Reducing Roadblocks for Asylum Seekers Accessing Education

Our mission is to reduce the barriers that students from Direct Provision face when entering third level education, specifically, transportation costs

Since 2019, Trinity has offered scholarships for Asylum Seekers who get offered any of its courses. However, only four are offered each year. Other successful college applicants from Direct Provision are left to fund themselves. Through Suas’ close interaction with Asylum Seekers, it has been identified that one of the major barriers they face is the cost of transportation, as Direct Provision centers are often located remotely. The report on Migration and Asylum (2018) noted the need to improve the location of Direct Provision centres in order to make services, communities, amenities and education more accessible to them (pg. 86). Whilst this is a pilot project, we aim to establish a sustainable approach to reducing the roadblocks students from Direct Provision face, by providing them with funded Leapcards so that they can attend the college. As such, we are increasing the college’s ‘awareness about sustainability transport options’, in accordance with section two of the application criterion on your website, by supporting a just transition towards sustainable development, whilst minimising our carbon footprint, as the funding will go towards public transport. If the project is successful among students incoming this September, we intend to expand it towards a more holistic approach, incorporating funding educational material and establishing mutual relationships; however, areas of action would be identified in close discussion with persons from direct provision themselves. To build a long-term solution, we have begun a close dialogue with relevant stakeholders including Suas and Trinity’s University of Sanctuary group. We will be consulting the Senior Tutor’s Office to ensure that the project is implemented well and travel cards are allocated efficiently and effectively. By removing structural barriers in this way, the project will serve as a blueprint for collective action for just transitions to sustainability.

The education access this project will provide, will afford its beneficiaries integration and job opportunities, leading them to live more sustainably in Irish society. We are also working to secure funding for it long-term, and are acting as a blueprint for universities' acting on climate justice.

The budget of 600 will cover 1x student Leapcard for the full 30 weeks of the college year 2021/2022, as Leapcards cap at 20 euro per week. As noted below, COVID-19 restrictions may prohibit students from attending their usual classes. However, some students will still have labs and practicals with mandatory attendance a few days a week, and others may wish to attend the library. Should this occur, the grant would be put to equally good use, providing funding for a greater number of students to travel less hours, or allowing one student to travel to the library everyday.

It is hard to predict whether covid will continue to affect attendance on campus this September. We are hopeful that normal college life will resume and there will be no interference. Nevertheless, many courses such as nursing, medicine or social work still require transportation as in person learning has been deemed essential even during level 5 restrictions. Others such as engineering, biology or chemistry maintained weekly or fortnightly seminars and labs when the country was under level 4 restrictions. In addition, students from Direct provision are more likely to rely on the library in order to avail of adequate studying facilities and wifi connectivity to attend lectures, thus, transportation to campus would still be needed. (Trinity library has not interrupted its services since the beginning of the pandemic, it would be extremely unlikely to do so now that the situation is improving.) As outlined above, our project is flexible enough to adapt to this situation.