FIELDWORK AMONG REFUGEES IN GREECE – Available internships for students in 2023
Northern Lights Aid (NLA) is an international voluntary organisation based in the town of Kavala in northern Greece. The purpose of the organisation is to improve the quality of life of refugees staying in the country. We would like to invite students at UiT The Artic University of Norway to an educational and meaningful effort for NLA, as a possible part of their bachelor or master degree.
Several programme areas at UiT offer practical training courses/stays, and NLA would like to be a partner. The fieldwork may fall under the Erasmus scheme – see documentation below (Appendix 1), which shows that this has already been the case at universities in other European countries.
In connection with internships at a solidarity organisation that we offer here, it is important to be aware of the ethical dilemmas raised by any research projects in the field. Performing academic work that directly involves vulnerable groups of people through interviews, etc., could violate the NLA's guidelines.
An internship at NLA primarily involves work experience and perspectives that will benefit the student as important contributions in their further course of study and career. Examples of the range of the topics studied up to now are shown in Appendix 1 and 2 below, and can be the organisation of humanitarian relief efforts, how to achieve a dignified and effective distribution, the cooperation between different NGOs, how to improve the logistics of aid work, fundraising, the asylum system in theory and practice, and provide experience-based basis for scientific publication in peer-reviewed journals (see examples from the publication list of PhD student Henrik Kjellmo Larsen, Appendix 2).
Relevant subject areas for students offered practice in the field may be social anthropology, sociology, social geography, political science, migration studies, international relations, English teaching/didactics, pedagogy, psychology, logistics, economics, as well as cultural and development studies.
If this is of interest, NLA President Rachel Bromell is pleased to be contacted. Bromell has updated knowledge about the organising of daily work in Kavala, and how this can be combined with university studies. She and the other team of international volunteers want to facilitate the fulfilment of a tripartite contract, including by setting aside time for report writing and guidance from the department with which the practice students are affiliated. Bromell can be contacted by phone +44 7936 435892, email: rachel@northernlightsaid.org
At several educational institutions, collaboration with NLA and similar NGOs has already been a success. People mentioned include Heidi Mogstad and Henrik Kjellmo Larsen from Norway. Their fieldwork in Greece has subsequently led to scientific publications and academic degrees. For Mogstad's part, this entails a recently completed PhD in social anthropology at the University of Cambridge (autumn 2021). And for Henrik Kjellmo Larsen, one of the NLA's founders, the fieldwork has resulted in a master degree in development studies, as well as ongoing work on a doctoral thesis in sociology, at Monash University in Australia (see Appendix 2). As regards NLA volunteers' other experiences from practice work in recent years, we refer to the attached statements from students at the University of Leeds, Sciences Po Paris, American University of Paris and Glasgow University (see Appendix 1).
At the latter university, the combination of practical training and fieldwork for NLA resulted in a master degree, completed in 2020. Manon Louis-Puttick examined the volunteers' experiences, and how these helped establish new attitudes and understandings of being on the run. In addition to the rich academic and personal benefits that she explains in her statement in Appendix 1, it can be mentioned that her master thesis received a "First", and that she has subsequently won the "Professor John Briggs Award", as well as being nominated for the prestigious award from the Gender and Feminist Geographies Research Group in the United Kingdom.
Below you can find more information about Northern Lights Aid (Appendix 3).
You can fill out the volunteer form here: Register as a volunteer (google.com)
Sincerely,
Kari Ronge
International volunteer for NLA since 2019, based in Norway
+ 4791159243
karironge1@gmail.com
Kaja Guttormsgaard
Logistic Coordinator for NLA and internship placement with the French university Sciences Po Paris
+4748602826
kaja.guttormsgaard@gmail.com
APPENDIX 1: University Collaborations with Northern Lights Aid – Student Testimonies - January 2022
Abbe Cleverdon, University of Leeds, UK:
“I got in contact with the work placement department within my department at uni and set up a meeting with the careers and work placement officer. I told her of my experience so far - that I had wanted to find a placement within the third sector (charity) but was struggling to find anywhere that would pay at all, let alone enough to live on. A friend of mine had volunteered with NLA and suggested them as a potential avenue for charity work as a placement year. Presenting this to the placement officer at my university, she approved of the idea and informed me that as the placement would be in Greece, I would be eligible for the Erasmus+ grant. At this time (2019), the UK was still part of the EU, which was a requirement for the grant. The amount I received was dependent on the amount of hours I worked and the length of time I was out there - I had to fill in forms and a contract was drawn up with the relevant dates and information of the role I would fill, which was then sent to the Erasmus officer at university. Pending approval, I received the grant.
