About the Future of Migration Project
Dirk Bornschein
Future of Migration Programme Coordinator
Political scientist, PhD.
Previously programme coordinator in Central America, researcher in the field of migration and development, author and editor in Latin America. After returning to Europe in 2022: research on Asian and African countries and on migration discourses in Germany.
Alistair Starling
Co-Founder and Managing Director
A former UK Diplomat, Foreign & Commonwealth Office, FCO, where he worked on international relations across Europe, the USA and Africa for 11 years.
He has two Master degrees (one from the University of Cambridge). Alistair is a confident public speaker, has presented numerous times on TV, and fosters active communities of contacts across Europe.
WELCOME
Our project was founded in 2024. In this preliminary phase, our project was based on a detailed discourse analysis, the observation of academic networks and their focal points, but also on the observation of the situation and interests surrounding migration in Africa, Latin America and Asia. We aim to understand and recognise different perspectives.
In this context, we would like to express our gratitude to several German foundations for basic information and contacts: especially the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES), all of which are active worldwide.
Dirk Bornschein
Alistair Starling
Future of Migration Programme Coordinator
Co-Founder and Managing Director
THE IDEA
Listening, understanding different perspectives in order to build bridges.
OUR GOAL
To broaden the perspectives on immigration in Europe in a way that allows both the Union and the member states to reduce the current escalation, to open up opportunities for shaping the future and thus to be able to solve sometimes ambivalent challenges in a balanced way.
WHAT ARE WE PLANNING TO ACCOMPLISH?
- Contribute to a more intensive international exchange in and with Europe as well as building bridges (internationalise faster and at a deeper level).
- Contribute to political education with young Europeans and representatives of political interest groups.
- Identify additional and crucial areas of research.
- Strengthen networks and work on new communication channels.
- Recognise needs and opportunities for national, regional or multinational dialogues.
- Facilitate broader mindsets.
WHERE ARE WE RIGHT NOW?
- Interviews with experts in some of the member states: The answers from the semi-structured interviews make it possible to roughly compare the respective countries, formulate similarities and differences and provide initial explanations.
- The first bi-national meetings are being prepared: By comparing countries, representatives of different sectors and discourses will question their own convictions and define possible topics for further dialogue.