Training Course Guidelines for hosting at-risk scholars
Organized by: Training and Hosting Working Group, SAR Italy

[Click here for the Italian version]

In the period November-December 2023, the Training and Hosting Working Group of the SAR Italy Network organized a free online training course, consisting of 4 meetings of two hours each (for a total of 8 hours), entitled “Guidelines for hosting at-risk scholars” addressed to the academic and administrative staff of SAR-Italy Universities and buddy students working with refugee or at-risk students.
The overall goal of this course was to provide and improve the skills of the university community, starting with SAR Italy Hosting Guidelines and acquainting the universities that are already part of the network with concrete protection actions implemented by SAR Italy while simultaneously going in-depth into legal, administrative and fiscal requirements that must be considered when implementing these actions. Each meeting was organized by first providing a general/theoretical framework, followed by an analysis of case studies and a Q&A session, including examples of practical solutions implemented by hosting universities.

Several requests for support from at-risk scholars from different countries, such as Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Russia, and Iran, have led many SAR Italy member universities to adopt support strategies, frequently operating in prolonged emergencies and uncertain procedures. Possible responses have emerged from a comparison with other universities, external experts, or networks engaged in projects for the reception of vulnerable subjects.

Therefore, within such a complex scenario, it was essential to provide further support to universities by offering them specific training for the reception of at-risk scholars. For this purpose, on the one hand, the experiences and best practices already acquired and implemented by the network, envisaging the participation, as speakers, of academic and administrative staff involved in such projects, were emphasized; on the other hand, experts from outside the network have been invited as well (such as ASGI, Servizio centrale – Reception and Integration System- Ministry of the Interior, UNHCR and Vittorio Sandalli, former Italian ambassador in Georgia, Indonesia, and Afghanistan), especially concerning the discussion of theoretical assumptions and specific aspects that are particularly sensitive and complex to deal with when the hosting projects are designed.

The following themes were covered:

• Presentation of SAR Italy;
• Identification and risk-recognition procedures for scholars and the forms/implications of UNHCR protection, as well as the cooperation between universities, SAR Italy, and SAR International;
• Management of scholars’ international mobility in terms of necessary administrative procedures to establish the minimum hosting requirements;
• Possible types of scholarships/contracts and related selection/appointment procedures to provide an overview of the possibilities for interested institutions to open positions for scholars at risk;
• Different types of visas and residence permits and their convertibility;
• The role and the importance of “mentoring” activities to promote the integration of scholars in the local scientific community, with particular attention to preserving their privacy and safety;
• Different paths that could be undertaken to support scholars searching for new job opportunities (see complete program).

The course registered 500 subscriptions from 22 universities/research centers members of the SAR Italy network. Averagely about 250 people took part in each meeting. Mostly (80% of the total) administrative staff, followed by academic staff and researchers, besides PhD students, who have shown a specific interest in the topic.

The satisfaction survey, administered at the end of the course, highlighted that most participants took part in the meetings for professional growth or because they engaged in hosting SARs. 86% of the participants showed a high satisfaction level.

Some suggestions for improvement were also made:

• extend the time available to deal with particularly complex topics and to the Q&A session;
• organize similar initiatives also on-site, and not only online, to encourage a broader discussion on specific topics;
• include one or more speeches by at-risk scholars who can talk about their own experience to supplement the theoretical part with “real” examples.

With a view to future training initiatives of the SAR Italy Network, the following topics were suggested:

• Advocacy, mentoring, recognition of titles, and legal framework of SARs.
• Sensibilization of the entire academic community on these topics and the work of the network.
• In-depth study of problems characterizing the Home Countries.
• Procedures and documents required when applying for visas and residence permits for SARs, as well as legal framework and practical experiences.
• In-depth studies on the issue of freedom, to be conducted through the direct involvement of some SARs hosted in Italy.
• Involvement of Government authorities that play a crucial role in this kind of initiative (Ministries, CRUI, etc).

The Working Group is working on a new training course to be held by the end of 2024, and in any case after the updating of the Hosting Guidelines, that would involve the direct participation of SARs currently (or formerly) hosted at Italian universities as well as Ministries, the Conference of Italian University Rectors and other national bodies to raise awareness on the issue of hosting at-risk scholars.