Forced Migration &
the Mental Health & Wellbeing of
Children, Youth, & Families
Embedded Files
Bi-national hybrid conference bringing together researchers and practitioners from Austria and the United States to understand the mental health and wellbeing consequences of forced migration.
in Chicago: Thursday, Oct 6th 2022; 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM CT
Location: Ida Noyes; 3rd Floor Theater (1212 E. 59th St, Chicago IL)
University of Chicago Hyde Park Campus
Zoom Access Link For Remote Participants
In Vienna: Thursday, Dec 15, 2022, details coming soon!
Too many families who would rather stay in their country of origin are forced to move due to violence, scarcity of basic resources like food and housing, and community destabilization due to climate change. Members of families that have experienced forced dislocation have a high likelihood of being traumatized. Trauma is not the event itself, but the lingering psychological and emotional wound that lasts after the event has passed. Unless we understand and attend to their need for healing these wounds affect all aspects of their subsequent life experiences.
In-person RSVP closed. Please join us online.
Opening Comments
Opening Comments
9:00 AM to 9:15 AM
Welcome: Micere Keels
Associate Professor, Dept. of Comparative Human Development, University of
Chicago
DOCumentary screening
DOCumentary screening
Join us as we start the day by grounding ourselves through a case study of the forced migration crisis created by decades of decision making failure in Puerto Rico. We will screen a segment from Landfall. A documentary that invites us to imagine the ways that vulnerable people in a moment of crisis can come together and actually fight for justice and care for one another in very beautiful ways. The screening will be followed by a reflection of key points to keep in mind throughout the day.
Discussion Facilitator: Seeba Anam
Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience,
University of Chicago Medicine
Panel 1: Centering the Wellbeing of Children to Minimizing the Negative Developmental Effects of Forced Migration
Panel 1: Centering the Wellbeing of Children to Minimizing the Negative Developmental Effects of Forced Migration
During this session panelists will focus on the ways in which traumatic experiences can disrupt developmental progress for young people, an pathways to healing. Drawing from their own lived experiences and embodied work, they will discuss how making space for play (creativity and the arts) and other social and emotional interventions can promote a healing process and transform outcomes for children in refugee and migrant families.
Moderator: Shipra Parikh (she/her/hers) Associate Instructional Professor at Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice, University of Chicago
Panelist 1: Xyza Cruz Bacani (She/Her)
Artist based in New York and Hong Kong
Panelist 2: Kaiser Ahmed (he/him/his)
Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Jackalope Theatre Company
Panelist 3: Mohamed Abdel Keream (He/Him/His)
Research associate at Sigmund Freud University in Vienna & Lecturer at the University of Vienna Teacher Education Center
Panel 2: EXAMINATION OF THE MANY FORMS OF VIOLENCE EXPERIENCED AFTER MIGRANTS HAVE ARRIVED AT THEIR HOST COUNTRY
Panel 2: EXAMINATION OF THE MANY FORMS OF VIOLENCE EXPERIENCED AFTER MIGRANTS HAVE ARRIVED AT THEIR HOST COUNTRY
The active trauma of forced migration often persists after reaching their host country. As noted by Dr. Dryden-Peterson: “Once uprooted from home, refugees and immigrants often settle in places where they are continually dislocated by exclusion and lack of opportunities." Violence comes in many forms, including cultural, social, legal, and emotional violence. During this panel we broaden our understanding of the violence of forced migration and discuss the policy perspectives and changes needed to improve outcomes.
Moderator: Michelle Proyer
Associate Professor, Dept. of Education and Centre for Teacher Education, University of Vienna
Panelist 1: Walaa Jumma
Community Building & Engagement Program Manager, Asylum Works
Panelist 2: Katherine Kaufka Walts
Executive Director of the Center for the Human Rights of Children, School of Law at Loyola University Chicago
Panelist 3: Buchung Lobsang
University of Vienna
Panelist 4: Johan Luíz Rocha
Doctoral Student, Dept. Of Comparative Human Development, University of Chicago
Panel 3: identifying the effects of policies designed to commodify and subjugate the newly arrived
Panel 3: identifying the effects of policies designed to commodify and subjugate the newly arrived
The active trauma of forced migration often persists after reaching their host country. As noted by Dr. Dryden-Peterson: “Once uprooted from home, refugees and immigrants often settle in places where they are continually dislocated by exclusion and lack of opportunities." Violence comes in many forms, including cultural, social, legal, and emotional violence. During this panel we broaden our understanding of the violence of forced migration and discuss the policy perspectives and changes needed to improve outcomes.
