PhD for Innovation at Bergen Summer Research School 2023

At the 2023 Bergen Summer Research School, we facilitated the joint sessions on “Systems thinking and creative problem-solving” with participants from all five summer school courses (some 70 in total).

The theme of the 2023 Bergen Summer Research School was “Childhood: Nurturing care for building the future”. During our interdisciplinary sessions, we collaborated with SOS Children’s Villages.

The challenge for our participants was to develop policy brief on some burning questions related to child protection and welfare that SOS Norway is grappling with. These are questions such as: Should a child`s Party status change from age 15 to age 12? How should we deal with the right of children and parents to reunification and contact? Should Norway strengthen services for unaccompanied refugee minors in the age of 15 to 18 years old?

After three years, the summer school was held in person again. Time was, as always, short and the task challenging. However, our wonderful participants rose to the occasion and delivered a total of 9 Bergen Summer Research School policy briefs. Here is a sample of them:

• group1_Reunification & Child Protection Rights
• group2_A Child’s Rights to a Family Right
• group3_Voice but no choice
• group4_No child should be left behind
• group5_Family reunification is the right of every child
• group6_The quest for identity
• group7_Where do we belong
• group8_Towards a more equitable Norway
• group9_Right of children and parents for reunification and contact