About PusH

Venice, July 4-8, 2022

The Summer School was hosted by our Italian partner, the University Iuav of Venice and focused on housing conditions of migrants and refugees in Europe. It tackled local policies and practices promoting or preventing the urban inclusion of foreign residents, refugees in particular.

During their five days in Italy (3 in Venice and 2 in Parma), students were introduced to key concepts related to the precarious housing of migrants including legal status, lack of affordable housing, and racism in their host countries. Lectures were given by scholars from the PusH partner institutions to help set the foundation for their workshops, fieldwork, and meetings with stakeholders.

The students were then given the opportunity to meet local stakeholders from the public and private sectors including the municipality of Venice, Refugees Welcome, and Di Tutti I Colori. Each of these groups presented their projects, methods, and goals to the students which were followed by Q and A sessions. While in Parma, students were invited to participate in a ‘Migrant Tour” where local refugees and migrants guided the students through the city of Parma. This helped the students better understand how these groups interact with the city. Students were also invited to visit ArtLab, a squatted residence in central Parma. There, students learned about the housing crisis in the city of Parma extending beyond just refugees and migrants and could interact with residents and learn from the leaders of this movement. During their second day in Parma, students spent the day with the organization CIAC and learned about the numerous projects the organization is conducting to foment integration and address problems of housing precarity among refugees and migrants in Parma. During the final day of the program back in Venice, students were guided on a tour through one of Venice’s most intercultural neighborhoods and had the opportunity to speak with a local religious organization about their work to support individuals in the neighborhood. The PusH summer school in Venice culminated with presentations from student small groups on their ideas for a final booklet project based on what they’ve learned this week and their group conversations.

More details and some preliminary insights from the programme can be found here.