1. Youth perspectives on young refugees
7 September 2016, Budapest
Barbara Giovanna Bello, Ph.D:
The photo by Adrian Paci is retrieved from the web

2. From ‘numbers’ to ‘human beings’
In 2015, the number of people who fled their (own) homelands reached the highest peak since the second World War. The number of first-time asylum applications within the EU-28 in 2015 was 1.26 million (from 563,000 in 2014).

3. A «youth» issue
In 2014, young refugees constituted some 79% of all refugees, almost 4 in every 5 asylum seekers in the EU-28 being under 35 years of age (Nearly 90,000 unaccompanied minors sought asylum in EU in first destination country=Sweden) EUROSTAT

4. Refugee «emergency» and «crisis»
Agreement EU-Turkey entered into force on 20 March 2016 and is harshly criticized by many NGOs, which are developing advocacy strategies (hyperlink: .pdf)
Human rights violations as well as breaches of refugee law
Overcome “European exceptionalism”

5. Young migrant and refugees, and the role of youth work?
What is research currently exploring/highlighting in relation to field (young migrants, refugees and youth sector)?
How is the topic being picked up in youth work and policy-making?
What topics related to this theme could be further explored?

6. Current research in relation to young migrants and refugees and youth sector
OUTSIDE THE «YOUTH STUDIES»
IN OTHER DISCIPLINARY AREAS:
Law (Humanitarian law, human rights, social righs)
Health/psychology (community psychology)
Migration Studies/ refugees studies
Network and social capital; transnationalism and bifocality

7. Current research in relation to young migrants and refugees and youth sector
1) Needs assessment of young refugee
2) Transition to adulthood: 18th birthday
3) Access to education
4) Detention in adults’ refugees centres
5)Resilience
6) Trafficking for sexual and work exploitation
7) Young men and criminalisation: The «Cologne effect»

8. Refugee Studies Centre, Oxford
Becoming ‘Adult’: Conceptions of futures and wellbeing among young people subject to immigration control in the UK This research project examins the lived experiences and life- course aspirations of young people subject to immigration control in the UK as they become adult The transition to adulthood corresponds with a ‘transition into illegality’ (Gonzales 2011) as they become no longer eligible for support services dedicated to ‘children’,

9. Policy-making at European level
EU Work Plan for Youth for (Council of the European Union) agreed on in December 2015: addresses all young people, but particular emphasis shall be given to the following groups: - Young people at risk of marginalization; - Young people neither in employment, nor education or training (NEET); - Young people with a migrant background, including newly arrived immigrants and young refugees
Erasmus + Inclusion and Diversity Strategy supports projects aimed at young migrants and refugees, which fosters inclusion for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and with fewer opportunities (including migrants or refugees): this is particularly true for the European Voluntary Service. It is designed to make it most accessible to disadvantaged young people: the integration of migrants and refugees is a priority specifically set for 2016.

10. Council of Europe
In cooperation with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR):
Unaccompanied and separated refugee children
23-27 May 2016: the Council of Europe’s Youth Department and an international network Voices of Young Refugees in Europe (VYRE) organised a meeting at the European Youth Centre on unaccompanied minor refugees’ local participation and inclusion
10-16 July 2016: the Seminar “Social inclusion of refugee students and their role in intercultural dialogue” took place at the European Youth Centre in Strasbourg

11. The role of youth work 1. AWARENESS RAISING UNITED
lifeseekers-campaign/
2. Direct work with refugees
PROVIDING INFORMATION AND FIRST SUPPORT (DOCUMENTS, LANGUAGE, LEGAL AID)
Providing meals
Social services

12. UNITED Conference 2016 in Italy (Torino) “Moving Stories: Narratives of Migration Crossing Europe”

13. Training course
Training Course “Let’s explore- Refugees today in Europe. Educational challenges and opportunities for youth workers”, June 2016 | Berlin, Germany (Jugend fuer Europa –German NA)
AIM: to develop their capacity to raise awareness and address refugee related issues in their work with young people.

14. “Becoming Part of Europe: How Youth Work can support young migrants, refugees and asylum seekers”
3 years
European call EACEA/05/2016 of Erasmus+ (Networking of Nas). Italian NA + NA Belgium, Germany, France, Malta, The Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia and Sweden)

15. Some snapshots on pro-refugees initiatives
“They have walked enough” (3296 members on 29 May 2016) are popular on Facebook and are taking stand in this debate (hyperlink
“On the bride’s side” (hyperlink:
HilfsKonvoi (Eng: Aid Convoy): it included 140 cars being driven by activists in order to take as many asylum seekers as possible from Hungary to Austria
Online campaign “Mehr als nur flüchtig” Hyperlink:

16. Missing?
RESEARCH AND DIRECT WORK RELATED TO EXPLOITATION (SEXUAL, WORK)
FOSTER CARE FOR UNACCOMPANIED MINORS
MAPPING OF DIFFERENT INITIATIVES (NOT ALWAYS TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH, NOT WELL ADVERTISED, ETC)
INVOLVEMENT OF REFUGEES

17. Overcoming:
“So, here you are too foreign for home too foreign for here.  Never enough for both.”
―  Ijeoma Umebinyuo, Questions for Ada