MO-TRAYL and the Centre for Migration Studies hold a migration & youth workshop at the University of Ghana

The MO-TRAYL project organised a Migration and Youth workshop at the University of Ghana's Centre for Migration Studies on 14-15 June 2023, in collaboration with Maastricht University researcher Dr. Bilisuma Dito and the Centre for Migration Studies at the University of Ghana. The two-day event comprised a training session and a multi-stakeholder panel.

MO-TRAYL holds final conference in Maastricht, The Netherlands

The closing conference of the Mobility Trajectories of Young Lives (MO-TRAYL) project (2017-2023) was held in Maastricht on 4-5 April 2023 and included a societal panel, spoken-word performances by young research participants, and an academic conference. 

Onallia Osei featured on podcast 'Let's Talk About Social Inclusion'

MO-TRAYL researcher Onallia Esther Osei has been featured on the podcast Let's Talk About Social Inclusion.

MO-TRAYL hosts European book launch of (Re)Mapping Migration and Education

On Wednesday 30 November, the MO-TRAYL team hosted the European book launch of the edited volume (Re)Mapping Migration and Education: Centering Methods and Methodologies, as part of the Globalisation, Transnationalism and Development (GTD) colloquia.

Valentina Mazzucato presents at breakfast session of the Royal Academy of the Society of Arts

MO-TRAYL's Principal Investigator, Valentina Mazzucato, presented highlights of the MO-TRAYL project at the breakfast session of the Royal Academy of the Society of Arts on November 21, 2022. 

Valentina Mazzucato presents at the African Child and Youth Migration Network 

MO-TRAYL's Principal Investigator, Valentina Mazzucato, presented on ‘Youth Mobility Trajectories: Opening Up New Research Categories’ at the African Child and Youth Migration Network on September 20, 2022.

MO-TRAYL researcher Onallia Esther Osei presents at the DSA 2022 conference

MO-TRAYL researcher Onallia Esther Osei presented at the online conference of the Development Studies Association (DSA) on 7 July, 2022.

MO-TRAYL researchers participate in 2022 IMISCOE Conference

MO-TRAYL researchers Onallia Esther Osei, Sarah Anschütz and Karlijn Haagsman participated in the 2022 IMISCOE conference, 'Migration and Time: Temporalities of Mobility, Governance, and Resistance.'

Prof. Mazzucato is speaker in Closing Plenary at 2022 IMISCOE conference

Prof. Valentina Mazzucato, MO-TRAYL’s principal investigator, was one of four speakers in the Closing Plenary at the 2022 IMISCOE conference in Oslo, Norway. The plenary was titled ‘The Future of Time in Migration Studies’ and provided a collective space for reflection on temporal dimensions in migration research.

MO-TRAYL organizes debate café at Synergy ‘22

MO-TRAYL researchers organized a debate café titled "Collectively reflecting on 'giving back' in social sciences and humanities' at Synergy '22 at Fokker Terminal in The Hague on 16 June 2022.

MO-TRAYL researcher a finalist for NWO Synergy Award '22

MO-TRAYL researcher Laura Ogden was one of four finalists for the NWO's (Dutch Research Council) Synergy Award '22, which aims to provide an opportunity for PhD students to explore and present the potential impact of their research on society. 

Three MO-TRAYL researchers defend their PhDs

MO-TRAYL researchers Sarah Anschütz, Gladys Akom Ankobrey, and Laura Ogden all defended their PhDs at Maastricht University between 30 May and 2 June. 

MO-TRAYL researchers featured in video project on ethnography

As part of a video about the Ethnography Group at Maastricht University, MO-TRAYL researchers Gladys Akom Ankobrey and Sarah Anschütz give insights into Team Ethnography as practiced in the MO-TRAYL team.

Prof. Valentina Mazzucato interviewed for The Migration Podcast

Prof. Valentina Mazzucato was interviewed by Milena Belloni for The Migration Podcast, an initiative of the IMISCOE network, the largest network of migration scholars in Europe.

