The Liu Institute for Global Issues’ video series, Seeking Refuge, focuses on different aspects of the refugee crisis we are witnessing in today’s world.
The series includes a number of short videos that consist of snippets from interviews with Liu Institute and UBC Professors with legal and geopolitical expertise on refugee issues.
Compelling questions such as ‘Who counts as a refugee?’ and ‘Is this refugee crisis the new normal?’ will be answered throughout the series.
Please share your feedback, ideas, and questions in the comment section below. We look forward to hearing from you.
Thank you to Liu Postdoctoral Fellow Jordan Levine with transliminal.org for working with us on this video series.
Part 1:
80% of the world’s refugees are not from Syria.
In an interview with the Liu Institute for Global Issues, UBC Geography professor Dr. Daniel Hiebert introduces the scale of the problem: “The Syrians so clearly exemplify the imagined idea of what a refugee is versus the Africans who are much more complicated on that front.”
Daniel Hiebert is a Professor of Geography at UBC who specializes in issues of public policy. Professor Hiebert’s personal research interests focus on immigration policy, the integration of newcomers into the housing and labour markets of Canadian cities, and the consequences of the growing ‘super-diversity’ of Canadian society, especially for national security. This work routinely takes a collaborative approach, working with partners in government and non-governmental organizations.
Related Publications:
- Castles, Stephen, Hein de Haas, and Mark J. Miller. The Age of Migration: International Population Movements in the Modern World. New York: The Guilford Press, 2005. (Available here)
- Gilbert, Geoff. “Why Europe Does Not Have a Refugee Crisis.” International Journal of Refugee Law 27, no. 4 (2015): 531-535. (Available here)
- United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR Global Report 2014. (Available here)
- United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR Global Appeal 2016-2017. (Available here)
- International Organization for Migration (IOM), World Migration Report 2015. Migrants and Cities: News Partnership to Manage Mobility. (Available here)
UBC Refugee Support Services
World University Service of Canada (WUSC)
World University Service of Canada (WUSC) is a non-governmental organization that aims to foster human development and global understanding through education and training. WUSC UBC stands for changing lives and we constantly strive to provide refugees access to education.
UBC Refugee Relief
UBC Refugee Relief is a diverse group of committed students who want to reach out and respond to the Syrian refugee crisis. The group was created in October 2015 when a small group of students began to meet and discuss ideas for a student movement that would unite people across campus to provide long-term solutions to Syrians in need.
Oxfam UBC
Oxfam UBC is a student-run group committed to supporting Oxfam Canada’s development and relief work around the world and raise awareness about pressing international issues, such as food security, gender rights and climate change. In recent years, a major focus of Oxfam Canada, and Oxfam International more broadly, has been to provide clean drinking water and relief supplies (blankets, stoves, hygiene supplies etc.) to Syrian refugees both within the country and in surrounding regions.
Vancouver Welcome Map
This project aims to map places and resources in Metro Vancouver which may be particularly useful for incoming Syrian refugees and recent immigrants. It is available in both English and Arabic.
Refugee Serving Community Based Organizations
Metro Vancouver:
AMSSA (Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Services Agencies of B.C.)
More than 70 member agencies serving immigrants and culturally inclusive communities. Here you will find both AMSSA created and curated resources related to the resettlement of Syrian refugees in British Columbia.
ISSofBC
ISSofBC is the largest agency of its kind in Western Canada, with targeted programs for refugees, women, children and youth, plus support services in over 45 languages.
MOSAIC is a multilingual non-profit organization dedicated to addressing issues that affect immigrants and refugees in the course of their settlement and integration into Canadian society.
Settlement Orientation Services (SOS)
Settlement Orientation Services is a partnership organization anchored in the community. The organization was formed in 1993 as a service hub in response to an increasing number of refugee claimants arriving in Vancouver from South America.
DIVERSECity
DIVERSEcity Community Resources Society is a registered not for profit agency offering a wide range of services and programs to the culturally diverse communities of the lower mainland.
Canadian Red Cross British Columbia and Yukon Office – First Contact Program
First Contact provides refugee claimants with access to emergency assistance, information and referrals through a 24/7 multilingual phone line. To date, over 1000 refugee claimants have been assisted by Red Cross Staff and First Contact volunteers in the B.C. Lower Mainland.
United Way Lower Mainland – Early Years Refugee Program
The BC Early Years Refugee Programs initiative is multi-faceted and includes six local program sites across the Lower Mainland.
Refugee Health Vancouver
A searchable list of community resources offering services in other languages in British Columbia. The site also provides a range of information and tools for health professionals about refugee health.
For further Community Resources Serving Immigrant and Refugee Families in B.C. and across Canada, please click here.
Canada:
Canadian Council for Refugees
The Canadian Council for Refugees is a national non-profit umbrella organization committed to the rights and protection of refugees and other vulnerable migrants in Canada and around the world and to the settlement of refugees and immigrants in Canada. The membership is made up of organizations involved in the settlement, sponsorship and protection of refugees and immigrants.
Canadian Red Cross
The Canadian Red Cross has extensive programming in place to support both migrants and refugees across the country. The Red Cross continues to engage, collaborate and coordinate with government partners and other community organizations across the country to help effectively and efficiently meet the needs of refugees and their new communities.
YMCA / YWCA
Many Ys serve newcomers, but specific services vary widely across Canada. Search for a local branch and check individual websites for regional resources.
Canadian Centre for International Justice
List of torture treatment programs in major Canadian centres.
Multicultural Mental Health Resource Centre
Links to professional associations where users can search for psychotherapists who serve specific ethnocultural communities, by location. Lists organizations and agencies that provide access to interpreters and cultural brokers, listed by province.
Canadian Government Services
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
An interactive map helps newcomers locate services in each province or territory, such as language classes, employment services, help filling out forms and applications, information about community services. Click on the “Text version” link at the bottom of the page for a full list.
Services for Newcomers to Canada (Service Canada)
Access to a wide range of government programs and services for newcomers, with select information available in foreign languages.
Global:
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
For over 65 years, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has been protecting the rights and well-being of refugees all over the world.
International Organization for Migration
Established in 1951, IOM is the leading inter-governmental organization in the field of migration and works closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners.
Doctors without Borders
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) works around the world to provide refugees and internally displaced people (IDPs) with everything they need from psychological care to lifesaving nutrition. MSF sets up hospitals in refugee camps, helps women give birth safely, vaccinates children to prevent epidemics, and provides access to safe drinking water.
