The partners of the MIGRANTS project gathered all together for the Scientific and Project Management Boards, in the marvelous setting of Palazzo Steri, in the city of Palermo, on 24th and 25th March, 2022.

The project’s aim was to develop a new Joint Master Degree in “Migration Studies: Governance, Policies and Cultures” among three Tunisian Universities – University of la Manouba, University of Tunis El Manar and University of Tunis, and in parallel improve the Universities teaching staff’s capabilities by a comprehensive programme of training, job shadowing, coaching and mentoring activities, and support in acquiring scientific qualification in Migration Studies. The project also aim to realize an orientation plan for students in entrance, in itinere, and in exit for placement.

After two years of online meetings, with just two exceptions in the occasion of kick-off meeting and project boards in Tunis last November, the project partners finally met in person to discuss relevant issues about upcoming activities.

Before starting the boards, the Rector of the University of Palermo, Massimo Midiri met the Rector of the University of Tunis-El Manar, Moez Chafra, the Vice-rector Fadhila Darragi and the professor Samira Mechri for an exchange of gifts, an occasion to celebrate the relationship between the universities and to reaffirm the common objectives in terms of capacity building in the field of higher education with a privileged focus on the issue of migration, the beating heart of the project.

“It’s extremely important to be here today – said professor Samira Mechri, coordinator of the project for University of Tunis El Manar – because it is the first meeting in person I attend after so much time of online activities, it means a lot to see friends and colleague and I say friends because at the heart of the relationship between the partners there is friendship. It’s good to be here to consolidate our cooperation and to carry on what we started two years ago”.

Migrants project started two years ago and despite many difficulties it has already produced positive impacts on many actors that took part to the activities. During the meeting, Professor Rim Triki, from the University of Tunis-El Manar, shared these words:

“Job shadowing was such an interesting activity for me as a teacher. I had the occasion to participate in the fieldwork of an NGO that is working with migrants in Tunis. Thanks to Cospe that organized the match, I managed to deepen my knowledge about the issue and I better know how NGOs are dealing with it in the country”.

Taking into account reflections and different points of view, the partners planned upcoming activities such as the Summer Schools, Job Shadowings, Master and PhD enrollment and management.

The two day meeting was very participated and contributed to strengthen the relationship between the partners towards a complex capacity building action that aims to govern in a holistic and multidisciplinary way, migration issues in the euro-mediterranean region.

MIGRANTS project is coordinated by the University of Palermo, and counts as the partners the University of Granada (Spain), the University of Westminster (UK), the University of Tunis El Manar (Tunisia), the University El Manouba (Tunisia), the University of Tunis, the NGO COSPE (Cooperation for the Development of Emerging Countries), CLEDU (Clinical Legal for Human Rights) and UNIMED – Mediterranean Universities Union.

To know more about this project, visit migrantsproject.eu