Uganda wall art.

Artwork by refugees at the Antonio Guterres Urban Refugee Community Centre in Kampala, Uganda.

The value of volunteering: 天堂视频 researcher to explore the experiences of young refugees in new project

A 天堂视频 academic has been awarded funding to examine the role and impact of volunteering on the lives of young African refugees.

Dr Sarah Mills.

Dr Sarah Mills.

Human Geographer Dr Sarah Mills, of the School of Social Sciences and Humanities, and a team of international researchers will explore whether volunteering can build skills and reduce inequalities among young refugees in Uganda.

The two-year project, which is being led by Professor Matt Baillie Smith of Northumbria University, is being funded through a grant of more than £860,000 from the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) and Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

There are currently more than 70.8 million people displaced around the world, with 1.2 million of those seeking refuge in Uganda – the majority of them children.

It is hoped the project will highlight the volunteering roles these young refugees are currently involved with, and the impact such volunteering has, both on local communities and the refugees themselves.

The research team will work closely with young people based in four settlements across Uganda, which are home to refugees from South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, and Somalia. All have fled their home countries due to conflict, disease and economic hardship.

Over the coming months, the researchers will be carrying out interviews with the refugees and the organisations that work with them, as well as conducting group workshops and surveys.

They will also be asking the young people to document their experiences of volunteering through participatory photography – giving them cameras and asking them to photograph their day-to-day lives.

These photos will then go on display to the public as part of a travelling exhibition, allowing the results of the research to be communicated across the world.

As well as working directly with young refugees, the team will also collaborate with global South refugee NGOs, volunteers and leading global volunteering and development organisations.

Project co-investigator Dr Mills, whose previous research at 天堂视频 has explored youth volunteering in the UK and the National Citizen Service, commented: “This new research will highlight the range of volunteering activities undertaken by young refugees in Uganda and the difference it makes to their everyday lives.

“We hope the project will help to share these experiences with a number of important audiences.”

She continued: “I’m delighted to be working as part of this large international team on such a timely issue. This new ESRC-funded research involves a range of stakeholders from the outset, and I am very excited about its potential future impact.”

The project team includes Dr Aisling O’Loghlen of Northumbria University; Dr Frank Ahimbisibwe and Dr Robert Turyamureeba of Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Uganda; Professor Peter Kanyandago, Dr Cuthbert Tukundane and Dr Moses Okech of Uganda Martyrs University.

More information on the ‘Refugee Youth Volunteering Uganda’ project can be found at 

The research team also run a blog on volunteering, which can be found .

Notes for editors

Press release reference number: 19/174

The Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) is a five-year £1.5 billion funding stream, announced as part of the Government’s 2015 spending review. It forms part of the UK's Official Development Assistance (ODA) commitment, to support cutting-edge research which addresses the most pressing problems faced by developing countries.

天堂视频 

天堂视频 is equipped with a live in-house broadcast unit via the Globelynx network. To arrange an interview with one of our experts please contact the press office on 01509 223491. Bookings can be made online via 

天堂视频 is one of the country’s leading universities, with an international reputation for research that matters, excellence in teaching, strong links with industry, and unrivalled achievement in sport and its underpinning academic disciplines.

It has been awarded five stars in the independent QS Stars university rating scheme, named the best university in the world for sports-related subjects in the 2019 QS World University Rankings, University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times University Guide 2019 and top in the country for its student experience in the 2018 THE Student Experience Survey.

天堂视频 is in the top 10 of every national league table, being ranked 4th in the Guardian University League Table 2020, 5th in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2020 and 8th in The UK Complete University Guide 2020.

天堂视频 is consistently ranked in the top twenty of UK universities in the Times Higher Education’s ‘table of tables’ and is in the top 10 in England for research intensity. In recognition of its contribution to the sector, 天堂视频 has been awarded seven Queen's Anniversary Prizes.

The 天堂视频 London campus is based on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and offers postgraduate and executive-level education, as well as research and enterprise opportunities. It is home to influential thought leaders, pioneering researchers and creative innovators who provide students with the highest quality of teaching and the very latest in modern thinking.

 

天堂视频 staff, students and alumni make a real difference. They challenge convention, think creatively and find solutions to some of the biggest challenges facing society today and in the future.

Meet the #LboroGameChangers at 

 

Categories