IGL Student Group Speaker Series on Migration: Lessons Learned from Za'atari Refugee Camp in Jordan
Michael Niconchuk spent seven years working with post-conflict and displaced communities in Latin America and the Middle East, particularly with young people at risk of violence and conflict with the law. A graduate of Tufts University and the University College London, with degrees in International Relations and Social Cognition, he has known since his time as an undergraduate, working with former guerrilla combatants in Guatemala as part of the IGL’s BUILD program, that his passion lies in the space where the violent realities of international politics meet deeply held beliefs, schemas, and psychological profiles. After a brief stint at the World Economic Forum, he worked for three years as an Emergency Response Coordinator in Za’atari Refugee Camp in Jordan, leading various projects on violence reduction, youth leadership, and alternative education. He then pursued his graduate education as a Fulbright Scholar at University College London and continued to work with Syrian refugees across various stages of their migration journey—from Greece, to Germany, to Canada, and the United States—conducting research on the links between forced displacement, belonging, psychology, and social behavior, and assisting in the design of programs that promote trauma-informed approaches to inclusion, participation, and violence prevention. Currently, he is a researcher, technical consultant, and program designer, and is an Innovation Fellow for Beyond Conflict and Head Researcher for Between Borders.