UNIVERSITY NEWS LAST UPDATED : 21 FEBRUARY 2017
Students and staff at Birmingham City University have come together to recognise the contributions made by migrants at the institution and within British society.
Coinciding with UN World Day of Social Justice, the event on Monday 20 February was held alongside national day of action, One Day Without Us. Held across the country, the event saw migrants from inside and outside the European Union – and everyone who supports them – celebrate expatriates who live, work and study in the UK.
During the day, the University’s campuses in the city centre and Edgbaston both hosted walls of hope – large screens where visitors were encouraged to leave messages of solidarity and wishes for migrants in Britain.
Meanwhile, the University’s International Office hosted a pop-up Global Café. This allowed both home and international students to meet in a relaxed environment, and also share their experiences as a student in Birmingham.
“We will continue to provide a warm welcome and safe environment to migrants who wish to come and work or study here, as we have done over many years.”
The day finished with a lively panel discussion titled ‘Solidarity in the aftermath of Brexit’ and chaired by Canadian-born Dr Kirsten Forkert, Senior Lecturer in Media Theory at Birmingham City University.
Joining Dr Forkert was Alicja Kaczmarek, Founder and Director of the Polish Expats Association, Jaspreet Singh, Vice President Student Experience, Birmingham City University Students’ Union and Anusha Udumula from Birmingham Asylum and Refugee Association (BARA).
All three speakers raised their concerns about how the communities they represent may be impacted by Brexit and what can be done to build community cohesion as a result.
“We also wanted to celebrate the role of international students and staff at Birmingham City University, in higher education and in British society. We are working in UK higher education because of its open, outward-looking global perspective and because of how it facilitates international exchange. If we lose this because of Brexit, it will impact negatively on British universities and academia in the long term, and that is unacceptable.”
Activities at Birmingham City University were organised by the institution’s University and College Union (UCU) Brexit Working Group, along with the Students’ Union. Those present for the panel discussion heard how the Brexit Working Group hopes to set up a support network for international staff, which will be run in conjunction with the Student Union.