YMOE2026 · Young Migrants in Outermost Europe 2026

Discussions on international migration in European societies have predominantly centered on Mediterranean and Balkan routes, which directly impact continental Europe. However, EU member states with overseas territories, such as France, face additional, multilayered challenges in managing migration flows. The 2018 UN Global Compact on Migration emphasizes the critical need for reliable, high-quality migration data to ensure safe, orderly, and regular mobility (UN General Assembly, 2018). Yet, in the EU’s Outermost Regions (ORs), data collection and dissemination confront persistent governance hurdles. The European Union has, in fact, recognized the unique challenges facing Outermost Regions (ORs), adopting specific strategies to address their geographic and socioeconomic disadvantages (European Parliament, 2021). Supporting this approach, recent studies highlight how ORs face compounded integration challenges due to their isolation from continental Europe, requiring tailored policy approaches (Benoît, 2019; European Commission, 2022). For instance, Martinique and Guadeloupe are among the least represented territories in intra-Caribbean migration datasets (ECLAC, 2024). This underrepresentation results in limitation of analysis of regional migration trends, leading to systemic underreporting of both quantitative and qualitative migration data. Consequently, policies aimed at migrant inclusion in European ORs are often undermined by insufficient evidence. Research further suggests that migration dynamics in ORs like Martinique and Guadeloupe remain understudied despite their strategic importance (ESS Europe, 2018). The following research proposal has the purpose of addressing these gaps by: empirically evaluating the impact of educational policies on integration; investigating how physical and symbolic learning environments shape educational outcomes; strengthening the capacity of educators, practitioners, and policymakers.