Skip to content
University of East London
  • Staff login
  • Student login
  • Study

    Study

    Site Navigation - Quick Links

    • Why UEL?
    • Undergraduate prospectus
    • Postgraduate prospectus
    • Sport at UEL

    Undergraduate study

    View all of our undergraduate subjects.

    Explore now
    • COURSES
      • Undergraduate
      • Postgraduate
      • Getting back into education
      • Subjects
      • May starts
      • Apprenticeships
    • STUDENT INFORMATION
      • Student life
      • Current students
      • New students
      • Accommodation
      • Term dates
      • Fees and funding
      • Scholarships
    • VISIT UEL
      • Open days and events
      • Our location
  • International

    International

    Site Navigation - Quick Links

    • Why UEL?
    • Undergraduate prospectus
    • Postgraduate prospectus
    • Sport at UEL

    Virtual Open Events

    Need support during your admission journey?

    Attend our virtual events
    • APPLYING
      • Advice for your region
      • Pre-degree courses
      • Immigration advice and compliance
      • Transferring to UEL
      • International admission deadlines
      • Pre-sessional English
      • Malvern House pathway programmes
    • STUDENT INFORMATION
      • Accommodation
      • Term dates
      • Fees and funding
      • Scholarships
    • VISIT UEL
      • Open days and events
      • Our location
      • Virtual open events
  • Your career

    Your career

    Site Navigation - Quick Links

    • Why UEL?
    • Undergraduate prospectus
    • Postgraduate prospectus
    • Sport at UEL

    Are you an employer?

    Advertise a vacancy on our platform today.

    Get started
    • STARTING YOUR CAREER
      • Career Zone
      • Explore your career
      • Career coaching and mentoring
    • GETTING A JOB
      • Meet employers
      • Be your own boss
      • Volunteering
      • Work while you study
  • Partners

    Partners

    Site Navigation - Quick Links

    • Why UEL?
    • Undergraduate prospectus
    • Postgraduate prospectus
    • Sport at UEL

    Are you an employer?

    Advertise a vacancy on our platform today.

    Get started
    • Partnerships at UEL
    • Train your workforce
    • Share your skills
    • Connect with our people
  • Our research

    Our research

    Site Navigation - Quick Links

    • Why UEL?
    • Undergraduate prospectus
    • Postgraduate prospectus
    • Sport at UEL

    REF 2021

    Read about our Research Excellence Framework submissions and results

    Impact case studies
    • Postgraduate research students
    • Research impact
    • Partnerships
    • REF 2021
  • About

    About

    Site Navigation - Quick Links

    • Why UEL?
    • Undergraduate prospectus
    • Postgraduate prospectus
    • Sport at UEL

    Connected campus

    We are improving our three campuses for people to study, work and live.

    What we're doing
    • OUR UNIVERSITY
      • Our schools and subjects
      • Staff
      • Governance
      • Professional services
      • Vision 2028
      • Alumni
      • Accreditations
      • Sustainable Development Goals
    • TEACHING AND SUPPORT
      • How we teach
      • Mental wealth
      • On-campus nursery
    • GET INVOLVED
      • Events
      • News
    • GET IN TOUCH
      • Our location
      • Contact us
  • Home
  • About UEL

Book by refugees and UEL students honours Duchess

Hero Carousel

The Duchess of Sussex meeting Dr Aura Lounasmaa 3copyright ACU

Students assemble anthology by refugees in Calais Jungle camp

See all of our News articles

Published

19 February 2019

Share

Share On Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on LinkedIn

The book 'Voices from the Jungle', produced by students on the University of East London's (UEL) award-winning 'Life Stories' course in the Calais Jungle, was presented to HRH The Duchess of Sussex when the Duchess made her first official appearance as Patron of the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU). 

The book was presented by Dr Aura Lounasmaa, lecturer in social sciences at UEL, during an event at City, University of London. Dr Lounasmaa told the Duchess about UEL's work with refugees

It was a great opportunity to speak with the Duchess of Sussex about global education and research challenges she cares deeply about. 

"I had the opportunity to discuss the University of East London's work with refugees and present her with the book our students on the award-winning Life Stories course in the Calais Jungle produced, the 'Voices from the Jungle'. I hope the Duchess enjoys reading these stories."

Dr Lounasmaa, lecturer in social sciences at UEL, said.

'Voices from the Jungle' is an anthology of stories, poems, photographs and drawings by 22 former inhabitants of the Calais Jungle camp. It was published last year by Pluto Press. 

A UEL team of 30 staff members and students travelled to the camp in northwest France over the course of 2016 to offer residents the accredited Life Stories course in makeshift school buildings. The published work shares the life stories of people who travelled to Europe from conflict-torn countries such as Syria, Sudan, Afghanistan and Eritrea.

In 2017, UEL's work on the course won the institution the Guardian University Award 2017 in the 'Student diversity and widening participation' category.

Judges described Life Stories as an "inspiring and innovative project with real impact. UEL went well beyond what was done in other places. The university showed real commitment to reaching out to a really marginalised group and to challenging places. The project challenges current political ethos and ideas, it's a real beam."

Dr Lounasmaa, who is now working on the OLive Open Learning programme of UEL courses to prepare refugees for higher education, was part of the Life Stories team.

Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Sussex became Patron of the ACU, an international organisation which is dedicated to building a better world through higher education, at the start of the year. The Duchess was welcomed to City by its President, Professor Sir Paul Curran and Dr Joanna Newman, ACU Chief Executive and Secretary General.

UEL is one of the ACU's 500 university members supporting the development of higher education as a power for good across the Commonwealth and beyond.

During the visit to City University, the Duchess joined ACU staff, students, and academics and met students from the Commonwealth studying in the UK, for whom access to university has transformed their lives.

Dr Lounasmaa said, "We spoke about our OLIve course for refugees and asylum seekers hoping to get into university, which UEL has been running for two years, and the importance of including creative methods into our teaching. 

"The event also provided a wonderful opportunity to connect with students and scholars from across the Commonwealth, as well as the ACU staff, over UEL's research focus areas, such as gender, conflict and menstrual health. I think UEL's connection to the ACU provides wonderful opportunities to develop the impact of our work, and I look forward to connecting with colleagues across the ACU network at future events." 

Photograph is of the Duchess of Sussex meeting with Dr Aura Lounasmaa (far left) with (right) Dr Joanna Newman, the new Secretary General of the ACU. Photograph is courtesy of ACU.

Share

Share On Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on LinkedIn

Communications team

Contact us for press and interview requests

 

+44 (0)20 8223 2911
pressoffice@uel.ac.uk

Help us make this site better by telling us what you think about this page

Social Media

Follow us on social media:

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Youtube Instagram TikTok

University of East London

University Way

London, E16 2RD

United Kingdom



T. +44 20 8223 3000


Explore UEL

  • About UEL
  • Take a virtual tour
  • Calendars
  • Freedom of information
  • Governance management
  • Services and departments
  • Find us
  • Contact us

The University

  • Undergraduate
  • Postgraduate
  • News
  • Events
  • Jobs

University of East London

University Way

London, E16 2RD

United Kingdom



T. +44 20 8223 3000


Copyright ©2023 University of East London

  • Accessibility
  • Data protection
  • Sitemap
  • AccessAble
  • Modern slavery
  • Legal and compliance
  • Cookie settings
  • Privacy