The Bradford/Mirpur connection and the global citizenship of its young people

Partner Institutes
School of Lifelong Education and Development, University of Bradford	Mirpur University of Science and Technology (MUST), University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (UAJK)

Caught between two cultures – no place in the world illustrates this dichotomy better than Bradford in the UK which has one of the highest percentages of people of Pakistani origin. More than 80% of these Bradford Pakistanis come from Mirpur, Kashmir. It is common for most families to regularly shuttle between the two countries and the two very diverse cultures. Statistics show that approximately 50% of Mirpuri-heritage Bradford children go on extended leave at least once in their school lifetimes.

Mirpur University of Science and Technology (MUST) and the University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (UAJK) have partnered with the School of Lifelong Education and Development, University of Bradford to study this interesting sociological phenomenon. The project aims to better understand the impact of extended leave and how best to educationally support young people who live cross-culturally.

Expert opinion on living between two cultures is divided. On the one hand is the perception that prolonged absence from their hometown has a negative impact on children’s education and is responsible for their underachievement and subsequent anti-social activities, whereas others believe that extended periods abroad provide vital cultural and social learning.

While research will be carried out to determine the effects of this cultural duality, the most important aspect of the project is to ensure that the young people involved feel at home in both places. To do so, partnerships between educational institutions in Bradford and Mirpur are being encouraged in order to devise a collaborative curriculum for those children who are away from school for long periods.

It has become fashionable to talk of ‘global citizenship’ as a positive experience; but ask those who actually live between two countries and experience a sense of alienation from both. Through this project, the Pakistani and UK universities hope to provide children of Mirpuri origin living in Bradford some semblance of a normal academic life and help them in their struggle to fit in.

Lessons learnt/Challenges faced:

• Necessity of long lead in times and volume of preparatory  work when engaging others in the project (such as university students and local schools)
• Necessity of good, frequent communication and plenty of advance warning and planning when trying to link virtually with partner organisation events
• Social networking media works well when engaging students   

 Impact:

• Deeper and more informed understanding of extended trips abroad to visit family
• Sense of how young people are making sense of and forming self identities around ‘family life in two places’   
• Giving students the opportunity to engage in and lead a piece of interesting research – student voice and students as agents of change
• Disseminating (staff and student presenters) to wider group via conference presentation

Key Contacts:

Nadira Mirza, University of Bradford

N.S.Mirza@bradford.ac.uk, www.bradford.ac.uk

Dr Louise Comerford Boyes

L.Comerford-boyes@bradford.ac.uk, www.bradford.ac.uk

  

Prof. Dr. Habib-ur-Rehman, Mirpur University of Science and Technology

Vc@must.edu.pk, www.must.edu.pk

Syed Tanveer Hussain Shah, Azad Jammu Kashmir University

tanveer.hussain@ajku.edu.pk, www.ajku.edu.pk