Placement, Preservation and Perseverance (PPP) as a project was conceptualized by a group of scholars and activists who had years of lived experiences of either being at-risk/displaced and/or creating organizational capacity in Canadian universities to champion academic freedom. We believe in creating a model for the Canadian higher education system that can develop into a sustainable, humanistic and rights-based approach to supporting and resettling at-risk scholars, activists and students in Canada. The broader idea of the project was shaped into its current form, with guidance from IDRC, to cater to the then emerging Afghan crisis in mid-2021. The impact was felt at the individual, societal and global levels, as scholars/activists were forced to flee and destruction of an otherwise laboriously built and thriving higher education system of the country disrupted the country’s knowledge (networks) preserves.
PPP is a unique IDRC funded project that it is implemented within Canada for displaced Afghan beneficiaries/participants. This research project has a goal of creating knowledge and understanding of crisis response models or systems for higher education institutions in the country. It also aims to aid all actors and stakeholders working in resettlement and integration in Canada.
The specific objectives and corresponding outcomes of PPP are:
- demonstrate how the scholarly community can better prepare for disruptions to knowledge communities caused by crises.
- research what systems can be put into place before a crisis becomes a catastrophe.
- assess when protective measures can be put in place to preserve knowledge communities before, during and after displacement.
- demonstrate why it is important to rebuild knowledge communities in the diaspora to promote academic freedom and help preserve essential knowledge systems.
The project has three programmatic areas. They are as follows:
Placement as Process
As a research initiative, PPP has a twofold approach to understanding displaced scholar placement processes in Canada. Our objective is to push beyond the immediate context of the Afghan crisis unfolding in 2021 and to draw larger lessons for higher education in Canada. The project is aimed at creating a comprehensive process for the placement of incoming ASAs where they experience a human rights-centric reception in Canada, with care at the heart of resettlement and integration to new academic environments. PPP supported six Afghan scholars to find a scholarly placement in six Canadian universities.
Preserving Knowledge
This initiative seeks to ensure the long-term preservation of Afghan knowledge among diaspora communities while empowering Afghan scholars and activists to thrive resiliently amidst their new environments. It supported ten Afghan activists in implementing projects that helped them to continue with their work in a meaningful way in Canada. The project supported seven Afghan scholars in continuing with their academic publishing processes and thereby contributed to their ongoing academic career journey in Canada.
Capacity Building
PPP actively engaged in capacity building efforts for the project participants through funding and collaborating with SAR Carleton’s ‘Academic Advancement and Career Alignment Certificate for New Scholars in Canada 2024’. PPP organized an in-person writing workshop for its Academic Advancement Grant recipients at UBC and facilitated mentorship for Grant recipients for academic publishing purposes. ICF, led by UBC, had an in-built capacity building and mentorship system in its program for the student researchers.
Academic Advancement Grant
We introduced a new funding opportunity for Afghan scholars in Canada who wish to pursue academic writing/publications. After a competitive selection process, a cohort of seven academics/researchers were awarded grants with a three-month program. This program of activities included:
1. Free participation in a Carleton University course entitled Academic Advancement and Career Alignment Certificate for New Scholars in Canada;
2. Mentorship from a scholar in their field located at UBC;
3. Capacity building through an in-person Academic Writing Workshop at UBC.
Through this opportunity we anticipate publications of academic papers in varying fields such as economics and management, medicine, public health, physics, management science, mechanical engineering, clinical psychology, communications and management, maternal health care. These are all authored by displaced Afghan scholars.
Intergenerational Connections and Futures
This programmatic area aims at contributing to inform research, policy, and practice and international debates about how best to respond to humanitarian, political and development crises in Afghanistan in the short- and medium-term (and in similar contexts in future). ICF connects Afghan students with ASAs to discuss, exchange ideas, and document possible pathways for a sociopolitically forward-looking Afghanistan. The outcome of this program will be a more sustainable mentoring and networking ‘hub’ to support ongoing scholarly community building between students and ASAs past the project end date. ICF is led by UBC.
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