Dear Friends,
We are writing to you on behalf of the NGO Committee on Migration’s Subcommittee on Xenophobia, Racism and Social Inclusion. We advocate for the protection and rights of migrants and refugees and the eradication of xenophobia and racism.
We are currently engaged in a collaboration with iTAC (It Takes a Community), a social media campaign of the Civil Society Mechanism of the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD). The campaign, an initiative to collect positive migrant stories, aims to inspire dialogue and transformation through the sharing of positive narratives about migrants and their local communities.
We are seeking personal stories that highlight the impact of racism and discrimination against migrants and how it may be successfully dealt with during the integration process, on both the personal and the systemic institutional level. In order to change the current negative attitudes about migration it is vital that we present the myriad contributions that migrants bring to their communities. We welcome stories that showcase migrant contributions to individual and community growth, progress and transformation. We seek to record the process that contributes to positive changes in the attitudes towards migrants as they become more fully included in the life of the host community.
We ask that you reach out to your networks for stories that can assist in this endeavor and are including below some possible questions to guide your inquiries. These are intended only as suggestions to give you an idea of what we are looking for. Please feel free to structure your inquiries in a way that feels most appropriate to your context.
Suggestions for gathering stories (either written narratives or 2 to 3 minute audio or video clips):
- What was your experience like coming into this country?
- Did you have any experiences of xenophobia or racism?
- Did you have any experiences of being made to feel comfortable and welcomed?
- Did you have any experiences of racism and xenophobia where an ally stepped forward and helped to resolve the situation?
- Were you able to access necessary resources after the first entry phase and during the much longer settling in period? Did you have any help in doing so and in overcoming any challenges posed by the process?
We are seeking replies from NGOs, academia and civil society in order to obtain as many stories as possible for this campaign. Please send your stories to ngomigrationstories@gmail.com. We also welcome you to share this letter with your networks.
Thank you for taking the time to respond. If you have any further questions, please contact us at the email above.
Eva Richter, Chair
Subcommittee on Xenophobia, Racism and Social Inclusion
NGO Committee on Migration 