Project Title: Transnational Collaboration on Bullying, Migration, and Integration at School Level (TRIBES) )

Project Aims & Objectives:

With immigration a growing, permanent and fractious part of the EU’s reality, integration is of foremost concern for policy-makers in Europe, and schools are recognised as an essential part of social stability and a key aspect of integration policy both at national and EU level. Schools provide crucial education for integration and citizenship, long term directly affecting social status, professional achievement, economic earning power and students understanding of cultural morality and societal principles, allowing both the individual to prosper, and the state and EU to benefit and build on their potential as a valuable new resource.

School safety, building inclusion and preventing bullying for all students is central to integration and their well-being. Yet in the face of a far more diverse society schools face challenges that they are largely not currently supported for. The scientific measures of school safety used today are outdated and do not reflect a modern, multi-cultural, multi-faith, Europe, while school communities are working in a fragmented, individualised manner in the areas of inclusion and bullying prevention.

This proposed COST Action aims to: enhance collaboration between stakeholders to update, enhance and pilot new ‘real world’ scientific measures and approaches, collate evaluated interventions and approaches around inclusion and bullying prevention to disseminate a comprehensive program/handbook for schools and a guideline policy document for authorities, building capacity, and working holistically towards ensuring the integration, safety and well-being of all students in EU secondary schools, to aid in the social stability of both the individual and society.

Scholars/Institutions: Bárbara Bäckström Universidade Aberta

Start Date: April 1, 2019

End Date: 09/30/2023

Findings/Outcomes:

Context rules paper
Handbook chapters

Project Webpage: https://www.cost.eu/actions/ca18115/

Funding Institution: COST ACTION

Keywords: Migration - Integration - Bullying - School - Transnational

Country of Publication:

• Portugal

Project Title: Religious Identity, Bullying and Wellbeing at School: A Transnational Collaboration (ORBIT)

Project Aims & Objectives:

The search for wellbeing has been expressed in different ways over time. In recent years wellbeing
both as concept and lived reality has gained increasing prominence in international education
literature.
Although frequently neglected in wellbeing research, there is an emerging body of research that
connects human wellbeing and religion. Overall, this research shows that religion is good for
wellbeing, with certain aspects of religion better correlated with certain aspects of wellbeing.
However, religious identity can be stigmatised at school and at work, and this is often supported by
narratives in mainstream media that represent those of a religious identity as naïve, uncaring,
and/or fanatical. Further, the experiences of those from a traditionally majority religious position
which goes into rapid decline are a subject of some concern internationally.
When students feel forced to conceal or deny their religious identity, both personal and communal
(school community) wellbeing are compromised. Moreover, societies with declining levels of
religious engagement could be at risk of declines in personal and societal wellbeing.
This COST Action delves into the correlation between religious identity, bullying, and wellbeing, and
the implications for students, school communities, and European societies. lt provides a conduit for
researchers, policy makers, and educators to consider the relationship between religious identity,
wellbeing and inclusion. Through the objectives of each Working Group, the members of the Action
can examine how religious identity contributes to the wellbeing of individuals, family, communities,
and societies.

Scholars/Institutions: barbara backstrom universidade aberta

Start Date: April 1, 2025

End Date: 04/01/2029

Findings/Outcomes:

not yet

Project Webpage: https://www.cost.eu/actions/CA23120/

Keywords: education - religion - bullying - wellbeing - identity

Country of Publication:

• Portugal

Project Title: ESPAÑA ANTE MIGRACIONES Y REFORMAS POLITICAS EN MEDITERRANEO Y MUNDO MUSULMAN

Project Aims & Objectives:

The research axis of the Moroccan Immigration Observatory aims to delve deeper into the specific study of the relationship between immigration and Islam, compiling the memories of Muslim communities in Spain, along with a study of Islam in the context of migration, with a focus on the development of Islamophobia in Spain.

A monitoring of changes in political systems (party system and electoral legislation) and their effect on the main elections (presidential and legislative) is also proposed, as they have been developed up to the present, but with a systematization and theorization of the information collected over the years in which the observation has been active.

Scholars/Institutions: Universidad Autónoma de Madrid

Start Date: July 1, 2008

End Date: 06/30/2011

Research Methods: Electoral Studies

Findings/Outcomes:

Not available

Project Webpage: https://portalcientifico.uam.es/es/ipublic/item/1656440

Funding Institution: Agencia Española de Investigación

Relevant Information: 157300

Keywords: Magreb; Arab-Spanish relations; Governance; Migrations; Political Reforms

Country of Publication:

• Spain

Project Title: MIGRACIONES Y ESPACIOS TRANSNACIONALES DE EDUCACION: CONSTRUCCION DE LA IDENTIDAD DE LAS NIÑAS Y PARENTALIDAD EN LAS FAMILIAS MARROQUIES, PAKISTANIES Y SENEGAMBIANAS EN ESPAÑA