The uni were originally a bit apprehensive as the blanket summary of working with vulnerable communities raises questions of safeguarding and wellbeing. However, upon a risk assessment and a conversation with the field coordinator, the placement was approved. It was explained that NLA is situated outside the camp and caters to a relatively stable community of refugees and asylum seekers. Additionally, the organisation encourages regular breaks for long term volunteers and provides an excellent support system, therefore the potential risks were mitigated.
The benefits for the university include a connection to the charity, a unique avenue for a placement year for those students who might not want a corporate experience and returning students who are compassionate, hard working and have their priorities straight. I was also very grateful to the university for approving the placement, as I know on the surface the prospect was unusual.”
Pauline Fritz, Sciences Po Paris, France: «University Cooperation: Sciences Po Paris and Northern Lights Aid.
I came to Northern Lights Aid as an undergraduate student at Sciences Po Paris in the Summer of 2018. Although I had been volunteering in the informal refugee camps in Calais even before starting Uni, I was strongly supported by my university to continue this social engagement. Indeed, in order to graduate from Sciences Po all undergraduate students are required to go through a so-called “Civic Learning Program”. It involves collecting empirical data and experiences while working with communities who face discrimination or social precarity and reflecting on these together with a theoretical citizenship issue in the final bachelor thesis.
While in Calais I had heard about different organisations working in Greece and had considered coming out, but it was probably this University Program that motivated me to apply and finally come to NLA. The 6 weeks I spent in Kavala that summer were short, but extremely forming. In retrospect, I often think about all the mistakes I made and stories I didn’t understand because I was so ignorant of the asylum system and the restrictive protection scheme in Europe. After that summer I continued working with asylum seekers in France and ended up writing my bachelor thesis on the criminalization of Civil Society Organizations and the implications for the concept of “European Citizenship”.
I know that many other Sciences Po students came out to join NLA as part of this program and in their own time. Many of them now raise awareness about the situation of refugees on the European External Border. Just recently a conference about the situation in Northern Greece has been organized and is scheduled to take place on the 7th of February.»
Sephanie Alex, American University of Paris:
“My initial engagement at Northern Lights Aid was through my university Careers Department. Communications majors had the option to either do a thesis or find an approved volunteer/internship placement. I had volunteered with another organization that worked with refugees at my university, so I was keen to volunteer again. I was looking for a medium to long-term volunteer experience, to work closely with refugees, and to be able to provide a valuable contribution to the organization. Also, I wanted to volunteer at a relatively small organization because I wanted to be able to provide valuable input and learn from their current practices.
When the option was presented to volunteer at NLA, the organization ticked all my boxes. Everyone on the team was very accommodating to the research assignment required by my university that I had to submit at the end of the volunteer experience. I was able not just to volunteer but to work closely with incredible people who shared similar values and interests.
Based on my positive experience at NLA, I decided to do a Masters in International Development. Today, I currently work for a humanitarian charity that also helps refugees around the world.”
Manon Louis-Puttick, University of Glasgow, Scotland:
“I first joined NLA in 2019, in my final year of studying at the University of Glasgow. I found the organisation through Indigo Volunteers, as my priority was to find a project which aligned with my interests and knowledge of the context. I was also investigating the possibility of carrying out research for my undergraduate dissertation project, however I knew that there would be many ethical challenges to consider. My university ethics committee explained that, understandably, I could not carry out any research that directly involved any vulnerable groups of people. However, my research was focused on critically exploring the western concept of ‘voluntourism’, particularly in organisations that worked with people on the move. Consequently, I focused the research on my own experience of volunteering with NLA, as well as on other volunteers’ experiences who were working with NLA through the same time period as me. NLA and the team were very accommodating to my request of research, however made it clear that it should not interfere with my primary role as a volunteer, and in accordance with the university, requested that it not involve any vulnerable groups. This experience taught me a lot about being cautious with research in these environments, and I learnt extensively from NLA about both the values and harms of volunteering.
