The BIDEA Project
The BIDEA ("path" in the Basque language) or Building International Dialogue for Education and Action project was a collaboration between University of Deusto, Boston College, and Dartmouth College. The overall group of 15 was comprised of 5 students from each university. The main goal of the BIDEA project was to foster collaborative work among students of different universities and academic backgrounds around key issues related to gender equality and social justice. Our aim is to set the basis for future collaborations in a cross- national learning environment, by educating students on issues of social justice and inequality that could help them become true agents of social change.
The group originally came together at Boston College in January, 2015 to critically engage with issues of human trafficking and conceive of a culminating international conference/seminar. The final conference occurred June 17-20, 2015 at the University of Deusto's Bilbao campus. The goal of the final seminar was to explore the reality of female trafficking and sexual exploitation from an interdisciplinary and cross-national perspective. Before meeting in June, students worked in cross-national groups and develop joint projects by focusing on different dimensions of female trafficking and sexual violence: law and policies, media representations, methods of response, personal narratives, and funding. The conference gave students the opportunity to meet with experts and activists on the ground to promote discussion, raise awareness on this global phenomenon, and analyzing the many factors that contribute to its sustained presence.
Program Summary
(June 17-20, 2015)
Day 1: Opening and Welcome
- Vice-Rector of International Relations, Organizing Committee
- Christina Stoltz, Activist, Scholar and Founder of Req1
Day 2: Insights Into Law And Representation
Moderated by Pilar Rodríguez
- Patricia Fernádez Olalla, Fiscal Adscrita a la Fiscalía General Del Estado Para Asuntos de Extranjería
- Isabel de Ocampo, Film Maker
Day 3: Experts on the Ground
Moderated by Annabel Martín
- Rocío Mora, Presidenta de APRAMP (Asistencia integral de las víctimas de tráfico humano con fines de explotación sexual)
- Marbel Lozano, Film maker, Actress and Social Activist
- María Luisa del Pozo, OBLATA (Religious Organization)
This innovative cross-national joint learning venture is funded by Aristos Campus Mundus, the Gender Research Institute at Dartmouth College (GRID), the Institute for Liberal Arts at Boston College, and the University of Deusto.