UARRM ACTION AREAS
ACTION AREA #1
Offering More Legal Pathways For Study, Research, and Vocational Training
Universities offer legal pathways to entry for the purposes of work, study and vocational training. Rooted in a long history of attracting exiled scholars and students, many universities continue to play this role for refugees and at-risk migrants.
The alliance encourages university partners to work towards increasing the number of refugee and migrant students at risk, and threatened scholars, who have access to university campuses for the purposes of study, teaching, research and vocational training.
This is through a combination of efforts (including special channels, e.g. relaxation of admission requirements, etc.)
The alliance also partners with organizations that have knowledge, experience, and connections with refugee and at-risk migrant networks (e.g., local refugee resettlement agencies, advocacy groups, international recruitment offices), supports private sponsors and welcoming communities, and leverages the role of student associations and volunteers
ACTION AREA #6
Media and Communications
ACTION AREA #2
Overcoming Barriers to Entry into Higher Education Institutions
Universities are creating, tailoring and/or expanding existing initiatives that reduce or alleviate barriers to entry for refugee and migrant students at risk, and threatened scholars. Such actions include tuition waivers; the provision of legal assistance and language training; assistance in accessing university transcripts; the provision of credential services; and opportunities to apply and receive financial aid regardless of immigration status.
The alliance gathers information on and advocates for new and existing HEI initiatives that reduces or alleviates barriers to entry for refugee and migrant students at risk, and threatened scholars.
Providing On-Campus and In-Community Assistance and Empowerment
ACTION AREA #5
Research
Universities have an obvious role in supporting evidence-based policies through necessary research and data. Such research can serve to demonstrate the economic and social contributions of migrants; thereby helping to subvert politically charged narratives portraying them as a burden.
ACTION AREA #3
Providing On-campus and In-community Assistance and Empowerment
Given that education is both a motor of economic development and of civic awareness, universities are key to migrants and refugees’ economic integration and empowerment.
University communities provide assistance with housing, legal counseling, medical and psychosocial care, etc. They are often supported in such efforts through partnerships with other higher education institutions, governments, authorities, local entities and the private sector.
The alliance aims to to support university communities that are venues of assistance and empowerment for refugee and migrant students at risk, and threatened scholars.
ACTION AREA #4
Advocacy And Awareness
University leadership and students are speaking out against actions that would reduce the number of international scholars from crisis countries. The alliance aims to develop strategies that build off of existing advocacy work and that seek to amplify efforts to influence public policy on behalf of migrant and refugee communities.
Universities have a central role in helping to reshape narratives, improve public understanding, and generate inter-cultural dialogue, with the aim of creating welcoming communities and universities.
Achieving the goals of UARRM requires a robust media and communications strategy, which will support Action Areas 1-5 by advocating for increasing legal pathways, creating and publicizing training and informational materials, documenting and promoting exemplary stories and best practices, creating advocacy and awareness campaigns, publicizing and disseminating research in multiple media.
Furthermore, the alliance aims to support and develop curriculum for teaching migration, where migrants and refugees teach and tell stories about their experience, making best use of digital literacy.
Ultimately, this Action Area aspires to activate new and future stakeholders for its work, reshape narratives, improve public understanding, generate inter-cultural dialogue, and create welcoming communities and universities.