NLA provides services based on dignity and compassion, but also an environment to learn, to think critically about identity relations and various forms of activism. The conclusions of my research were based on the numerous ways that volunteers returned home and spread awareness to break down negative stereotypes so often dominant in western news. Many got involved in groups at home or university, and some entirely changed their career paths following their experience with NLA. Once I returned home, I became more involved with Student Action for Refugees, standing on the committee for two years as well as advocating for Equal Access campaigns at the university.”
APPENDIX 2: Statement from PhD-student Henrik Kjellmo Larsen. March 2022:
“Working with refugees in Greece was a transformative experience for me. My intention was to stay in Greece for only four days, but this became four months. At the point, I had just recently finished a bachelor’s degree in business and management from Durham University, and I was having a hard to finding ways to use my skills in a constructive manner. Working hands on with refugees in Greece gave me a reality check.
What occurred to me was that how I choose to spend my time, directly impacts other people. It sounds obvious, but for me there is a definite before and after working with refugees in the field. After having been a field coordinator for the Norwegian NGO ‘Dråpen i Havet’ (A drop in the ocean) from September - January 2015/2016, I was part of the team that founded Northern Lights Aid in January 2016.
The fieldwork had affected me in more ways than I knew, and returning from the field. I spent some time recovering before starting to conduct research on volunteering and humanitarian work. This led me to pursue a master’s degree in International Development Practice at Monash Univeristy and has so far resulted in two scientific publications and five academic blog posts published at LSE and Oxford amongst others (see publication list below). My research has allowed me to take active part in the publish debate on refugees and migration related issues and I regularly publish opinion pieces in Norwegian newspapers.
The experiences I gained from work as a spontaneous volunteer, and not least alongside other spontaneous volunteers during a humanitarian crisis motivated me to pursue a PhD at Monash University where I am investigating how volunteering in a humanitarian crisis affected the lives of the volunteers afterwards. I am also interested in how the professionalization of humanitarian aid affects organisations' views on volunteers.
I am telling this story to show how valuable this field in Greece was to me. It completely changed my priorities in life, both privately and professionally.
Volunteering in Kavala with Northern Lights Aid will be a lot more structured and organized than what I did. Nevertheless, I believe that this kind of field work will have the potential to provide the student with experiences that could inspire thoughts and ideas that could influence their academic and personal life. Through the fields work the student will have the potential to affect more people than just themselves, and this can inspire related research in a variety of fields.
I am based in Oslo and can if needed contribute as a supervisor in Norway or a party in a three-part contract."
List of publications:
- Larsen, H.K. and Gordon, E. (2021) 'Criminalising the right to seek asylum'. Oxford, Border Criminologies.
- Gordon, E. and Larsen, H.K. (2021) 'The violent inaction of the state and the camp as site of struggle: The perspectives of humanitarian actors in Moria Camp, Lesvos.' European Journal of International Security.
- Gordon, E. and Larsen, H.K. (2020) ‘Sea of Blood’: The Intended and Unintended Effects of the Criminalisation of Humanitarian Volunteers Rescuing Migrants in Distress at Sea’, Disasters.
- Larsen, H.K. and Gordon, E. Out of Site, Out of Mind? The Warwick Interdisciplinary Research Centre for International Development.
- Larsen, H.K. and Gordon, E. No More Morias’: How the World’s Worst Refugee Camp Was Destined to Fail. E-International Relations.
- Gordon, E. and Larsen, H.K. Criminalising search and rescue activities can only lead to more deaths in the Mediterranean. London School of Economics and Political Science.