New video about MO-TRAYL's societal impact

Laura Ogden from the MO-TRAYL team is featured in a new video about creating societal impact through research for the Graduate School of Maastricht University's Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

MO-TRAYL PhD researcher Gladys gives a lecture for the 2021 Black Achievement Month at the Volkenkunde museum, Leiden

On 10 October 2021, MO-TRAYL PhD researcher Gladys gave a lecture about migrant-background youth's shifting ways of relating to the 'origin' country. Following this, she moderated a panel discussion with young people with diverse migrant backgrounds about the topic. 

Prof. Valentina Mazzucato delivered the annual Sarah van Walsum lecture at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam

Prof. Valentina Mazzucato, the MO-TRAYL Principal Invstigator, delivered the 7th Sarah van Walsum lecture on October 7, 2021 at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, about the need to rethink categories used in research and policy to talk about migrant youth.

Prof. Mazzucato presents at IMISCOE workshop on Reflexivities in Migration Studies

Prof. Valentina Mazzucato presented a paper titled, 'Playing with categories: Operationalising a transnational perspective in migration research'.

MO-TRAYL involved in project 'Expats x Migrants'

Prof. Valentina Mazzucato, Principal Investigator of the MO-TRAYL project, was a co-applicant for the project 'Expats x Migrants', which was awarded a Diversity and Inclusivity grant by Maastricht University in 2021.

MO-TRAYL co-organises workshop on research communication at MACIMIDE conference

MO-TRAYL researchers were involved in the organisation of a workshop on 'Research Communication: Migration researchers dialogue with the general public' at the MACIMIDE 2021 conference on 23 September. 

Onallia Esther Osei presents at MACIMIDE 2021 Conference

MO-TRAYL PhD Researcher Onallia Esther Osei participated in the 2021 MACIMIDE conference. She presented a paper titled, 'Negotiating power dynamics in transnational families: a youth-centric perspective about transitions out of secondary school'. 

Gladys Akom Ankobrey advises documentary on Dutch-Ghanaian youth

MO-TRAYL PhD researcher Gladys Akom Ankobrey gave advice to journalist Marnel Breure in the context of her research among Dutch-Ghanaian youth in The Netherlands for a two-part documentary ('Hoe God verscheen in Ghana') on Christianity in Ghana and the Netherlands. 

Onallia Esther Osei participates in CARE: Challenges and solutions for a sustainable future conference 

At this online conference in April 2021, MO-TRAYL PhD researcher, Onallia Esther Osei, presented a paper co-authored with Prof. Valentina Mazzucato and Dr. Karlijn Haagman about how children in Ghana activate their agency for staying connected with their migrant parents via ICT-mediated technologies.  

MO-TRAYL participates in 2021 IMISCOE conference

The MO-TRAYL project team participated in various panels, workshops and roundtables at the 2021 IMISCOE conference, 'Crossing borders, connecting cultures', which was held online from July 7-9, 2021.  

MO-TRAYL article shortlisted for 2021 IMISCOE Best Paper Award

A paper by MO-TRAYL researchers Valentina Mazzucato and Laura Ogden was shortlisted for the Rinus Penninx Best Paper Award at the 2021 IMISCOE conference (July 7-9, 2021).

MO-TRAYL’s ‘Finding Your Voice’ project wins social impact award

The MO-TRAYL team's storytelling workshop with research participants, 'Finding Your Voice', has won the Valorization Prize of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASoS) at Maastricht University, a prize that honors research with a notable social impact.

Laura Ogden presents at Childhood Studies conference, 'Childhood and Time'

MO-TRAYL PhD researcher, Laura Ogden, presented at the 2021 Childhood Studies Association conference, held online in a panel on 'Time and the Migrant Child'.

Laura Ogden presents at CIES2021 conference, 'Social Responsibility within Changing Contexts'

MO-TRAYL PhD candidate, Laura Ogden, presented at the online conference of the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) on 29 April.

Sarah Anschütz presents at Migrant Belongings conference

On 22 April 2021, MO-TRAYL PhD candidate Sarah Anschütz presented at the international online conference ‘Migrant Belonging: Digital Practices and the Everyday’ in the panel on ‘Youth’.

