SILLANQA: Migrar es humano, moverse también

In early 2024, MIGRA—in collaboration with the Millennium Nucleus for the Study of Intergenerational Mobility (MOVI)—developed a microdocumentary titled SILLANQA: Migrar es humano, moverse también. This PME initiative explored the intersection of international migration and social mobility, highlighting the aspirations and challenges of migrant youth and their families as they navigate life in Chile.

The project was rooted in a month-long summer program called the Escuela de Investigadores, held at the Alto Hospicio Cultural Center in northern Chile. Through workshops and participatory exercises, a group of young migrants engaged critically with concepts of migration, inequality, identity, and social advancement. Their personal stories and family trajectories were captured through audiovisual ethnography, forming the narrative backbone of the documentary.

The initiative also supported the academic development of Grace Amigo, a MIGRA student whose master’s thesis in Social Work at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile focused precisely on the experiences of migrant youth in Alto Hospicio. Her involvement exemplifies how MIGRA integrates the training of emerging researchers with meaningful public engagement—bridging scientific inquiry and community impact.

• SILLANQA gives voice to the lived experiences of migrant youth—tracing their journeys, struggles, and hopes—and invites viewers to reflect on the complex and often invisible barriers to integration and upward mobility in Chilean society.
• By intersecting the study of migration with that of social mobility, the project sheds light on structural challenges such as educational inequality, labor market segmentation, and territorial exclusion.
  

This initiative exemplifies MIGRA’s broader commitment to scientific outreach and public engagement (Proyección al Medio Externo, PME)—a core component of Chile’s Millennium Initiative model of research impact.