Blogs

Acknowledging structural racism within humanitarianism would require ceding power and authority to those who have been marginalised.

ACCESS Phase 2 has the objectives of supporting a process of change towards greater institutionalisation of AEPs and flexible education programming, while also understanding the enabling and constraining factors towards this type of change.

Throughout the first year of ACCESS, our researchers have found that often, the actions of donors, civil society, government to strengthen education provision for out of school children and youth maintains the status quo. While this work is necessary, it is insufficient to achieve the types of far-reaching, bold or disruptive change which the UN Secretary General notes is required. It also precludes these OOSCY from accessing the types of learning opportunities they need and demand.

A year into the project, we’re identifying opportunities and bottlenecks to making Accelerated Education programmes and other non-formal approaches to education more accessible, available, adaptable and acceptable to out of school children in youth in Jordan, Colombia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Uganda.

In ACCESS, we not only focus on what we do, but how we do it. We strive for co-production of our research. That was our entry into the panel—how we create true and equal partnership within the research team. During that panel, and in many instances throughout ACCESS, I’ve been reflecting on what true partnership means to me. I’ve come to realize that one of the most important elements of true partnership is friendship—truly caring about each other.

Why is it that these refugees have been welcomed with open arms, while other recent waves of refugees have been walled off, contained, detained, and...