APPENDIX 3: Additional Information on Northern Lights Aid - November 2022:
NLA was established as an official NGO in January 2016. On the website Northern Lights Aid you can read the background to the Norwegian founders´ initiative for this grassroots organization, the annual reports from 2017 onwards - and more specifically about all ongoing projects – the text below is taken from the site "Who We Are":
About Us
«Northern Lights Aid (NLA) is a Greek and Norwegian-based NGO operating in Kavala, Greece. Its focus is to improve the quality of life of refugees currently residing in the country.
NLA works in support of approximately 450 people living in enforced exile in the Kavala Perigiali Camp. The majority of residents hail from Afghanistan, Syria, and Iraq with at least five other countries represented. Almost half of the camp population is under 18 years old. NLA also offers its services to several low-income families living in the wider Greek community.
The situation for refugees in Greece is characterized by a lack of stability and an uncertain future. NLA works hard to offer stable and consistent support through our projects, which focus on education, integration, and material needs. Located in rented premises, a walking distance from the camp, they include a Mother and Baby Program which provides essential hygiene items and a women-only space, a regular schedule of English Classes, and the distribution of non-food items such as clothing and footwear. We also promote skill-sharing in our Community Garden and Workshop and provide children’s activities, fitness classes, and integration projects.
The team is made up of both international volunteers and volunteers who reside in the camp. The organisation operates in close collaboration with local people, the authorities, and international NGOs to build sustainable projects for those it serves.
(…)
Our History
In September 2015, the founders of Northern Lights Aid traveled to the island of Lesvos, Greece in response to the emerging humanitarian crisis. Quickly realizing the desperate need for support on the island, the founders decided to make Lesvos their base of operation.
In January 2016, Northern Lights Aid was established as an official NGO. The organization was initially created to provide emergency aid to first arrivals on the island. The team provided clothing, food, water, shelter, and alerted medical groups, as well as the Hellenic Coast Guard, in the event of emergencies on land or at sea.
After several months working on Lesvos, with a changing political climate in Europe and the presence of more organisations on the island, it was decided that NLA was needed elsewhere. In March 2016 the northern border of Greece became the new base for NLA. During this time, it supported Hara camp, near Idomeni and focussed on providing food and material support as well as providing shelter and activities for children.
When residents from unofficial refugee camps in Greece began to be transferred to government-run facilities in the summer of 2016, NLA was granted official approval by the Ministry of Migration Policy to operate within the Kavala Perigiali camp. In 2017 our operations moved outside the camp. The new premises enabled our projects to expand and our services became available to local low-income families as well. Our current activities are focused on providing long-term material, educational and community-oriented projects to support the residents of the Kavala camp.»
FELTARBEID BLANT FLYKTNINGER I HELLAS – Ledige praksisplasser for studenter i hele 2023
Northern Lights Aid (NLA) er en internasjonal, frivillig grasrotorganisasjon som holder til i byen Kavala nord i Hellas. Formålet med organisasjonen er å forbedre livskvaliteten til flyktninger som oppholder seg i landet. Vi ønsker med dette å invitere studenter ved UiT - Norges arktiskeuUniversitetet til en lærerik og meningsfull innsats for NLA, som en mulig del av deres bachelor- eller mastergrad.
Flere fakulteter ved UiT tilbyr praksisemner/-opphold, og Northern Lights Aid vil gjerne være samarbeidspartner. Feltarbeidet for NLA er ulønnet, men vil kunne komme innunder Erasmus-ordningen. Dokumentasjonen nedenfor (Uttalelser fra fire tidligere feltarbeidere, vedlegg 1) viser at dette allerede har vært, og er, tilfelle ved universiteter i andre europeiske land.
Arbeidsspråket i felt er engelsk, og en praksisplass for NLA er åpen for studenter fra andre nasjonaliteter enn norske. Denne utlysningen finnes derfor i engelskspråklig versjon, se stillingsannonse som legges ut parallelt på denne portalen).
I forbindelse med praksisplasser ved en solidaritetsorganisasjon som vi her tilbyr, er det viktig å være klar over de etiske dilemmaer som reises ved eventuelle forskningsprosjekter i felt. Å utføre akademiske arbeider som direkte involverer sårbare grupper mennesker, gjennom intervjuer etc., vil kunne bryte med NLAs retningslinjer.
