The project takes its cue from the situation in the autumn of 2015. More than 5500 asylum seekers crossed the northernmost Schengen border in Europe, from Russia to the northernmost region in Norway, often termed as “the marginal edge of the northern periphery”. The border is located in the municipality Sør-Varanger, with approximately 10.000 inhabitants. In one month, 3.000 refugees came across this border. Compared to the number of inhabitants in the Norwegian Capital, Oslo, this would be the same as 30 000 refugees in one month. The flow of immigrants posed a great challenge for local authorities. Until central authorities took charge, local authorities were responsible for the big arrival. An important aim of this project is to examine the consequences on local level when it comes to the responsibility for asylum seeking children, youth and families. The project will also examine the cooperation between different government agencies, such as health, education and children protection services. Coming to small places at the marginal edge of the northern Europe, from urban and southern areas represent great changes for the refugees. How authorities and local people meet them are of great importance. The integration processes of children and youth, as well as the role of schools in this effort, are important parts of the current project. Everybody at the age of 6-15 who live in Norway for more than 3 months have equal right to education in the obligatory school system independently of their legal status. One example is a rural school in Neiden, Sør-Varanger. The school was in danger of being shut down. When the school started in August 2015, the school had 5 pupils – all of them Norwegian. In January 2016 the school had 37 pupils of different national and cultural background. The school became an important institution in the integration of both families and children. This project is based on an interdisciplinary theoretical approach, combining a geographical approach with theories of social learning in order to analyse how place constitute important contexts for experiences within different fields for different individuals. The project will analyse and develop guidelines for the inclusion in schools as well as in other local arenas. Refugees and other migrants are engaged in the same activities in life as most other people, even though being a refugee and a migrant is one important part of their situation and daily life.

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