Call for proposals: Working Symposium on Refugee and Migrant Education.

We invite you to submit an abstract and kindly ask that you share this call widely within your networks. We aim to bring together a diverse group of participants, including individuals with backgrounds of migration, students, academics, practitioners, and volunteers. 

Please find the full call for submissions attached, pasted below, and available at the following link: Working Symposium on Refugee and Migrant Education. 

We look forward to your contributions and to a vibrant, engaging conference. 

Call for Proposals 

Working Symposium on Refugee and Migrant Education. 

February 26–28, 2026 

Hosted by the Center for Refugee, Migrant, and Displacement Studies at Virginia Tech 

Blacksburg, Virginia, USA 

Education is hope. It gives us power to imagine and build better futures. – Banyezako Ange Hatungimana, formerly of Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya 

Education is often one of the most important items sought by migrants and displaced people, for themselves or for their children. This significance is reflected in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4, Quality Education, which recognizes education as “the key that will allow many other Sustainable Development Goals to be achieved,” and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has made education a key focus of its mission. Yet despite these commitments, millions of displaced individuals worldwide still lack access to meaningful educational opportunities. More than 7.2 million school-aged refugee children are currently out of school, according to UNHCR’s Education Report 2024. But even as the need grows, global support systems are contracting. A 2025 policy briefing from the Geneva Global Hub for Education in Emergencies, the Global Education Cluster and the Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies reveals that recent aid cuts have left over 33 million people in need outside the scope of education planning. In this context, we ask: In what ways can education systems, policies, and community initiatives be designed or adapted to support the educational needs of displaced people and migrants more effectively? Here, we take a broad definition of “education” to include formal schooling (primary, secondary, and tertiary), adult education, vocational training, informal and community-based instruction, language acquisition, and non-traditional models. 

We invite you to join our working symposium dedicated to collaborative thinking, dialogue, and innovative ideas on this critical issue. Together, we’ll explore what education looks like in different migrant and refugee contexts, and what education means, who it serves, and how it can be reimagined to support dignity, autonomy, and opportunity. There are a myriad other questions that we will explore: What kind of education? For what ends? Who provides the education? Who decides what is to be taught, and how? Who provides the infrastructure, teachers, and materials? What is the role of outside volunteers and academics? 

What We’re Looking For 

We welcome submissions from: 

• Individuals with personal background of migration/displacement 
• Scholars (including university/college students) 
• Academics at all levels 
• NGO workers, community organizers and volunteers 
• Artists and creative practitioners 

We especially encourage submissions from individuals with lived experience of migration, displacement, or forced relocation, whether or not affiliated with an academic institution. You are welcome to propose work in your own voice, on your own terms. We are committed to making this symposium a space that is inclusive, collaborative, and respectful of the diverse expertise and experience of all participants. In addition to typical academic works that examine discrete aspects of education for migrants and refugees, we also welcome submissions that are more personal and reflective; that tackle big issues in provocative ways; or that challenge existing structures and assumptions. 

We encourage work that is: 

• Analytical or reflective (e.g., case studies, research-in-progress, or theoretical frames) 
• Creative or visual (e.g., photo essays, testimonies, artistic expressions) 
• Collaborative (e.g., co-authored by researchers and community members) 
• Discussion of best practices (e.g., university student volunteer projects) 

Possible Themes and Topics 

We welcome a wide range of submissions. Possible areas of focus include (but are not limited to): 

• Roles of volunteers and academics: – what are best practices for institutions of higher education to support refugee and migrant education? For example, how can undergraduate students engage in outreach that is effective and ethical? How can faculty conduct research on education with and for migrants and refugees? 
• Governance and decision making:  what are the goals of education, in theory and in practice, of UNHCR, local schools, national education offices, etc.? How do those shape the experiences and outcomes of learners? 
• Case studies/comparative studies: how does the provision, experience, and impact of education for refugees and migrants differ across time and space? 
• Goals of education: how do different groups, institutions, and individuals understand the meaning of education? In what ways do these understandings coincide or conflict? 
• Critiques of education provision: in what ways do migrants and refugees evaluate the education available to them? How can those critiques be addressed? 
• Informal/innovative forms of education: what types of education provision are available outside the typical school classroom? What are their methods and goals? 
• Politics and economics:  in a time of declining international financial support for refugees and increased restrictions on international movement, what is the future of education for migrants and refugees? 

Symposium Format 

This is not a traditional academic conference. It is rather a working symposium which emphasizes collaborative discussion, constructive feedback, and interdisciplinary exchange. We encourage participatory formats and seek to create a space where researchers, educators, practitioners, and individuals with experiences of displacement can learn from each other. Toward that end, we ask attendees to submit draft papers (5 pages maximum) four weeks in advance of our meeting. Attendees will thus have the chance to read submissions prior to the symposium. 

Revised papers may be considered for a possible edited volume. There will be: 

• No formal paper presentations 
• No panels of speakers reading from scripts 
• Instead: small group discussions, pre-circulated papers, thematic dialogues, and open exchange 

Submission Guidelines 

We invite abstracts of 250–500 words outlining your proposed contribution. Please include: 

• Description of your work or research questions, main argument, methods etc. 
• A short biographical statement (100 words max) 
• Any relevant format notes (e.g., if your submission is creative, collaborative, or non-traditional) 
• Whether you are requesting travel assistance, with an approximate budget if possible 
• Whether you cannot attend in person due to visa or travel limitations 

Submit your proposal to vincentmaluwa@vt.edu by October 31, 2025 

Important Dates to Remember  

October 31, 2025 – Proposal submissions due 

November 15, 2025 – Notification of acceptance 

January 30, 2026 – Draft papers (max 5 pages) due for pre-circulation 

February 26–28, 2026 Symposium at Virginia Tech (Blacksburg, VA) 

Accessibility & Support 

• Hybrid format: We will offer partial Zoom access for key sessions for those unable to travel. 
• Travel support: Limited financial support may be available for students, contingent faculty, and participants from under-resourced contexts. Please include a request in your submission. 
• Language: All submissions and discussions will be in English. We welcome submissions that do not follow standard academic formats or styles. 

Questions? 

Reach out to us at vincentmaluwa@vt.edu with any questions about submissions or anything else.