En praksisplass hos NLA innebærer først og fremst arbeidserfaring og perspektiver, og som vil komme studenten til gode som viktige bidrag i deres videre studie- og karriereløp. Eksempler på spennvidden i de hittil undersøkte temaer fremgår nedenfor (vedlegg 1 og 2), og kan være det humanitære hjelpearbeidets organisering, hvordan man kan få til en verdig og effektiv distribusjon, samarbeidet mellom ulike NGO-er, hvordan man kan forbedre logistikken i bistandsarbeidet, fundraising, asylsystemet i teori og praksis – samt gi erfaringsbasert grunnlag for vitenskapelig publisering i fagfellevurderte tidsskrifter (se eksempler fra publikasjonslisten til Henrik Kjellmo Larsen, vedlegg 2).
Aktuelle fagområder for studenter som tilbys praksis i felt, kan være sosialantropologi, sosiologi, samfunnsgeografi, statsvitenskap, migrasjonsstudier, internasjonale relasjoner, engelskundervisning/-didaktikk, pedagogikk, psykologi, logistikk samt kultur- og utviklingsstudier.
Om dette er av interesse, er NLAs president Rachel Bromell glad for å bli kontaktet. Bromell har oppdatert kunnskap om organisering av det daglige arbeidet i Kavala, og hvordan dette kan kombineres med universitetsstudier. Hun og det øvrige teamet av internasjonale frivillige ønsker å legge til rette for å oppfylle en trepartskontrakt, bl.a. ved å sette av tid til rapportskriving og veiledning fra instituttet som praksisstudentene er tilknyttet.
Bromell kan treffes på telefon +44 7936 435892, e-post: rachel@northernlightsaid.org
Ved flere læresteder har samarbeid med NLA og lignende NGO-er allerede vært en suksess. Her kan nevnes Heidi Mogstad og Henrik Kjellmo Larsen fra Norge, hvor feltarbeidet deres i Hellas i ettertid har ført til vitenskapelig publisering og akademiske grader. For Mogstads del innebærer det en nylig avlagt PhD-grad i sosialantropologi ved University of Cambridge (høsten 2021). For Henrik Kjellmo Larsen, en av NLAs grunnleggere, har feltarbeidet resultert i en mastergrad i utviklingsstudier, samt pågående arbeid med doktorgradsavhandling i sosiologi, ved Monash University i Australia (se vedlegg 2).
Når det gjelder NLA-frivilliges øvrige erfaringer fra praksisarbeid de senere år, viser vi til de vedlagte uttalelser fra studenter ved University of Leeds, Sciences Po Paris, American University of Paris og Glasgow University (se vedlegg 1).
Ved sistnevnte universitet resulterte kombinasjonen praksisstudent og feltarbeidet for NLA også i en mastergrad, avlagt i 2020. Manon Louis-Puttick undersøkte de frivilliges erfaringer, og hvordan disse bidro til å etablere nye holdninger og forståelse av å være på flukt. I tillegg til det rike faglige og personlige utbyttet som hun gjør rede for i sin uttalelse i vedlegg 1, kan det nevnes at masteroppgaven hennes fikk en «First», og at hun i etterkant har vunnet «Professor John Briggs Award», samt blitt nominert til den prestisjefulle prisen fra «Gender and Feminist Geographies Research Group» i Storbritannia.
Nedenfor finnes mer informasjon om Northern Lights Aid (vedlegg 3). Du kan fylle ut søknadsskjema som internasjonal frivillig her: Register as a volunteer (google.com)
Undertegnede kan også kontaktes for spørsmål.
