Borderless Education: The Provision of Tertiary Programs to Long‐term Refugees
Centre for Refugee Studies (CRS), York University

April 9th‐11th, 2010

Toronto 2010 Workshop Report – PDF Format

See also Borderless Education 2010 Conference Blog

Day 1 – Friday April 9th, 2010
Workshop Location: 280 York Lanes

9:30 – 10:00 am
Continental Breakfast

10:00 – 10:20 am
Welcome: David Dewitt, Associate Vice-President, Research; Susan McGrath, Director, Centre for Refugee Studies

10:20 – 10:50 am
Opening Address by Wenona Giles, Deputy Director, Centre for Refugee Studies, Professor, Anthropology Dept. & Chair, Workshop Organizing Committee

10:50 – 11:20 am
Keynote Address
Presentation by Abraham Abraham, Representative of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Canada

11:20 – 11:30 am Coffee

11:30 am – 12:15 pm Introductions and Discussion

12:15 – 13:15 pm Lunch

13:15 – 14:15 pm Theme I – Session 1: Regional, Security and Long-Term Development Impacts

(Presentations are 10-12 minutes & Discussion is 10 minutes)
Chaired by: Don Dippo, York University

  • Jennifer Hyndman (York University) – The Geography of Education in Long-Term Refugee Camps
  • George Richardson (University of Alberta) – Questions of Scale, Scope and Sustainability: The University of Alberta’s Relationship with Buduburam Refugee Camp
  • Laura-Ashley Wright (Oxford University) – Capacity-building Opportunities for adults: Kakuma and Dadaab Refugee Camps, Kenya

14:15 – 14:30 pm Afternoon Break

14:30 – 15:30 pm Theme I – Session 2: Regional, Security and Long-Term Development Impacts

(Presentations are 10-12 minutes & Discussion is 10 minutes)
Chaired by: Amani El Jack, University of Massachusetts Boston

  • Kumari Beck (Simon Fraser University) – Teaching in a borderless world: Pedagogies of (dis)location
  • Barbara Zeus (Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) – Exploring Paradoxes around Higher Education in Protracted Refugee Situations
  • Amanda Coffie (Carleton University) – Returnees’ Capacity and Peace building: Utility of Exile-Acquired Human Capital
  • Alice Wamundiya (Vice-Chairperson of Unity for Tertiary Refugee Students (UTRS) – From Hope to Action: The Contribution of Unity for Tertiary Refugee Students (UTRS) to Advancing the Right of Refugees to Education

15:30 – 17:00 pm
Discussion (Recorded)
Chaired by: Wenona Giles, York University

18:00 – 19:00 pm
Reception for Research Workshop Participants
Location: Schulich Building, Dining Room

Book Launch: Technical, Vocational, and Entrepreneurial Capacities in Southern Sudan: Assessment and Opportunities by Dominic Odwa Atari, Samer Abdelnour, Kevin McKague, Robert Wage (Centre for Refugee Studies, York University: Toronto).

Day 2 – Saturday, April 10th, 2010
Workshop Location: Room 519 York Research Tower

9:30 – 10:00 am Continental Breakfast

10:00 – 11:00 am Theme II – Session 1: The Political and Technical Dimensions of Pedagogy with Mobile Populations: Partnerships

(Presentations are 10-12 minutes & Discussion is 10 minutes)
Chaired by: Michael Barutciski, York University

  • Sarah Dryden-Peterson (OISE, University of Toronto) – The Politics of Tertiary Education for Refugees in a Global Movement for Basic Education
  • Duncan MacLaren (Australian Catholic University) – Providing Refugees with Tertiary Education: the Example of Burmese Refugees on the Thai-Burma Border
  • Philip Landon (World University Service of Canada) (WUSC) – Tertiary Education for Refugees: Beyond Sponsorship

11:00 – 11:15 am Morning Break

11:15 am – 12:15 pm Theme II – Session 2: The Political and Technical Dimensions of Pedagogy with Mobile Populations: Programs

Presentations are 10-12 minutes & Discussion is 10 minutes)
Chaired by: Aida Orgocka, York University

  • Jacqueline Strecker (Ryerson-York) – Assessing the Gaps in Programming: Information Communication Technologies and Education
  • Ndungu Kahihu (Plan Canada) & Susan McGrath (York University) – The Experiences of Plan Canada and York University in the Development of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Post Conflict Situations: a Case Study from Southern Sudan
  • Marangu Njogu (Windle Trust, Kenya) – Refugees: A Great Human Resource
  • Robyn Plasterer (University of British Columbia) – Remedial Education Programs for Girls in Kakuma and Dadaab

12:15 -13:15 pm Lunch

13:15 – 14:15 pm Theme II – Session 3: The Political and Technical Dimensions of Pedagogy with Mobile Populations: Programs
(Presentations are 10-12 minutes & Discussion is 10 minutes)
Chaired by: Joseph Mensah, York University

  • Ranu Basu (York University): Re-spacing Educational Rights for Long-term Refugees through Tertiary Education
  • Elizabeth Mary Lanzi Mazzocchini (International Relations Officer of Unity for Tertiary Refugee Students (UTRS)) – Unwelcome Guests: The Struggle of Refugees and Asylum Seekers in South Africa To Access Tertiary Education and Remain in the System
  • Simon Purnell (ZOA Refugee Care,Thailand) – Experiences and Opportunities in the Provision of Tertiary Education for Refugees on the Thailand-Burma Border

14:15 – 14:30 pm Afternoon Break

14:30 – 16:00 pm
Discussion (Recorded)
Chaired by: Susan McGrath, York University

Day 3 – Sunday, April 11th, 2010
Workshop Location: Room 519 York Research Tower

9:30 – 10:00 am Continental Breakfast

10:00 am – 13:00 pm Theme III – Session 1: Forward Looking Strategies: Short and Long-Term
(Rapporteur notes from recorded discussions will be available)
Chaired by: Aida Orgocka, York University

13:00 – 14:00 pm Lunch and Closing Remarks: Wenona Giles