MO-TRAYL researchers participate in workshop on ‘Homeland Education in Critical Global Perspective’

MO-TRAYL PhD researcher, Sarah Anschütz, and MO-TRAYL PI, Valentina Mazzucato, participated in an online workshop on ‘Homeland Education in Critical Global Perspective’, organized by Ruth Cheung Judge at the University College London on 6-8 January 2021.

Transnational Youth in Global South and North (MO-TRAYL) international workshop 

As the MO-TRAYL project (www.motrayl.com) enters its last year, the MO-TRAYL team organized an international workshop with scholars from around the world to give feedback and share insights from their own work. The workshop ran on December 10 and 11, 2020.

MO-TRAYL researchers participate in EASA 2020

From 20-24 July 2020, MO-TRAYL PhD researchers Onallia Osei, Sarah Anschütz and Gladys Akom Ankobrey participated in the European Association of Social Anthropologists (EASA) biennial conference.

MO-TRAYL researcher participates in 'Community Engagement' Masterclass with Prof. Alan Irwin

On 20 February, MO-TRAYL PhD researcher Laura Ogden participated in a Community Engagement Masterclass with visiting Prof. Alan Irwin (Copenhagen Business School), organised by the Maastricht Platform for Community-Engaged Research (MPCER) and Studio Europa.

MO-TRAYL Researcher Laura Ogden presents at the PechaKucha PhD Night

MO-TRAYL Researcher Laura Ogden presented at the PechaKucha PhD Night on 20 January, organised by PechaKucha Maastricht and the PhD Academy. PechaKucha Night, now in over 1,300 cities globally, started in Tokyo in 2003 as an event for creatives to meet, network and showcase their work.

Gladys Akom Ankobrey nominated to the KNAW’s Faces of Science program

Gladys Akom Ankobrey, one of the PhD students on this project, was nominated to the KNAW’s Faces of Science program that focuses on making research accessible to young people in the Netherlands.

IMISCOE Standing Committee “Reflexive Migration Studies”

Prof. Valentina Mazzucato is one of the founding members of the newly established IMISCOE Standing Committee “Reflexive Migration Studies”. 

Valentina Mazzucato elected member of the Royal Dutch Academy of Sciences (KNAW)

Prof. Mazzucato has been elected member of the Royal Dutch Academy of Sciences (KNAW), an honour conferred to only few academics, in part for her contribution to the field of transnational migration studies, of which this ERC project is a part.

MO-TRAYL workshop on youth-centricity in transnational research with Afua Twum-Danso Imoh

On 21 November 2019, the MO-TRAYL team organised a workshop on youth-centricity in transnational research with Dr. Afua Twum-Danso Imoh, an interdisciplinary scholar and lecturer in the Sociology of Childhood at the University of Sheffield.

MO-TRAYL researcher Laura Ogden is guest speaker at UNICEF film screening of Gods of Molenbeek

MO-TRAYL researcher Laura Ogden was the guest speaker at the screening of documentary Gods of Molenbeek at Lumiere cinema, Maastricht on 18 November 2019. 

MO-TRAYL researchers present on panel ‘Unheard Voices’ at AIS Conference 2019

MO-TRAYL PhD researchers Gladys Akom Ankobrey and Laura Ogden presented ‘Passing the mic, and the pen: Reflections on a creative experiment to amplify the voices of transnational youth in migration research’.

MO-TRAYL researchers organize panel on creative methods at MACIMIDE 2019

During the annual MACIMIDE conference, the MO-TRAYL PhD researchers organized a panel session about creative methods in migration research.

MO-TRAYL researcher Laura Ogden presents at ECER 2019

On 5 September 2019, MO-TRAYL PhD researcher Laura Ogden presented research from her fieldwork at the 2019 European Conference on Educational Research (ECER) in Hamburg, Germany.