Vennlig hilsen
Kari Ronge
frivillig felt- og medarbeider for Northern Lights Aid (NLA) siden 2019
+ 4791159243
karironge1@gmail.com
Kaja Guttormsgaard
p.t. logistikk-koordinator for NLA, i praksis gjennom det franske universitetet Sciences Po Paris
+4748602826
kaja.guttormsgaard@gmail.com
VEDLEGG 1: Uttalelse fra fire tidligere feltarbeidere/University Collaborations with Northern Lights Aid – Student Testimonies - January 2022
Abbe Cleverdon, University of Leeds, UK:
“I got in contact with the work placement department within my department at uni and set up a meeting with the careers and work placement officer. I told her of my experience so far - that I had wanted to find a placement within the third sector (charity) but was struggling to find anywhere that would pay at all, let alone enough to live on. A friend of mine had volunteered with NLA and suggested them as a potential avenue for charity work as a placement year. Presenting this to the placement officer at my university, she approved of the idea and informed me that as the placement would be in Greece, I would be eligible for the Erasmus+ grant. At this time (2019), the UK was still part of the EU, which was a requirement for the grant. The amount I received was dependent on the amount of hours I worked and the length of time I was out there - I had to fill in forms and a contract was drawn up with the relevant dates and information of the role I would fill, which was then sent to the Erasmus officer at university. Pending approval, I received the grant.
The uni were originally a bit apprehensive as the blanket summary of working with vulnerable communities raises questions of safeguarding and wellbeing. However, upon a risk assessment and a conversation with the field coordinator, the placement was approved. It was explained that NLA is situated outside the camp and caters to a relatively stable community of refugees and asylum seekers. Additionally, the organisation encourages regular breaks for long term volunteers and provides an excellent support system, therefore the potential risks were mitigated.
The benefits for the university include a connection to the charity, a unique avenue for a placement year for those students who might not want a corporate experience and returning students who are compassionate, hard working and have their priorities straight. I was also very grateful to the university for approving the placement, as I know on the surface the prospect was unusual.”
Pauline Fritz, Sciences Po Paris, France:
“University Cooperation: Sciences Po Paris and Northern Lights Aid.
I came to Northern Lights Aid as an undergraduate student at Sciences Po Paris in the Summer of 2018. Although I had been volunteering in the informal refugee camps in Calais even before starting Uni, I was strongly supported by my university to continue this social engagement. Indeed, in order to graduate from Sciences Po all undergraduate students are required to go through a so called “Civic Learning Program”. It involves collecting empirical data and experiences while working with communities who face discrimination or social precarity and reflecting on these together with a theoretical citizenship issue in the final bachelor thesis.
While in Calais I had heard about different organisations working in Greece and had considered coming out, but it was probably this University Program that motivated me to apply and finally come to NLA. The 6 weeks I spent in Kavala that summer were short, but extremely forming. In retrospect, I often think about all the mistakes I made and stories I didn’t understand because I was so ignorant of the asylum system and the restrictive protection scheme in Europe. After that summer I continued working with asylum seekers in France and ended up writing my bachelor thesis on the criminalization of Civil Society Organizations and the implications for the concept of “European Citizenship”.
I know that many other Sciences Po students came out to join NLA as part of this program and in their own time. Many of them now raise awareness about the situation of refugees on the European External Border. Just recently a conference about the situation in Northern Greece has been organized and is scheduled to take place on the 7th of February.
Sephanie Alex, American University of Paris:
“My initial engagement at Northern Lights Aid was through my university Careers Department. Communications majors had the option to either do a thesis or find an approved volunteer/internship placement. I had volunteered with another organization that worked with refugees at my university, so I was keen to volunteer again. I was looking for a medium to long-term volunteer experience, to work closely with refugees, and to be able to provide a valuable contribution to the organization. Also, I wanted to volunteer at a relatively small organization because I wanted to be able to provide valuable input and learn from their current practices.
When the option was presented to volunteer at NLA, the organization ticked all my boxes. Everyone on the team was very accommodating to the research assignment required by my university that I had to submit at the end of the volunteer experience. I was able not just to volunteer but to work closely with incredible people who shared similar values and interests.
Based on my positive experience at NLA, I decided to do Masters's in International Development. Today, I currently work for a humanitarian charity that also helps refugees around the world.”
