The UN's celebration of International Migrants Day allows us to reflect on the importance of migrations throughout the world in which we live in. In part, the way in which the migrations have been received in the public opinion, together with the manner in which this has shaped our attitude and stereotyping of migrants, is closely linked to the agenda that many international organizations and western governments have elaborated in the past few decades. Commenting on some of the ideas of Stephen Castles, -one of the greatest world experts in migrations and professor at Oxford University-, it appears as if the international organizations have changed the agenda on international migrations in the past few decades in terms of the interests of the most developed countries while justifying these changes for the good of the poorest countries. Their arguments are more clearly specified in the article "Development and Migration: What comes first?" where the relationships between the political and academic agendas are compared.

While without forgetting these reflections that help maintain a certain distance and reinforce the critical capacity against today's trend, the truth is that the study of migrations has evolved in recent years. Simplifying the process, in an initial phase, the study on migrations has put special interest regarding the effects in the destination country, from an economic standpoint as well as a sociocultural perspective. In a second phase, a greater sensitivity towards the effects of migrations appears in the countries of origin. The loss of talent and remittances occurs, showing the two side of the same coin. We are currently in a third phase which is characterized by searching for a way in which the migrations can be beneficial for everyone, including the counties of origin as well as the destination countries, and for the first time, the migrants themselves.  

Thinking in these terms is novel and groundbreaking. Finally, there is no more talk about migrants in terms of simply being "cheap labor" or "human capital" which moves and produces effects here and there. Migrants are no longer considered merely numbers but rather human beings that also have something to say regarding the effect of migrations on their own lives. From this perspective, the UN Secretary General recently expressed that "migration is an expression of human aspiration for dignity, security and a better future".

This new context should be taken into account by our politicians and governing rulers when interpreting migrations that affect Spain. With regard to the recent movement of Spanish youths to our countries due to the economic crisis, one has to think that migration is indeed the expression of human aspiration for dignity, security, and a better future. Although there are adventurous youths who travel because they want to see the world and live new experiences, I agree that there are also many more youths who leave Spain against their wishes, simply because the current, as well as near future, political and economic realities for remaining in Spain do not offer much hope.  

I do not agree with those who use demagoguery to criticize the government saying that the best generation of Spaniards (better educated and trained) that we have ever had is escaping. Based on my own experience in the United Kingdom, I think that the having great academic education and training does not make us better than the other generations of Spaniards. I DO think  that the experience of migrating and the personal experiences linked to the economic crisis are making our generation acquire the qualities necessary for the big change that Spain needs. 
These qualities are a mixture of academic education and professional training together with social skills and values that are acquired in multicultural contexts and meritocracy of other European countries such as Germany and the United Kingdom. 

In this sense, an aspect of migrations which is conceived as being positive for the country of origin is the return of the migrants. Economically speaking, the arguments that favor this hypothesis are linked to the acquirement of knowledge in foreign countries which can subsequently be applied to the national productive system. Socially and culturally, the acquirement of civic-minded attitudes can also have a positive impact on the country of origin. One example is the associationism or the greatest democratic participation that the returning migrants can show, together with a greater degree of tolerance learnt in multicultural contexts.

Therefore, I think that in the best of cases, the migration of Spanish youths to foreign countries is something that in the end will bring Spain enormous benefits because many of these migrants wish to return to their native country and they will fight in order to regenerate the politics and economy of their home country. In the worst case scenario, if they do not return because Spain remains in a state of decadence, we should at least be capable of recognizing that these youths had the opportunity to migrate, to choose, and to decide about their future. Just the fact that they had this possibility is something really positive in terms of liberties and development. Together with the aforementioned, one can expect that this voluntary experience has added some good –enriching experience-, to the lives of these persons, in spite of the difficulties and suffering that these persons were subjected to.