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Trinity College Dublin became a member of the University of Sanctuary network in March 2021, thereby committing to the following principles:

• Learning about forced migration, refuge and asylum;
• Ensuring a culture of welcome for refugees and asylum seekers;
• Sharing ideas and practices with others;
• Outreach and advocacy activities.

Find out more here.

The Trinity Centre for Forced Migration Studies embodies these principles and ensures their implementation through its research, teaching and civic engagement activities, building on work already carried out by its members in all three of these areas. The centre also aligns with the key goals of the Trinity Strategic Plan (2020/25), entitled ‘Community and Connection’, which focuses on civic action, intersectional research, inclusion and active citizenship both inside and outside of the College community and in preparing students for life after university.  Trinity’s values are articulated in the Trinity Strategic Plan as inquisitive, pioneering, responsible, inclusive and collaborative and these values will also be championed by the proposed centre:

• inquisitive about the factors determining and resulting from forced migration;
• pioneering as the first forced migration research centre of its kind on the island of Ireland;
• responsible in relation to conducting research into one of the key societal challenges of our time;
• inclusive in terms of the range of ways in which learning will be delivered and assessed, the diversity of the target audience as well as the different backgrounds and experiences of the advisory board members and those delivering teaching and training;
• collaborative in respect of working with academics, experts by lived experience, NGOs and charities.

The modular offerings and short-term programmes offered by Trinity which will be targeted at practitioners working to support those who have experienced forced displacement, ranging from first time students to graduates, align with goal one of the Trinity Strategic Plan, which promises to foster an ever more diverse and inclusive student community, whist mapping onto the Trinity Graduate Attributes: to think independently; to communicate effectively; to develop continuously; and to act responsibly.

The teaching objectives of Trinity Centre for Forced Migration Studies also complement and intersect with those of the Trinity Centre for Global Intercultural Communications which was recently set up in the School of Languages, Literatures and Cultural Studies with funding from the Government of Ireland Human Capital Initiative (HCI). The principles of intercultural communication and the promotion of ethical awareness of human rights issues are embedded into both centres as is the provision of a flexible and inclusive learning environment which facilitates lifelong learning, upskilling and reskilling.