Migration and Xenophobia in Schools (MIXES)

Project Summary

The MIXES project has three main aims. The first is to provide students with the facts on migration and the impact migration has on health, economies and communities. The second is to increase knowledge, challenge prejudices and encourage conversations that would continue outside of the classroom. The third is to develop learning materials which can be used nationally by educators in classrooms and other educational settings.

Records show that in 2018 one billion people were either migrating or had migrated globally. While migration is far from a new phenomenon, overall numbers have increased and migration patterns – areas that people migrate to and from - have changed in recent years. These changes have led to migration becoming increasingly politicised and the deliberate spread of misinformation and negative discourse has become more common.

Lesson plans were developed by UCL staff and medical students, with expertise in migration, education, health and discrimination and initially delivered to students at UCL Academy. The sessions were well received by students and teachers and by request of the Academy, plans are in place to deliver sessions to the next cohort of students.