Conference Program

In Italy, institutional discourse frequently frames children moving alone primarily through an emergency-driven approach, responding to the broad constructed category of “unaccompanied minors” and portraying them as individuals lacking competencies who must restart their educational trajectories from zero (Malkki, 2015; Santagati et al., 2024). Such representations risk obscuring the intellectual and experiential capital developed throughout their life histories and migratory trajectories (Jarvis, 2006; Morrice, 2014). As a result, these narratives may contribute to the marginalization of migrant youth within education, where their previous experiences and forms of knowledge often remain unrecognized or undervalued.

This paper presents reflections from an ongoing doctoral research project that explores how young people who arrived in Italy alone perceive physical and symbolic borders (Khosravi, 2010) and how they reflect on the learning processes emerging from lifelong experiences and border crossing. Drawing on border studies, particularly the concept of “border as method” (Mezzadra & Neilson, 2014), the research examines how borders are experienced not only as physical or institutional limits but also as complex social spaces in which practices of resistance, negotiation, and transformation may take shape. While institutional and adult-centric perspectives often interpret the trajectories of minors mainly in terms of vulnerability (Bhabha, 2014), this study shifts attention to the knowledge and forms of agency developed and recognized by migrant youth themselves (Venken et al., 2020).

The research adopts a participatory approach (Freire, 1970; Aguilar Idáñez & Buraschi, 2023) that recognizes migrant youth as competent social actors (hooks, 2020) whose perspectives and knowledge deserve acknowledgement, particularly in the design of research and educational initiatives. Methodologically, the study combines collaborative and creative methods (Giorgi et al., 2021). Peer researchers participated in the co-design of research tools and contributed to the interpretation of the findings. Fieldwork, conducted between March 2025 and January 2026, involved 120 participants through 13 group activities and 49 individual interviews carried out in several Italian cities and border areas. Data collection included drawing, collage, image selection, and narrative reflection, enabling participants to recount their experiences through alternative and dialogical forms of storytelling.

Preliminary findings suggest that migratory trajectories and border crossings can become significant sites of learning. Participants frequently describe the development of perseverance, resilience, and practical autonomy while navigating uncertain and precarious contexts. Many narratives highlight the capacity to cope independently, organize everyday life, and manage difficult situations. At the same time, learning processes also include more ambivalent dimensions, such as the development of caution or distrust toward others as strategies for navigating contexts of insecurity. Reflecting on these experiences often becomes a moment of self-recognition: in contexts where migrant youth are frequently considered lacking competencies, the opportunity to express what they have learned contributes to reshaping their self-perception and affirming their agency.

By centering the perceptions of children moving alone, this research contributes to debates on intercultural education and inclusion policies. Recognizing the experiential learning developed also through migration can help design more inclusive educational and training pathways capable of acknowledging and valuing their competencies rather than overlooking them.