MO-TRAYL Youth Workshop “Finding Your Voice”: Using Creative Methods to Amplify the Voices of Transnational Youth in Migration Research

The MO-TRAYL project aims to understand young people’s views about their mobility and how they experience living and coming from two or more countries. As part of the youth-centric methods we use in the project, we brought together 11 young research participants from the three European case study countries for a 2-day creative writing workshop called ‘Finding Your Voice’.

Valentina Mazzucato presents "Women in transnational families: structural impediments to 'doing family'"

Prof. Valentina Mazzucato presented at the 'Global Labor Migration: Past and Present' Conference on "Women in transnational families: structural impediments to 'doing family'". 

Edinburgh panel organization by Joan van Geel

Joan van Geel organized a panel together with Hannah Hoechner and Emma Abotsi on “Education and African youth’s ‘return mobilities’". 

MO-TRAYL researcher Sarah Anschütz attends Workshop Migration Studies in the Digital Era

On 14-15 February 2019, MO-TRAYL researcher Sarah Anschütz attended the workshop ‘Migration Studies in the Digital Era’, a workshop on qualitative research methodologies and the study of mobilities, which took place at the Centre for Migration and Intercultural Studies (CeMIS), at the University of Antwerp.

Workshop by Dr. Amitav Ghosh on 24 January 2019

On 24 January 2019, Dr. Ghosh visited Maastricht University, where he gave a workshop ‘Storytelling in historical and contemporary migration research’.

Public lecture by Dr. Amitav Ghosh on 23 January 2019

On 23 January 2019, Dr. Ghosh, gave a public lecture ‘Can the non-human speak? Other Beings in Myth, Literature and Ethnography’.

Valentina Mazzucato gives lecture at the kick-off conference launching Maastricht University’s 2018-19 Honour’s Plus program

on the necessity of interdisciplinary research to understand global issues such as migration. 

MO-TRAYL workshop at 2018 MACIMIDE conference: ‘Youth-Centric Methodologies: Moving Beyond the Adult Bias in Research’
Research about young people’s lives is often dominated by adult perspectives. As a result, little is known about young people’s own views and experiences of mobility and migration. This dilemma was the topic of a workshop organized by the PhD candidates of the MO-TRAYL Project (Mobility trajectories of young lives), Gladys Akom Ankobrey, Sarah Anschütz, Onallia Esther Osei, and Laura Ogden, in collaboration with Michaella Vanore (School of Governance, UNU-MERIT) at the 2018 MACIMIDE conference on 21 September 2018.

MOTRAYL international workshop on “Youth-centric Methods/Approaches”

The MOTRAYL project hosted an international workshop to interactively and creatively investigate “Youth-centric Methods/Approaches” on 19 and 20 September 2018 with the invited participation of four international experts. Each expert, coming from different European institutions and disciplinary backgrounds in anthropology, youth studies, and geography, designed interactive exercises about methodology for the five PhD’s, and four MO-TRAYL faculty members.

Youth Mobility Trajectories: Re-thinking categories in migration and education research

Keynote speech by Prof. Valentina Mazzucato on "Youth Mobility Trajectories: Re-thinking categories in migration and education research" at the two-day symposium Exploring New Links Between Transnational Migration and Education on 21-22 June 2018, Centre for Migration and Intercultural Studies (CeMIS), University of Antwerp, in collaboration with the Department of Anthropology, School of Global Studies at the University of Sussex.

Building resilience through mobility: transnational Ghanaian youth negotiating their educational trajectories

Professor Valentina Mazzucato presented at Symposium "Education and youth in transnational social spaces", University of Duisburg-Essen, March 2018.

100th Kapuscinski Lecture funded by UNDP and the European Commission
by Professor Alcinda Honwana at Maastricht University

On 26 January 2018, the UM Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences hosted the Kapuscinski Development Lecture. The lecture ‘Youth in Movement: Waithood, Migration and the Peripheries’ at FASoS was given by Professor Alcinda Honwana, Inter-Regional Adviser on social development policy at the United Nations Department of Social and Economic Affairs and visiting professor of Anthropology and International Development at the Open University in the UK.