Manon Louis-Puttick, University of Glasgow, Scotland:
“I first joined NLA in 2019, in my final year of studying at the University of Glasgow. I found the organisation through Indigo Volunteers, as my priority was to find a project which aligned with my interests and knowledge of the context. I was also investigating the possibility of carrying out research for my undergraduate dissertation project, however I knew that there would be many ethical challenges to consider. My university ethics committee explained that, understandably, I could not carry out any research that directly involved any vulnerable groups of people. However, my research was focused on critically exploring the western concept of ‘voluntourism’, particularly in organisations that worked with people on the move. Consequently, I focused the research on my own experience of volunteering with NLA, as well as on other volunteers’ experiences who were working with NLA through the same time period as me. NLA and the team were very accommodating to my request of research, however made it clear that it should not interfere with my primary role as a volunteer, and in accordance with the university, requested that it not involve any vulnerable groups. This experience taught me a lot about being cautious with research in these environments, and I learnt extensively from NLA about both the values and harms of volunteering.
NLA provides services based on dignity and compassion, but also an environment to learn, to think critically about identity relations and various forms of activism. The conclusions of my research were based on the numerous ways that volunteers returned home and spread awareness to break down negative stereotypes so often dominant in western news. Many got involved in groups at home or university, and some entirely changed their career paths following their experience with NLA. Once I returned home, I became more involved with Student Action for Refugees, standing on the committee for two years as well as advocating for Equal Access campaigns at the university.”
VEDLEGG 2: Uttalelse fra doktorgradsstudent Henrik Kjellmo Larsen_mars 2022:
Arbeidet med flyktninger i Hellas fungerte som et transitorisk øyeblikk som meg. Min intensjon var å kun være i Helles i 4 dager, men dette ble til 4 måneder. Jeg hadde en bachelorgrad fra Business and Management fra Durham University i England, og hadde ikke funnet meg til rette i hvordan jeg skulle bruke denne kunnskapen til noen fornuftig. Møtet med mennesker på flukt gjorde at jeg fikk en realitetsorientering.
Det gikk opp for meg at det jeg velger å bruke tiden min på vil kunne ha direkte påvirkning på andre mennesker. Det høres banalt ut, men det er helt åpenbart et før og et etter dette møtet med mennesker på flukt.
Etter å ha arbeidet som feltkoordinator i fire måneder for den norske NGO-en Dråpen i Havet i perioden september-januar 2015/2016, var er jeg med på å grunnlegge Northern Lights Aid i januar 2016.
Da jeg dro tilbake til Norge var jeg sterkt preget av arbeidet jeg hadde utført, og startet å forske på frivillighet og bistandsarbeid. Dette ledet til en mastergrad i utviklingsstudier ved Monash University i Australia, og som videre (hittil) har ledet til to vitenskapelige publikasjoner samt fem populærvitenskapelige akademiske bloggposter publisert hos blant annet LSE og Oxford (se publikasjonslisten nedenfor). Jeg publiserer regelmessig også kronikker og debattinnlegg i norske medier basert på denne forskningen.
Som følger av erfaringene jeg hadde gjort meg som spontanfrivillig under en humanitær krise, startet jeg på en doktorgrad hvor jeg forsker på hvordan spontanfrivillighet i humanitære kriser påvirker individet i etterkant. Jeg ser videre på hvordan dette påvirker samfunnet rundt dem.
Jeg forteller denne historien for å eksemplifisere hvor betydningsfull turen til Hellas var for meg. Jeg snudde fullstendig opp ned på mine prioriteringer her i livet, både privat og akademisk.
Et opphold i Kavala med Northern Lights Aid vil være langt mer strukturert og organisert enn frivilligheten jeg deltok i, men jeg tror et slikt feltarbeid kan gi studenter tanker, opplevelser og ideer som kan forme deres videre akademiske og personlige liv. Det vil komme mange flere enn dem selv til gode, også relatert til forskning innen en rekke fagområder.
Jeg holder til i Oslo, og skulle det være behov for en veileder i Norge eller deltagende part i en kontrakt så kan jeg gjerne stille til dette.
Publikasjonsliste:
- Larsen, H.K. and Gordon, E. (2021) ‘Criminalising the right to seek asylum'. Oxford, Border Criminologies.
- Gordon, E. and Larsen, H.K. (2021) 'The violent inaction of the state and the camp as site of struggle: The perspectives of humanitarian actors in Moria Camp, Lesvos.' European Journal of International Security.
