Description
Our world highly politicises migration and integration. The political left and right use refugees and migrants as pawns in their game of chess. With the current Ukraine crisis, there is a huge divergence in how people want their country to treat refugees and how their government is actually treating them. The unfortunate rise of xenophobia is another challenge. People forget the humanity of refugees fleeing war-torn countries, and migrants simply looking for a better life. They’re just like us.
Some people face war, poverty, discrimination and situations that force them to leave their country, many LGBTQ+ people seek sanctuary, and the UNHCR has warned that climate change will increasingly cause displacement. These issues aren’t going away, and they could affect any of us.
Imagine you’re displaced from all you know because your home country is too dangerous. Imagine the intense fear of entering somewhere full of unknowns. With this new SenseMaker® project, we don’t have to imagine. We’re asking refugees and migrants for their stories of leaving their home countries and integrating into new ones. What does it mean for migrant communities to integrate into their country of arrival? What motivated them to leave their home? Do people want to adopt their new country’s customs or keep their own? Are people welcomed and embraced, or segregated and judged?
SenseMaker® is a safe place where refugees and migrants can tell their own stories, giving us an honest snapshot into the way people think across the globe. The power of meaning is in their hands, and we can help them feel at home.
