In collaboration with Utrecht University, BOOST and Framer Framed cordially invite you to the final conference Refugee Youth, Public Space and Artistic Practice, a research project on the everyday experiences of young refugees and asylum seekers in public spaces. The conference will take part in BOOST and Framer Framed, with a two-day programme consisting of academic and artistic contributions, workshops, as well as food presentations.
Research on the daily experiences of young refugees and asylum seekers in public spaces
Refugee youth and young asylum seekers often find themselves in precarious positions: insecure housing, lack of social networks and employment restrictions, coupled with a lack of money. Many occupy the public spaces of cities and towns where they seek refuge. Their presence in these spaces has been strongly problematised in European immigration debates. There has been, by contrast, far less debate on how young refugees can contribute their own histories, voices and agencies to the development of convivial public spaces and to what extent this can enhance their integration and participation in society.
In many European cities, it is often arts and cultural initiatives that provide a platform for refugee and migrant voices, playing an influential role in their encounters with public space and other people. This four-year research project (2019-2022) focuses on the everyday experiences of refugee youth in Newcastle (UK), Leipzig (Germany), Amsterdam (Netherlands) and Brussels (Belgium). Several cultural and arts initiatives such as Framer Framed and BOOST in the Netherlands work closely alongside the project to co-produce knowledge and advance practice on the integration of refugee youth in Europe in public spaces.
The project identifies the importance of cultural initiatives and uses them as the entry point to research the personal geographies of young refugees and asylum seekers. Spreading across four European cities, the project maps out migration histories, explores post-arrival experiences, and asks how place-making and artistic practices contribute to the transformation of urban public space. The final conference brings together the different perspectives through a series of lectures, workshops, poster presentations, and roundtable discussions.
Download the Conference Program
2 June, 13:00-21:00
3 June, 09:00-19:00
The event is in ENGLISH
Refugee Youth, Public Space and Artistic Practice is sponsored by HERA (Humanities in the European Research Area). Participating universities are Utrecht University, Newcastle University, Université de Liège and Leibniz-Institut für Länderkunde.
Links
Project Page of Refugee Youth in Public Space
Website: BOOST Amsterdam
Hera - Humanities in the European Research Area
Utrecht University