Project Aims & Objectives:

This research project analyses how transnational educational spaces contribute to the construction of cultural and social identities of girls from Moroccan, Pakistani, and Senegalese families and the influence that parenting has on this process, in the context of migratory and social transformation in Spain. Our research on the educational continuity and success of girls from muslim immigrant families has highlighted the importance of intra-family negotiations in order to move between the family and/or community space (muslim) and the school and academic space (secular). For this reason, we believe it is essential to understand how girls’ identities are constructed from an early age in intra-family relationships, since these will enable greater or lesser flexibility in their career choices. To approach this issue, the theoretical framework is articulated from the interrelationship between the following bodies of knowledge: (1) migration studies and transnational feminism, which link social transformations with cultural hybridations and identities formed in educational and care relationships; (2) anthropology of education, since gender roles and controls are essential in the formation, maintenance and change of ethnic-social borders, for example, in the resistance to cultural assimilation through the reaffirmation of gender roles or the gender control of girls and women considered as part of the group; and, (3) postcolonial feminist theories and masculinity studies, because exploring the contemporary subjectivities of girls as subordinates and their families implies avoiding the imposition of universal stories in order to address singularities and differences

Scholars/Institutions: Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona

Start Date: July 1, 2016

End Date: 06/30/2019

Research Methods: Ethnographic methods

Findings/Outcomes:

NA

Project Webpage: https://portalrecerca.uab.cat/es/projects/migraciones-y-espacios-transnacionales-de-educaci%C3%B3n-construcci%C3%B3n--4

Funding Institution: Agencia Española de Investigación

Funding Information: 56255

Keywords: Education; migrations; social change; gender; identities; transnationalization

Country of Publication:

• Spain

Project Title: MATRIMONIO Y OTROS MODELOS FAMILIARES: CRISIS Y PROTECCION DE MENORES EN UN CONTEXTO DE CRECIENTE MIGRACION

Project Aims & Objectives:

This project is part of the challenge migration represents for our society: Regulation 2019/1111 responds to marital crisis situations and child protection measures that affect any foreign resident in Spain, Spaniards who relate to them, and Spaniards resident abroad. For our societies to be inclusive, all these groups must enjoy a framework of legal security in which all their family problems are adequately treated and resolved.

Scholars/Institutions: University of Sevilla

Start Date: July 1, 2020

End Date: 06/30/2023

Research Methods: Legal studies

Findings/Outcomes:

NA

Funding Institution: Agencia Española de Investigación

Funding Information: 40817

Keywords: Immigration;Gender;Multiculturality;Minors;Other Family Models;Marriage

Country of Publication:

• Spain

Project Title: URBAN GOVERNANCE OF RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY

Project Aims & Objectives:

URBAN GOVERNANCE OF RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY,
aims to offer a comparative analysis of the governance of religious diversity in 4 Italian cities (Padua, Brescia, Turin and Florence) by confronting and contrasting various examples of interreligious dialogue. This analysis allows us to explore the social construction of freedom of/from religion in contemporary societies and to study their meanings. We would like to identify some best practices in the governance of religious diversity and to produce policy recommendations for the municipalities of those cities. In brief, our work stands at the crossroads of religious governance, interreligious dialogue and freedom of/from religion, three different although partly overlapping fields of research.

Scholars/Institutions: UNITO/UNIFI/UNIPD e University of Brescia

Start Date: October 1, 2024

End Date: 03/30/2025

Research Methods: The empirical material is the fruit of a mixed-method research strategy:1. We have worked on a Dataset and analysed policy documents, public speeches, and municipalities’ websites, with a focus on the City Council (34 documents), the City Junta (22 documents) and the Regional Council (42 documents) --- total 98 selected sources;2. We have mapped interreligious dialogue up to now, and this mapping will proceed alongside the Project. We have identified 17 events that mirror the plurality of forms assumed by interreligious dialogue in Turin. Later on, Matteo will expand this point by discussing the typology of interreligious dialogue we aim to elaborate;3. Participant observation. We have conducted 3 sessions of participant observation.4. In-depth interviews. We have collected 30 in-depth interviews (from 45 to 60 minutes each). We have interviewed: - politicians and members of the municipal administration (7); - representatives of local religious organizations, including religious minorities (16); - members of civil society (experts, journalists and academics…) (9); - and members of interreligious groups and associations.5. Focus groups. We have planned 4 focus groups with participants from different religious groups and representatives from non-religious groups. More specifically, two focus groups will be conducted with school personnel and two with city residents.6. Newspapers. We have analysed the social representations of religious diversity and interreligious dialogue in 400 articles from La Stampa (the daily newspaper of Turin) from 2000 to today.

