aesthetic and affective features of picturebooks to reduce the negative effects of displacement - for instance by enabling children to talk about their future intentions within the host country.

The Toolkit has in-built flexibility allowing for adaptation and delivery according to age group and context - such as post-conflict or post-disaster - and includes criteria for selecting picturebooks, mediation strategies and the creation of arts-based, ethical response activities suitable for the context.

Knowledge transfer

The team’s research has made a significant contribution to changing mediators’ practice through government programmes and the work of non- governmental organisations.

A project website, which contains resources including a searchable database of books, serves as a knowledge exchange portal. This ensures sustainability and provides a platform for the training of new partners who cannot benefit from in-situ training.

The research ultimately benefits displaced children and young adults by reducing the negative effects of transience and offering a pathway into literacy for those without access to formal education.

This case study is one of 16 featured in the BERA publication Education: The State of the Discipline. High-impact educational research.

Read the full impact case study on the REF 2021 webpage.

Learn more about this research by watching the video below.

First published: 13 September 2023

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