A plaque from when the University hosted the Polish School of Architecture from 1944-1945, supporting people against persecution .
Stephen Wordsworth, Director of the Council for At-Risk Academics (Cara) will visit the University of Liverpool on Friday, 12 October to talk about the work that Cara has done over 85 years to help academics and scientists fleeing from persecution and violence around the world.
Cara was established in 1933 by academics and scientists in the UK in response to the Nazis’ expulsion of academics from German universities. Albert Einstein spoke at the first big fundraising event and sixteen Fellows supported by Cara in the 1930s went on to become Nobel laureates, including Hans Krebs and Max Perutz.
Demands on Cara’s services have increased dramatically in recent years, in particular because of repeated crises in the Middle East. In 2014, there were just 50 Cara Fellows; today there are 290, with another 350 family members. This rapid growth has been made possible through the generous support of UK universities, including the University of Liverpool, who have increased their commitment to supporting people in crisis and conflict.
Professor Fiona Beveridge, Executive Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences said: “All around the world academics face persecution, imprisonment and violence. Being part of the Cara network, providing fellowship opportunities and fundraising are some of the ways in which University of Liverpool is supporting the valuable work of Cara. We also benefit from the wealth of knowledge and expertise that Cara Fellows bring.”
The City of Liverpool has a long history of welcoming people from crisis and conflict situations, giving them the freedom to continue their lives. Liverpool University has played its part in this by providing space for people escaping persecution to pursue their ideas and to continue to contribute to the creation of academic knowledge. During the Second World War for example, the University of Liverpool hosted the Polish School of Architecture. Since 2012 the City of Liverpool has been a member of the City of Sanctuary movement. Started in 2012, the movement seeks to unite those already working to support asylum seekers and refugees, and provides a simple platform for others to do the same, https://liverpool.cityofsanctuary.org/
The International Development Office (IDO) in partnership with Professor Alan McCarthy, member of the Cara Council of Management, are hosting the event to learn more about the work of Cara and hear first-hand accounts of Fellow(s) who have benefited from the Cara Programme.
There will also be an opportunity to learn about Cara’s call for research proposals in the framework of its regionally-based Syria Programme: http://www.cara.ngo/cara-syria-programme-call-for-research-proposals/.
To register for this event please visit: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/cara-council-for-at-risk-academics-tickets-50162573608
For more information on Cara please see: www.cara.ngo or visit: https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/internationalisation/globalcollaborationsandnetworks/cara-councilforat-riskacademics/