30 June – 09 July 2025: TraFaDy International Summer School

Transnational care across borders

“I really enjoyed the Summer School and want to thank you very much for your time and support.”

It is just one of the many enthusiastic responses we received from participants after the third TraFaDy summer school on Transnational care across borders.

From June 30 to July 9, Odisee University of Applied Sciences hosted 50 participants from different countries across Europe for ten days of immersive learning and exchange in Brussels. Together, they explored the multifaceted realities of transnational family life, diving into topics such as care practices across borders, ethical and psychosocial dimensions of migration, gender and informal labor, and community-based research methods.

The summer school offered a dynamic mix of critical dialogue, hands-on workshops, and meaningful field visits. The energy, curiosity, and generosity of our participants made this experience truly unforgettable. We’re grateful to everyone who contributed, and excited to see how these connections and insights will continue to grow across borders.

The programme on insights on how to take care in transnational families consisted of a mix of lectures, interactive workshops in small groups and field visits to organisations working with transnational families. As always, one of the main aims was to promote exchange between students, researchers and stakeholders from different countries, disciplines and career stages; and offer a limited number of grants for TraFaDy members.  

Contact for further information: summerschool@trafady.eu  

On the program

Families that are geographically dispersed due to economic or forced migration; families in which a member works abroad almost continuously; families in which a (mostly) young person lives abroad for a longer period for study or internship,… Obviously, the realities of transnational families are very different. By attending this summer school, participants received an improved understanding of the growing, rapidly changing phenomenon and dynamics of transnational families.

The theoretical basis in lectures and workshops were offered by an internationally composed team of specialized psychologists and social scientists. Field visits of organizations working with transnational families, refugee families and children confronted the participants with relevant methodologies and how to apply them in this context.

Target Group

• Undergraduate students (2nd, 3rd and 4th grade) of social education who want to develop a broader view on social work and counselling work with transnational families, both on a theoretical and methodological level. All students participating, will get 3 ECTS-points. In order to receive them, all parts of the programme are mandatory.
• (Young) professionals, early career investigators and practitioners from social
  work and welfare organizations.
• Researchers in the field of transnational families and the changing dynamics.

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