MO-TRAYL Workshop Youth & Waithood across Contexts

On 26 January 2018, the MO-TRAYL team and affiliated researchers at FaSoS engaged in a workshop with Professor Alcinda Honwana. The discussion centered around mobility and waithood, and waithood across contexts.

MO-TRAYL Workshop Research Methods with Young People, led by Simone Castellani

On 6 December 2017, the MO-TRAYL team engaged in a workshop on research methods with young people, led by dr. Simone Castellani.

Simone Castellani is a postdoctoral research fellow at the University Institute of Lisbon, where he carries out a project on the new Portuguese migrations toward Germany.

MO-TRAYL researcher Karlijn Haagsman presents poster at International Population Conference 

MO-TRAYL researcher Karlijn Haagsman attended the 28th International Population Conference of the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population (IUSSP), which took place in Cape Town, South Africa, from 29 October to 4 November 2017. Karlijn presented a poster titled African transnational families - cross-country and gendered comparisons.

Valentina Mazzucato Keynote Speaker at Transnational Families and Divorce Conference

MO-TRAYL’s principal investigator professor Valentina Mazzucato was one of the keynote speakers during the Transnational Families and Divorce Conference, which took place on 27-28 September 2017 at Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands.

MO-TRAYL Workshop Conceptualizing Youth by Roy Huijsmans

On 13 September 2017, the MO-TRAYL team engaged in a workshop titled "The sound of transnationalism" with dr. Roy Huijsmans, senior lecturer Children & Youth Studies at the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) in The Hague. 

The aim of the workshop was to discuss the scope and limitations of using popular culture - especially, popular music - to study transnationalism, focussing on youth. 

MO-TRAYL Researcher Onallia Osei attends WTMC Summer School ‘Ethnography, Digital Objects and STS’

On 4-8 September 2017, MO-TRAYL researcher Onallia Osei attended the Summer School ‘Ethnography, Digital Objects and STS, organized by the Netherlands Graduate Research School of Science, Technology and Modern Culture (WTMC).

Globalisation, Transnationalism and Development Research Retreat 2017

From Thursday 24 August to Saturday 26 August 2017, the MO-TRAYL team went on a research retreat in Epen, the Netherlands, together with the Globalisation, Transnationalism and Development (GTD) research group. During the retreat, the researchers speed-dated, embodied their research during a performance, and engaged in knowledge sharing sessions and a book club.

MO-TRAYL Researcher Onallia Osei attends Summer School ‘Hands-on Anthropology and Collaborative Storytelling’

MO-TRAYL researcher Onallia Osei attended the Summer School ‘Hands-on anthropology and collaborative storytelling’, which took place at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on 8-22 July 2017.

MO-TRAYL Researcher Laura Ogden presents Work at CIEYE 2017

MO-TRAYL researcher Laura Ogden attended the 4^th International Conference on Ethnography & Education (CIEYE 2017) in Barcelona, Spain, on 11-14 July 2017.

Laura gave a presentation about her MA research on education reform in Timor-Leste and attended a workshop on visual ethnographies of education, migration and childhood.

Valentina Mazzucato speaks at European Commission Workshop 

On 10 July 2017, professor Valentina Mazzucato gave a presentation in Brussels, Belgium, during a workshop on migration governance in Europe and Africa. Her presentation was titled ‘Transnational migration: the case of African families’.

The workshop was organized by the Directorate General for Research and Innovation of the European Commission.

MO-TRAYL Researcher Gladys Akom Ankobrey presents at Afroeuropeans Conference

On 6-8 July 2017, MO-TRAYL researcher Gladys Akom Ankobrey attended the sixth ‘Afroeuropeans: Black Cultures and Identities in Europe’ conference at the University of Tampere, Finland. She gave a presentation about her MA research on emerging forms of transnational community among Londoners of African descent. 

Laura Ogden attends Workshop at the University of Hamburg

On 3-4 July 2017, MO-TRAYL researcher Laura Ogden engaged in a workshop led by Christina Huf, professor of educational science with a focus on elementary education / early childhood education at the University of Münster, Germany. The workshop took place at the University of Hamburg, Germany, and focused on doing participant observation in ethnographic research on schools.