Findings/Outcomes:

The leading hypothesis of our Project is that interreligious dialogue is to be considered as a social practice comprehensible in the framework of freedom of/from religion or, in other terms, one of the most pragmatic expressions of such freedoms. As Bader (2007) notes, it is characterized by a plurality of “mechanisms of action and coordination” such as the autoregulation and involvement, often simultaneously, of the State, local institutions, religious communities, networks and interreligious associations, and other forms of corporate governance (public-private partnerships). So defined, interreligious dialogue is the result of the interaction among many social actors who, incessantly, define and shape its meanings.

Funding Institution: PRIN

Keywords: religion, governance, religious diversity, spirituality, urban, cities

Country of Publication:

• Italy

Project Title: MigrationMedia(tor)

Project Aims & Objectives:

Migration Media(tor) project seeks to understand how media today shape the perception of migration among youth and emphasizes educational activities, particularly for young people, teachers, and media personnel.
The project will place great emphasis on and will be resulted in:
– Raising awareness on migration phenomena, human rights and multiculturalism,
– Analyze the impact of the media on perception of migration,
– Empowering migrants and help make their voiced heard.

Scholars/Institutions: University Jagiellonksi from Krakow (Poland) and three partners: Center for Cultural Dialogue from Zagreb (Croatia), MuzeumEmigracji from Gdynia (Poland) and Pro Humanum from Warszawa (Poland)

Countries Involved: Croatia, Poland

Start Date: April 1, 2024

End Date: 03/31/2026

Research Methods: Comparative research conducted in Poland and Croatia on the impact of the media on perceptions of migration (quantitative and qualitative research – 15000 respondents), expert group meetings, publications, international conference, open lectures;Workshops on migration, human rights and multiculturalism to dispel myths and stereotypes about the indicated phenomena, workshops and training for immigrants initiatives undertaken by them,Summer school on media and migration Centre for Cultural of Dialogue, as the Croatian partner institution, is responsible for: - Monitoring and evaluating narratives on migration in Croatia – quantitative research (500 respondents)- Conducting an in-depth analysis of media narratives on migration in Croatia – qualitative research (30 in-depth interviews),- Migration and education: empowering people on the move – Croatian edition (20 workshops: 10 workshops for local youth, 20 workshops for people on the move). Educational materials for workshops are created based on the results of the qualitative and quantitative research.- Summer school (days in Croatia)

Findings/Outcomes:

The project is in early phase
On November 29, 2024, the Jagiellonian University, the lead institution in the Migration Mediator project, hosted the inaugural event of a new cycle of meetings titled Migration & Media, designed for high school students across Poland. The event welcomed 39 students and 3 teachers, marking the beginning of an educational journey to explore the intersections of migration, media, and public perception.
Also, qualitative research based on 30 individual in-depth interviews with young adults was conducted between July and November 2024 in Croatia and Poland, but results are not yet publicly available.
Several activities are planned: publications, workshops, presentation at conferences, summer schools, training, open lectures, media resources

Project Webpage: https://migrationmediator.project.uj.edu.pl/overview

Funding Institution: European Commission (EC) and the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programme

Keywords: Migration, media, public perception, stereotypes, awareness

Country of Publication:

• Croatia

Project Title: The extraordinary practices of a faith-based social service center

Project Aims & Objectives:

The purpose of the research is to describe the factors that characterize this practice under current social conditions in order to learn from it beyond this particular context.

Scholars/Institutions: Christel Teekman (Ph Student), Kees de Groot (supervisor), Niels den Toom (co-supervisor), Marja Jager-Vreugdenhil (co-supervisor). Tilburg University and Viaa, School for Applied SciencesA

Start Date: September 1, 2024

End Date: 08/31/2028

Research Methods: Ethnographic fieldwork

Findings/Outcomes:

PhD Thesis
Conference presentations

Project Webpage: https://www.tilburguniversity.edu/nl/medewerkers/c-teekman

Funding Institution: Tilburg University Fund and Werkplaats Sociaal Domein Zwolle

Relevant Information: The project is linked to a shorter professional research project. Coordination involves professional association for social workers (BPSW), national research institute for societal issues (Movisie) and pricon chaplaincy.

Keywords: urban, precariate, liquid, informal social support, missionary

Country of Publication:

• Netherlands

Project Title: The Migration Observatory

Project Aims & Objectives:

Based at the Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS) at the University of Oxford, the Migration Observatory provides impartial, independent, authoritative, evidence-based analysis of data on migration and migrants in the UK, to inform media, public and policy debates, and to generate high quality research on international migration and public policy issues.

Scholars/Institutions: Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS), University of Oxford

Findings/Outcomes:

https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/briefings/migrants-in-the-uk-an-overview/

Project Webpage: https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/

Keywords: migration, UK, data, trends, housing, social practice

Country of Publication:

• United Kingdom