Professor Marie Gillespie has worked alongside Alison Duffy Tang in OpenLearn and colleagues to launch a collection of the Open University’s research and teaching since the beginning of the refugee policy crisis in 2015.

This is the first time that such a collection of rich materials have been curated. They range from useful resources for refugees to research on how COVID-19 is affecting asylum seekers and refugees. This OpenLearn resource will be of interest to anyone wishing to understand refugee experiences and appreciate their contributions to society.

The cultural resources available, for example, include a short video about how smartphones have become a lifeline for refugees – a key topic of OU research:

"Phone, food and water, the three essential items that refugees take with them when they flee to safety,” says Marie.

Over the years, OU research has investigated the impact of the UK Government’s ‘hostile environment’ policy on the lives of refugees, as well as the importance of technologies.

"Research on refugees and digital technologies has become an important field of research," says Marie. You can view the 5-minute film.