Durable Solutions for Refugees

By: Tom Tunney, Senior Advisor, University, College and Cégep Programming There is no one-size-fits-all approach to providing quality education – particularly in fragile contexts. This is the message we heard at the Comparative International Education Society (CIES) Annual Conference last March. I was there with my colleagues to reflect, share, and learn about education in…

1) We combine refugee resettlement with opportunities for higher education. While most other initiatives around the world offer refugee youth temporary solutions through special student visas, WUSC’s Student Refugee Program (SRP) is the only one of its kind to combine post-secondary education with resettlement. We offer refugee youth the opportunity to build a better future…

NEW YORK, March 8, 2017 – The Institute of International Education (IIE) and the Catalyst Foundation for Universal Education have launched an online clearinghouse to connect displaced students with opportunities to continue their education in safety around the world. With support of eight international organizations, the new IIE Platform for Education in Emergencies Response (IIE-PEER) currently offers more than…

OTTAWA, February 3, 2017 – World University Service of Canada (WUSC) expresses its concern with the recent Executive Order in the United States which has temporarily halted all refugee resettlement to the United States and barred the entry of citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries. WUSC continues to stand in solidarity with the refugee community in…

On June 7, 2016, WUSC (World University Service of Canada) convened a roundtable to discuss the role of the Canadian post-secondary education community in providing support to refugees. Participants included university, college, and CEGEP presidents, professors, and students; representatives from UNHCR Canada, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), and Global Affairs Canada; Canadian non-profit organizations;…

Over the past year, the number of people displaced around the world grew by nearly six million, with an estimated 12.4 million newly displaced people. The rate of new displacements and their increasingly protracted nature will only see this number continue to rise. We are at a pivotal moment where the actions of Canada and…

The first week of September marks the moment when many students make their way back to school. Through several of our programs, we provide this same opportunity for students from the Global South to continue their education in Canada. This year, we welcomed over 200 bright, young students from countries around the world to post-secondary…

Between 2011 and 2012, 151 refugee youth were welcomed onto 51 Canadian campuses through our Student Refugee Program (SRP). Over 350 students, staff, and faculty members were there to support the social and academic integration of these students in their first year in Canada. Four years later, many of these students are now graduating and…

Leaders in Canada’s post-secondary response to the Syrian refugee crisis gathered this week to discuss the role of higher education in ongoing resettlement and integration efforts. Convened by WUSC, the high-level roundtable brought together actors from diverse sectors to identify opportunities for greater collaboration and to scale the response. Participants included Canadian university, college, and…

World leaders pledge to support education in emergencies at the World Humanitarian Summit The world is facing one of the greatest educational crises of our time. Right now, some of the world’s brightest minds are struggling just to make it to class in war zones and regions devastated by natural disasters around the world. If…