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September 22, 2023

Children on the Move

A Child-centered Policy and Learning Workshop

Adults and children migrating en masse.

There are more children on the move than ever before – fleeing violence, climate disasters, and poverty – and seeking safety and protection within and across borders. Currently, nearly 40 percent of the 100 million displaced persons worldwide are under the age of 18. However, the global discourse on forced displacement and migration rarely focuses on children’s best interests, rights, and needs. 

This workshop will provide the opportunity to consider what child-sensitive policies and responses to children on the move would look like within U.S. foreign and domestic policy contexts. Young people who have experienced displacement, policymakers, practitioners, and researchers will engage with each other through a series of interactive panel discussions, and registered attendees will be able to share ideas and learn from each other during breakout sessions.

This event is convened by the Georgetown University Collaborative on Global Children’s Issues in partnership with the Human Rights Institute; Institute for the Study of International Migration; Institute for Women, Peace, and Security; and Laboratory on Global Performance and Politics at Georgetown University and the InterAction Forced Displacement Working Group, International Rescue Committee, Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), Save the Children, and UNICEF USA.

Related Event | On September 19, 2023, Georgetown University’s Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics and Collaborative on Global Children’s Issues will walk with Little Amal, a 12-foot puppet of a 10-year-old Syrian refugee girl, to the U.S. Capitol. 

Participants are encouraged to stay for the full day as sessions are interactive and build on one another. 

Registration for this event is currently closed. If you would like to be added to the waitlist, please email globalchildren@georgetown.edu.

Schedule

Note: This is an in-person event, with no hybrid option available. 

10:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. EDT
Registration and Coffee

10:15 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. EDT
Welcome and Introduction

  • Gillian Huebner, Executive Director, Georgetown University Collaborative on Global Children’s Issues

10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. EDT
"Lived Experience Is Expertise"

Facilitator: 

  • Sweta Shah, Research Fellow, Georgetown University Collaborative on Global Children’s Issues; Co-founder, ChildArise

Panelists: 

  • Young people who have experienced displacement, migration, and refugee resettlement will share their perspectives.

12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. EDT
Lunch

1:00 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. EDT
"How Does the United States Respond to Children on the Move?"

Facilitator: 

  • Leslie Archambeault, Managing Director, Humanitarian Policy, Save the Children

Panelists:

  • Molly Barlow, Legislative and Policy Analyst, Senate Foreign Relations Committee

  • Leah Chavla, Senior Level Representation Advisor, Child Services Team, Office of Refugee Resettlement, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

  • Jon Hoisaeter, Deputy Representative for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Washington, DC

  • Kelly Loewer, Senior Officer, Protection, U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration

2:15 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. EDT
"How Do Our Local Communities Respond to Children on the Move Arriving in the DC Metro Area?"

Facilitator:

  • Gillian Huebner, Executive Director, Georgetown University Collaborative on Global Children’s Issues

Panelists:

  • Amy Fischer, Core organizer, Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network; Director, Refugee and Migrant Rights, Amnesty International USA

  • Dr. Eunice Humphrey, Principal, International High School at Langley Park, Prince Georges County

  • Emma Israel, Policy Analyst, Kids in Need of Defense (KIND)

  • Tatiana Laborde, Program Manager, DC Mayor’s Office of Migrant Services

  • BB Otero, Special Assistant to the Montgomery County Executive

  • Preethi Nampoothiri, Executive Director, International Rescue Committee (IRC) Maryland

  • Essey Workie, CEO, Multicultural Coaching

3:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. EDT
Break

3:45 p.m. – 4:50 p.m. EDT
"Two paths, One destiny": A Child-centered Simulation

Facilitator: 

  • Ian Manzi, Program Assistant, Georgetown University Collaborative on Global Children’s Issues

4:50 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. EDT

Closing Remarks

  • Rose Worden, Program Manager for Humanitarian Policy, InterAction.



Resources

View articles, statements, and other resources for this event.