Zoe Gardner (migration expert)

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Zoe Gardner
Zoe gardner 2021 3.png
Gardner in 2021
BornApril 1988
Alma mater
Years active2012–present

Zoe Gardner (born April 1988) is an English migration and asylum policy specialist, researcher, advocate, and writer.

Contents

Early life and education

Gardner's father is a lawyer. [1] Gardner graduated from King's College London in 2011 with a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and Modern Greek Studies, and from the London School of Economics (LSE) in 2012 with a Master of Science in Comparative Politics with a focus on Nationalism and Ethnicity. She later returned to the LSE to do PhD research on migration into the European Union (EU). [2]

Career

Gardner began her career working in media and communications for the European Council on Refugees and Exiles in Brussels, Asylum Aid, [3] and as a policy and practice assistant for the Race Equality Foundation. [4] She was on the board of Trustee Medical Information for Ethnic Minorities (MIEM) and Tell MAMA, and the steering committee of Movement Against Xenophobia. She volunteered with Platanos Refugee Solidarity in Lesbos, Greece. [5]

Gardner has contributed to publications such as Politics.co.uk, openDemocracy, The New Arab , PRWeek , Red Pepper , The Independent , Novara Media, The Guardian , Metro , The Big Issue , and Byline Times . She has collaborated with the likes of Yanis Varoufakis, Mary Kaldor, Nadia Whittome, and Owen Jones. [6] Gardner has also appeared on programmes such as BBC News [7] and Newsnight , [8] Channel 4 News, [9] Sky News, [10] and Talk TV. [11]

Gardner worked as a policy advisor and advocacy manager on the Joint Council for The Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI) from 2021 to 2022, [12] and as a policy and research manager for the European Network on Statelessness from 2022 to 2023. [13] In 2021, she was a witness at the second sitting of the Nationality and Borders Bill committee in Parliament. A clip of an exchange between Gardner and Conservative MP Jonathan Gullis, in which she debunked and clarified claims commonly made about asylum seekers, went viral in February 2023. [14] [15] Gardner also contributed to the 2022–2023 Women and Equalities Committee's "Equality and the UK asylum process" report. [16]

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References

  1. Smith, Ginny (8 February 2024). "Defenders of Democracy: Zoe Gardner". Sussex Bylines. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  2. "PRWeek UK 30 Under 30 2016: Zoe Gardner, Asylum Aid". PR Week. 2 June 2016. Retrieved 28 August 2023.(subscription required)
  3. Dadlani, Priya (18 April 2016). "What would 'Brexit' mean for refugees?". Thomas Reuters Foundation News. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  4. "Citizenship Deprivation". The Migration Oxford Podcast. University of Oxford Podcasts. 8 April 2022. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  5. Gardner, Zoe (12 February 2016). "Stepping in to plug the gaps: the role of volunteers in the European humanitarian crisis. A tale from Lesvos". European Council on Refugees and Exiles. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  6. "Articles by Zoe Gardner". MuckRack. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
  7. "Asylum aid charity: Migrant crisis 'disgraceful'". BBC News. 30 July 2015. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  8. Murphy, Richard (31 March 2023). "Has the government exacerbated the migrant crisis for its own political gain?". Funding the Future. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  9. Frei, Matt (24 November 2021). "'We're pursuing an extremely dangerous approach to refugees', says policy manager". Channel 4 News. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  10. "Tragic, preventable loss of life in the Channel: action needed". The Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants. 25 November 2021. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  11. "Video: Zoe Gardner responds to Rwanda court judgement". Brexit Spotlight. 30 June 2023. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  12. "Zoe Gardner on asylum after Brexit: "The new rules attack the fundamental principle of refugee protection"". Brexit Spotlight. 20 April 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
  13. "#YearOfSolutions: Zoe Gardner explains why Europe needs to act now to protect stateless refugees". European Network on Statelessness. 5 January 2023. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
  14. Morrison, Hamish (22 February 2023). "Asylum expert Zoe Gardner schools Jonathan Gullis on why refugees come to UK". The National. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
  15. Schofield, Kevin (23 February 2023). "Remember When Jonathan Gullis Got Completely Owned By An Immigration Expert?". HuffPost. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
  16. Women and Equalities Committee (27 June 2023). "Equality and the UK asylum process". UK Parliament. Retrieved 18 November 2023.