More and more student groups from U.S. universities are engaging themselves with Greece and specifically, the refugee crisis that has left upwards of 70,000 migrants and refugees stranded in the country.
Thirteen students from Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan recently returned from a study abroad trip to report on the political and economic issues surrounding the refugee crisis in Greece.
The students, which ranged from journalism majors to international relations majors, spent four weeks traveling Greece as a part of the Oakland University Journalism Abroad program. They visited mainland refugee camps like Ritsona and Skaramagas, as well as refugee camps on the island of Lesvos, Moria and Kara Tepe.
They met refugees and aid workers in agencies such as asylum services offices and the International Organization for Migration, taking photographs, interviewing the locals and working with program facilitators and journalism experts. They spent time with reporters from The Associated Press and took a trip with the Greek Coast Guard in search of refugees on the water.
Each student focused on a specific topic for their reporting work.
Christina Salem, a senior studying journalism with a minor in public relations, spent her time in Greece learning about the minority Christian population.
Simon Albaugh, a junior studying journalism with a fiction writing minor, spent his trip focused on continuing progress of relocation for Yazidi victims of genocide at the hands of the Daesh.
The student reports have been compiled online here.