MO-TRAYL Researchers attend IMISCOE Conference Rotterdam

MO-TRAYL researchers Gladys Akom Ankobrey, Sarah Anschütz, and Laura Ogden attended the 14th IMISCOE Annual Conference in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, which took place on 28-30 June 2017.
 

MO-TRAYL Researchers attend Ceres Summer School in Utrecht

On 22 June 2017, MO-TRAYL researchers Gladys Akom Ankobrey, Sarah Anschütz, Laura Ogden, and Onallia Esther Osei attended the Ceres Summer School at Utrecht University, the Netherlands. The theme of the Summer School was ‘Engaging with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Gaps, Opportunities and Challenges’.

Click here for a reflection on the Summer School.

MO-TRAYL Workshop Entering the Field with Young People by Jürgen Jaspers

On 21 June 2017, the MO-TRAYL team engaged in a workshop with Jürgen Jaspers, assistant professor of Dutch Linguistics at the Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium. Jaspers, a linguist, has plenty of experience of working with high school students and gave a training on 'entering the field with young people'. 

Valentina Mazzucato Interviewed in Ceres Newsletter

On 20 June 2017, Ceres Research School for International Development published an interview with professor Valentina Mazzucato in which she talks about International Development. 

Read the full article here.

MO-TRAYL Workshop Embodiment by Dr. Anna Harris

On 31 May 2017, members of the MO-TRAYL research team and members of the Making Clinical Sense research team engaged in a workshop on embodiment led by dr. Anna Harris.

MO-TRAYL Workshop Doing Research on Popular Culture by Professor Birgit Meyer

On 24 May 2017, the MO-TRAYL team received a workshop on doing research on popular culture from Birgit Meyer, professor of religious studies at Utrecht University, the Netherlands. She discussed her book 'Sensational Movies - Video, Vision, and Christianity in Ghana'. 

Valentina Mazzucato gives a Presentation at the Aix-Marseille University

On 11 May 2017, professor Valentina Mazzucato gave a presentation at the Aix-Marseille University in Provence, France, titled ‘Children’s wellbeing in transnational families - a view from African countries’. 

Valentina Mazzucato invited to Malta to address the Root Causes of Migration 

On 3 May 2017, professor Valentina Mazzucato attended a conference on research and innovation as tools to strengthen cooperation within the Euro-Mediterranean region, organised in Balzan, Malta. During a technical meeting, she discussed the root causes of migration. The results of this meeting were used the following day, when 42 Research Ministers of EU Member States and non-EU Mediterranean countries attended the conference.

MO-TRAYL Researcher Sarah Anschütz attends BERA Conference

On 28 April 2017, MO-TRAYL researcher Sarah Anschütz attended the conference ‘Social Emotional Well-Being and Mental Health of School-Aged Children’, organized by the British Education Research Association (BERA). The conference took place at the University of Oxford, United Kingdom, and was sponsored by the University of Dundee, Scotland.

Valentina Mazzucato nominated for Academianet

Professor Valentina Mazzucato has been nominated to join AcademiaNet, the expert database for outstanding women in academia.

Valentina Mazzucato part of Studium Generale Lecture Series on Migration

On 15 March 2017, professor Valentina Mazzucato gave a lecture titled ‘Migration and the welfare of families’ at Maastricht University, as part of the Studium Generale lecture series on Migration. 

Valentina Mazzucato gives a Lecture during the HAN International Week

On 7 February 2017, professor Valentina Mazzucato gave a lecture during the International Week organised by the Faculty of Health and Social Studies of the HAN University of Applied Sciences, Arnhem/Nijmegen, the Netherlands.

Valentina Mazzucato gives UM STARS Alumni Lecture

On 2 February 2017, professor Valentina Mazzucato gave a UM Star Lecture in Berlin, Germany, titled ‘Migration and the well-being of families: Why Europe should care’. The UM Star Lectures, the annual lecture series for alumni of Maastricht University, took place in 13 different cities in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, and the United Kingdom. In total, more than 900 alumni attended the lectures.