Welcome to this course on literacy for new citizens in which we will draw on the findings of the author Erasmus Plus Project. In this first week, we will learn about migration, mobility, and social integration and how important languages are in them. Migration has always been part of human history, but after the Second World War it started to change its dimensions, manifestations, and impacts for many reasons. Nowadays it has become a key global phenomenon affecting our daily lives and a critical issue in the top political agenda. According to the International Organization for Migration, one in every 30 people in the world leaves an international migrant. The number of international migrants is estimated to be almost 272 million in the world, about three percent of the world's population. In the last 20 years, migration has dramatically increased. People on the move are often on the news. What do you think you know about migration? Test yourselves. Which do you think are the main migration movements in the world? From where do most people migrate? Where do most people migrate to? A, from southern poorer countries to northern richer countries. People mostly move within one region and C, people mostly move between neighboring regions and countries. Well, although everybody thinks that the main migration flows are from the Southern to the Northern Hemisphere. The right answer is C. People mostly move between neighboring regions and countries. Which do you think are the most important countries in the world in numbers of immigrants received and in numbers of immigrants? Black African countries, European countries, Asian countries, and then emigrants from Black African countries, Latin American countries, or Asian countries. Again, the right answers are C. Let's have a look at some data. In 2019, the majority of international migrants lived in Asia, Europe, and Northern America, but migration patterns are diverse. For example, international migrants born in Africa, Asia, and Europe reside within their regions of births. While most migrants from Latin America, and the Caribbean region, and Northern America reside outside their regions of birth. The US has the largest numbers of immigrants, around 20 percent of the total number in the world, and then Germany and Russia follow with a combined share of 9.7 percent of migrants in the world. In contrast to a current perceptions, Middle Eastern countries have seen a huge increase in the total number of immigrants in the last decade while Western countries have seen smaller increases. Number 3, what do you think are the main factors behind migration movements today? A, the search for jobs and better economic conditions. B, escaping from political violence and lack of political rights. C, moving away from regions affected by pollution, lack of water, and natural disasters. Well, although socioeconomic reasons have traditionally been the main causes of international migration, migration movements are nowadays increasingly affected by conflict, persecution, or natural disasters as the Organization of International Migration stated in 2020. You can see some of the push and pull factors, and you can see how varied they are; socioeconomic, sociopolitical, and ecological. Also, displaced peoples by violent conflicts are increasingly important. In fact, the countries with the largest numbers of displaced people are distributed among three continents. Syria in the Middle East, Columbia in Latin America, and the Democratic Republic of Congo in Central African. Number 4, who are the people most likely to migrate from their home country to other regions and countries in the world? A, mostly young unskilled men. B, both men, and women in family migration. C, more women than men as lone migrants, or D, most men as migrant workers. D is the right answer. Although there is a balance between migrant males and females; nearly two-thirds of male migrants are labor migrant workers. You can see the balance. In fact, there's not such big difference between males and females, but also there's a great difference between the ages. Number 5, do you think immigrants work in jobs in the line with their labor market skills? Yes, most of them do not have an education. No, because they have to take whatever available jobs natives won't do. C: No, because they experience downward social mobility regardless of their prior education level. The right answer is B because migrants experience downward social mobility, labor market barriers regardless of their prior education level. Migrant workers and COVID-19 has been an issue because migrants are at the front line of performing crucial task to keep European citizens healthy and safe during the pandemic, essential workers. Yet it is migrant workers who might suffer the worst effects of the economic downturn. There is a risk that some migrant workers fall short of jobs and livelihoods protections. Migrant workers are more likely to be employed on temporary contracts, earn lower wages, and carry out tasks that are not compatible with teleworking. Number 6, what kind of relationships do you think migrants keep with their family networks and countries of origin? A, mostly economic. B, mostly cultural. C, mostly related to care. D, depending on the reasons to migrate. Well, the right answer is D. Nowadays, social, political, and economic dimensions of migrations take place within and beyond nation-state borders at a transnational level. Number 7, do you think that the children of immigrants are always citizens of the country they are born in or raised into? A, yes in all cases. B, depending on legal requirements of each country. C, no, they keeping their parents nationality. The right answer is B: The possibility for a child of immigrants to become a citizen in the host country varies across countries' legislations. But however, there are many ways to acquire the nationality of the country immigrants reside into, and for example, we talk about the Einstein's visa. The already former First Lady of the United States got one. There are many other ways through which, as you can see from the news, nationality is granted, offered in exchange of exceptional tasks carried out, or because it is interesting for, for example, football teams. Eight: Do you think migrants and refugees come from the same countries? A, yes. B, no. C, in some cases they do. Well, the right answer is C, there is a legal right to migrate and international recommendations for receiving countries on the matter. But refugees are theoretically protected by international law under specific frameworks such as the EU Dublin convention. As we said, the right answer is C, in some cases they do. Number 9: Why do you think there is a right to migrate, but Migration is still often regarded as a social problem, a contradiction? A, the global economic system benefits from limiting the rights of mobile workers is the reason, or B, some people believe that social resources are limited and sharing them with migrants will make them scarcer, or C, some political parties sustain that only nationals should have access to the welfare state resources. The right answer is A, formal equality is never the equivalent of actual social justice. Finally, what do you think super-diversity refers to? A, the presence of more ethnic or racial groups in the region, city, neighborhood. B, the multidimensional shifts in migration patterns and how they can be observed in major world cities, or C, the value of social cohesion between multiple and diverse identities. Well, the right answer is B. Let's have a look at some data. Large cities with large numbers of immigrants and super diverse enclaves can be found in all the continents in the world. For example, in Dubai, in Brussels, in Toronto, in Oakland, and in Sydney. Finally, the glimer project, as many other projects do, explores the local and global dynamics of this diversity from the experiences in several European cities. Let's see what the Project Coordinator can tell us.