Moderator: Michelle Proyer
Associate Professor, Dept. of Education and Centre for Teacher Education, University of Vienna
Panelist 1: Walaa Jumma
Community Building & Engagement Program Manager, Asylum Works
Panelist 2: Katherine Kaufka Walts
Executive Director of the Center for the Human Rights of Children, School of Law at Loyola University Chicago
Panelist 3: Buchung Lobsang
University of Vienna
Panelist 4: Johan Luíz Rocha
Doctoral Student, Dept. Of Comparative Human Development, University of Chicago
Panel 4: Crisis induced postsecondary Education Migration
Panel 4: Crisis induced postsecondary Education Migration
In 2018 the University of Chicago temporarily hosted students, scholars, and artists affected by Hurricanes Irma and Maria to minimize the educational effects of climate disasters. During this discussion we will look back at their experiences and discuss lessons learned that can be applied to developing future postsecondary education disruption initiatives.
Moderator: Agnes Lugo-Ortiz
Associate Professor, Romance Languages & Literatures, University of Chicago
Panelist 1: Miguel Rosario García
Ed.D., University of Puerto Rico
Panelist 2: Evaluz Cotto Quijano
Associate Professor, College of Business Administration , University of Puerto Rico
Panelist 4: Robinson De Jesus Romero
Clinical Science PhD Student; Indiana University
Panelist 4: Don Walicek
Associate Professor; College of Humanities; University of Puerto Rico
Meeting Organizers:
Jessica Darrow, Crown Family School, University of Chicago
Neda Forghani-Arani, Centre for Teacher Education, University of Vienna
Micere Keels, Dept. of Comparative Human Development, University of Chicago
Shipra Parikh, Crown Family School, University of Chicago
Michelle Proyer, Dept. of Education and Centre for Teacher Education, University of Vienna
Regina Studener, Dept. of Education, University of Vienna
In collaboration with
In-Person Meeting Disclaimer: This convening is open to all invitees who are compliant with UChicago vaccination requirements and, because of ongoing health risks, particularly to the unvaccinated, participants are expected to adopt the risk mitigation measures (masking and social distancing, etc.) appropriate to their vaccination status as advised by public health officials or to their individual vulnerabilities as advised by a medical professional. Public convening may not be safe for all and carries a risk for contracting COVID-19, particularly for those unvaccinated. Participants will not know the vaccination status of others and should follow appropriate risk mitigation measures.
Panel 2: examination of the many forms of violence experienced after migrants have arrived at their host country
Panel 2: examination of the many forms of violence experienced after migrants have arrived at their host country
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM CST
The active trauma of forced migration often persists after reaching their host country. As noted by Dr. Dryden-Peterson: “Once uprooted from home, refugees and immigrants often settle in places where they are continually dislocated by exclusion and lack of opportunities." Violence comes in many forms, including cultural, social, legal, and emotional violence. During this panel we broaden our understanding of the violence of forced migration and discuss the policy perspectives and changes needed to improve outcomes.
Moderator: Michelle Proyer
Associate Professor, Dept. of Education and Centre for Teacher Education, University of Vienna
Panelist 1: Walaa Jumma
Community Building & Engagement Program Manager, Asylum Works
Panelist 2: Katherine Kaufka Walts
Executive Director of the Center for the Human Rights of Children, School of Law at Loyola University Chicago
Panelist 3: Buchung Lobsang
University of Vienna
Panelist 4: Johan Luíz Rocha
Doctoral Student, Dept. Of Comparative Human Development, University of Chicago
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