- Gordon, E. and Larsen, H.K. (2020) ‘Sea of Blood’: The Intended and Unintended Effects of the Criminalisation of Humanitarian Volunteers Rescuing Migrants in Distress at Sea’, Disasters.
- Larsen, H.K. and Gordon, E. Out of Site, Out of Mind? The Warwick Interdisciplinary Research Centre for International Development.
- Larsen, H.K. and Gordon, E. No More Morias’: How the World’s Worst Refugee Camp Was Destined to Fail. E-International Relations.
- Gordon, E. and Larsen, H.K. Criminalising search and rescue activities can only lead to more deaths in the Mediterranean. London School of Economics and Political Science.
VEDLEGG 3: Tilleggsinformasjon om Northern Lights Aid (november 2022)
NLA ble etablert som offisiell NGO i januar 2016. På nettsiden www.northernlightsaid.org kan man lese bakgrunnen til at de norske grunnleggerne tok initiativ til denne grasrotorganisasjonen, årsrapportene fra 2017 og fremover – samt mer konkret om hva den jobber med per nå, blant annet dette (hentet fra nettsiden «Hvem er vi?» 21.11.2022):
«NLA støtter Perigiali flyktningleir som rommer over 450 mennesker. De fleste av leirens innbyggere kommer fra Afghanistan, Syria og Irak. Omtrent halvparten av leirens befolkning er under 18 år og 80 av disse er under tre år. NLA tilbyr også støtte til flere greske lavinntektsfamilier.
Flyktningenes situasjon bærer preg av usikkerhet og ustabilitet. NLA arbeider derfor hardt for å tilby stabil og konsekvent støtte gjennom våre prosjekter, med fokus på utdanning, integrering og grunnleggende behov. Disse prosjektene omfatter et mor- og babyprogram som tilbyr grunnleggende hygieneartikler og en arena kun for kvinner, daglig engelskundervisning, klær og sko gjennom vår gratis secondhand gjenbruksbutikk, et verksted, en treningsgruppe og integreringsprogram gjennom vår nydelige grønnsakshage. Dette skjer i leide lokaler i gangavstand fra leiren.
Teamet vårt i Kavala består av internasjonale frivillige og frivillige flyktninger fra leiren. Vi samarbeider tett med lokale myndigheter og internasjonale organisasjoner for sammen å skape bærekraftige prosjekter til det beste for de som trenger oss.
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Vår historie
I september 2015 reiste grunnleggerne av Northern Lights Aid til øya Lesvos i Hellas som svar på den fremvoksende humanitære krisen. Behovet for hjelp var stort, og grunnleggerne bestemte seg for å bli værende på Lesvos for å hjelpe.
I januar 2016 ble Northern Lights Aid etablert som en offisiell NGO. Organisasjonen ble opprinnelig opprettet for å gi nødhjelp til nyankomne flyktninger på øya. Vårt team ga klær, mat, vann og ly og varslet både ambulansetjenester og den greske kystvakten om nødstilfeller på land eller til sjøs.
Etter flere måneder på Lesvos og økende tilstedeværelse av andre organisasjoner på øya, ble det besluttet at NLA var til større nytte andre steder. På samme tid forandret det politiske klimaet i Europa seg og Hellas’ nordre grense stengte. I mars 2016 ble grensen til Makedonia, nord i Hellas, den nye basen for Northern Lights Aid. I løpet av denne tiden støttet NLA Hara Camp i nærheten av Idomeni med mat, hygieneartikler og klær samt hjelp til ly. NLA organiserte også aktiviteter for barn.
Da beboere fra uoffisielle flyktningleirer i Hellas begynte å bli overført til statlige anlegg sommeren 2016, ble NLA gitt offisiell godkjenning fra det greske Migrasjonsdepartementet til å jobbe inne i Perigiali-leiren i Kavala. I 2017 førte endringer i gresk lov om frivillige organisasjoner til at NLA flyttet sin virksomhet fra inne i leiren til et leid lokale i nærheten.
Vårt nåværende arbeid handler om å tilby langsiktig hjelp innen utdanning, integrering og materiell bistand til beboerne i Perigiali-leiren.»