1

The story of migration is more positive than we’ve been led to believe  

Fake news and misinformation in the media have caused there to be a distortion on the reality of global migration. African migrants make up 14% of the migration population which is much less than those from Asia (41%) and Europe (24%). Unfortunately, Africa hasn’t had many growth opportunities in the technology and business sectors which is why the continent needs to incentivise and reduce barriers to migration.

2

”i am a migrant”

“i am a migrant” is the UN Migration Agency’s platform to promote diversity and inclusion of migrants in society. It’s specifically designed to support volunteer groups, local authorities, companies, associations, groups, indeed, anyone of goodwill who is concerned about the hostile public discourse against migrants.

3

Changing the migration narrative  

Dr. Mutwarasibo discusses his experience dealing with Western migrants to East Africa and the hierarchy that exists within migration that has a linguistic origin. This origin has led to there being a negative discourse on migration which needs to change, and it’ll only change by making language inclusive.

4

Spaces of transit, migration management and migrant agency  

The narrative of crisis in the EU carries a national security connotation and carries the danger of presenting border controls as the solution rather than part of the problem by negating the role of bordering policies in the co-production and re-production of insecurity. Additionally, it renders rights violations invisible.

1

Soufra

Soufra chronicles the lives of refugee women from Palestine, Syria, and Iraq living at Burj el-Barajneh refugee camp in Beirut in their desire to have a food catering company beyond their refugee camp. Eventually, this idea leads to a Kickstarter campaign that permits them to buy a food truck.

2

El imparable éxodo venezolano
(The unstoppable Venezuelan exodus) 

There are four million Venezuelan migrants and 90% of the population lives in poverty with figures estimating that 48% of the Venezuelan population want to immigrate. If the situation in the country doesn’t improve, experts believe that by next year this exodus will be on the same level as Syria.  

Hay cuatro millones de migrantes venezolanos y 90% de la población vive en pobreza con figuras estimando que 48% de la población venezolana quiere inmigrar. Si la situación del país no mejora, expertos creen que el próximo año el éxodo venezolano va a estar al mismo nivel del de Siria. 

3

Let Us Learn (UK) 

This NGO is made up of a group of young migrants in the UK who want to inspire young people to take a lead in their schools and communities, offer practical support and training, and want their voices to be heard by policymakers so everyone can contribute to British society.

4

Migrant Voices in London (King’s College London)  

Migrant Voices in London is a participatory research project that seeks to better understand how migrants experience London, with a focus on the borders they encounter and the impact of legal status and gender on their experiences of daily life through collaborative workshops and arts projects.

5

Migrant Research Group (King’s College London)  

The MRG seeks to develop a better understanding of, and changing the negative narrative surrounding, migration in Europe and beyond. Rather than starting with borders and viewing migration as a ‘problem’, we study the effects of migration management policies and the lived experiences of people on the move.

1

How young people is Sicily are changing the migrant narrative  

UNICEF’s UPSHIFT Initiative is helping young migrants develop their skills and reach their full potential by leading workshops that prepare them to start businesses with a social impact in their communities. Some ideas have included a gluten-free catering company and grandmothers knitting sweaters that are sold online.

2

Feras Abo Dabboseh: Founder of the first Arabic bookstore in Brussels 

“Lagrange Points” is an NGO that was founded by people who interested and passionate about Arabic culture. We are students, university teachers, activists, writers and artists. Our mission is to promote Arabic culture via books, in Arabic, and a selection of Arabic books translated into Dutch, French and English.

3

No Tayybeh, a Siria e o ingrediente principal (In Tayybeh, Syria is the principal ingredient)  

O Tayybeh começou como uma aventura no catering, mas o feedback foi bom e arranjar um espaço para fazer um restaurante a sério foi o passo seguinte. Alan Ghunim e a mulher, Ramia, ambos engenheiros informáticos, saíram da Damasco em guerra para fazer casa em Portugal há três anos. 

Tayybeh started out as a catering company and the feedback received was so good that the next step was to build a Syrian restaurant. Alan Ghunim and his wife, Ramia, both informatics engineers left Damascus during the war to make Portugal their home three years ago.

4

Maissa Katef. A esperança numa barra de sabão (Maisaa Katef. Hope in a bar of soap) 

Benedita Contreras conheceu Maisaa Katef, uma mulher síria, através das Equipas de Jovens de Nossa Senhora com objetivo de ajudar a família de Maisaa encontrar trabalho. Aqui surgiu o projeto Amal Soap que produze 700 sabonetes mensalmente e tem intenções de vender os produtos online para empregar mais mulheres sírias.

Benedita Contreras met Maisaa Katef, a Syrian woman, through Youth Teams of Our Lady with the objective of helping Maisaa’s family find work. The idea of Amal Soap came up and they now produce 700 soaps monthly and have intentions of selling them online to employ more Syrian women.

5

A Refugee-Run Restaurant in Lisbon’s Mercado de Arroios  

Mezze is the brainchild of Pão by Pão, an organisation that wants to integrate young people and women into the workforce. It crowdfunded 23,000€ to open Mezze which opened its doors in September 2017 with a staff of recently arrived Syrian refugees whose food has been well-received by the Portuguese.

1

Spain is the most welcoming EU country for refugees, survey finds  

A study by the Pew Research Centre has found that 86% of Spaniards support welcoming refugees – the highest percentage of 18 nations surveyed, including 10 EU countries. This act of solidarity is not unique to Spanish institutions but rather a reflection of the positive attitudes of the Spanish people.

2

Refugee Food Festival  

In 2016, a few Parisians came together to improve the welcoming and integration of refugees. The annual festival is a traveling citizen initiative which aims to promote talents and facilitate the integration of refugee cooks. It has taken place in Europe, the U.S., and South Africa.

3

Lisbon Project  

The mission of Lisbon Project is to integrate and protect the lives of migrants and refugees in Lisbon through community partnerships involving time, resources and skills. They aim to do this through language courses, employment assistance, legal assistance, tutoring, healthcare, art and special events and workshops.

4

Madrid For Refugees  

Founded in 2015, Madrid For Refugees is a non-profit, 100% volunteer-run organization dedicated to helping and empowering those in the local community who are migrants and refugees through training and education courses, mentorship, and community events and initiatives. They support more than 300 refugees and more than 60 families.

5

Road of Hope

Road of Hope is an organisation based in Amsterdam that supports refugees in their journey to integration through helping them navigate and understand the host community and rebuild their sense of acceptance and self-esteem. They consider individuals needs and work with the refugees to understand their culture and background.

6

Migrationlab

Migrationlab co-creates opportunities with and for migrants, refugees and locals to meet, interact, inspire each other and collaborate in cities across Europe and beyond. By transforming public spaces, they reimagine how to acknowledge, communicate with and relate to each other in public spaces and at work.