―Hello Europe Blog

Migration has shaped London for centuries. It’s a city built by movement, by stories of arrival and adaptation, and by communities learning to thrive together. Yet, like much of Europe, it is also a city where questions of belonging, identity, and opportunity are deeply contested. Against this backdrop, the Hello Europe Tour made its latest stop in London, asking: How do we shift migration narratives? What innovative solutions are emerging? And how do we turn migration into an engine for unity, not conflict?

Hello Europe is hitting the road. The world has changed and so has the landscape around migration. So, we’ve decided to shake things up a bit. After years of bringing social innovation to the migration space, we're now bringing the stories, creativity, and entrepreneurial spirit of those on the frontlines of migration to Ashoka’s vibrant community of changemakers. This tour isn’t just about sharing insights; it’s about sparking new conversations and hearing from you.

Millions of people have fled from Ukraine. Mostly women and children in search for safety. They refuge in Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania.  Some are taking trains, cars and buses to reach Italy, Spain, Germany or UK, that are offering support. Others are on their way to the US and Australia. Many of us are wondering with urgency what we can do to help. And most importantly, what is the most strategic way to support long term, systemic change.

Once again, our news feeds are filled with heart-breaking images and stories of hundreds of thousands of people on the move, fleeing from the Ukrainian crisis and other conflict points, seeking refuge across Europe: especially Central European Countries like Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary. It hits very close to home, especially for those in neighboring countries. Many of us are wondering with urgency what can we do to help. One of our concerns is also what is the most strategic way I can help to support long term, systemic change.

The summer is finally upon us! We're excited to share with you our 2021 Summer Quarterly! In this edition, we are excited to announce that our "Hello" model has already expanded to other continents with the official launch of Hola America. We also want to share with you our latest publication and insights from our Migration Policy Unit and updates from our Changemakers for Migration community. There is also an exciting opportunity to apply for EU funding to improve media representation of migrants.

Read our report of the policy salon series during Covid-19: six topics addressed through policy salons and other actions, led by social entrepreneurs and changemakers, in collaboration with policy makers and other experts. Through them, we begin to establish a new framework for migration, where collaboration and innovation lie at the heart of policy change.

In Hello Europe we are celebrating that Spring has finally sprung! The sun is out, the flowers are blooming and everything seems to be a little bit more bright and colorful. To suit this mood, on this edition we want to spread good news and updates from the work that we have been doing over the past few months.

We're very excited to share that our Hello Europe community is growing! Last May, we launched our first Call for Solutions and received highly qualified applications. After several months of selection process, we are proud to announce that we have selected 6 new social innovators to join our network, with new impact-driven, citizen sector solutions. In this special edition of our quarterly, we’d like to introduce each one of our new Hellopreneurs!