Getting involved: World Refugee Day 2021

TOGETHER WE HEAL, LEARN, AND SHINE 🌟

By Harkiran Bharij, Researcher at We Make Change

Today marks World Refugee Day 2021, a day organised by the United Nations, designed to appreciate and honour the refugees around the world. Every minute, 20 people leave everything behind to escape war, persecution, and/or terror. Social Enterprises around the world have shown their commitment to supporting refugees and making a change in attitudes towards refugees.

This year's theme of World Refugee Day 2021 is “Together we heal, learn and shine” enabling talented individuals the opportunity to attend university and spread their knowledge. This year’s event also hopes to expand refugees’ access to healthcare, nutrition, and mental health services.

WORLD REFUGEE DAY:
A BRIEF HISTORY

The first World Refugee Day was hosted by the United Nations in 2001, an event that recognised the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. This act acknowledged refugees as individuals that are unable to return to their country of origin due to the fear of being affected by their race, religion, social group position, and political opinions.

The day itself is an opportunity for everyone to celebrate, understand and experience the rich diversity of refugee communities worldwide. The annual commemoration is marked by a variety of events in more than 100 countries, involving government officials, humanitarian aid workers, celebrities, and civilians.

Every year, a different theme is chosen for the day. Previous themes include: ‘1 Family Torn Apart by a War is Too Many’ (2012); ‘Migrants and Refugees: Towards A Better World’ (2014); ‘Now More Than Ever’, ‘We Need to Stand with Refugees’ (2018) and ‘Take A Step on World Refugee Day’ (2019).

HOW DO REFUGEES HELP THEIR HOST COUNTRIES?

They can use their unique knowledge and skills to assist in filling the gap in the country’s labour market.
Most refugees come from backgrounds where they have been employed, thus they can contribute to the security of their host country.
Their inclusions in society create a more diverse culture where multiculturalism is valued, providing countless opportunities for communities to learn from each other. Although some refugees find it difficult to integrate into their host country due to cultural barriers, some Social Enterprises and organisations are committed to tackling them. One such Social Enterprise is the Design for Art and Social Change Organisation (DASCO) in South Sudan, which addresses the communication barrier by engaging both South Sudanese and Refugee communities using visual work.

When discussing the ‘value’ of refugees, it is important to acknowledge two narratives, both of which affect attitudes towards them.

Threat Narrative: Refugees are seen as threatening the values, culture, and living standards of their host country through ‘rising criminality’.
Positive Narrative: Celebrates the diversity of refugees, in regards to integration policies that promote positive race relations and multiculturalism.

World Refugee Day shines a light on the rights, dreams, and needs of refugees, helping to gather resources (political) that will improve their lives. Social Enterprise’s such as Refugee Wellbeing and Integration Initiative use data to advocate for the wellbeing and integration of refugees in the Netherlands. Organisations like these which are dedicated to fighting for refugees allow these groups to not only be seen and heard by the communities that they live in but also ‘valued’.

WAYS WE CAN HELP REFUGEES

The positive narrative has helped shift the attitudes of some people: 21% of Britons that were surveyed by Ipsos MORI in 2019 say that they have become more positive about refugees. This is also something that can affect the support given to refugees from their host countries. Here are a few ways we can support refugees:

Volunteer skills (Own and Refugees): Our platform, We Make Change, enables individuals from around the world to volunteer different skills to Social Enterprise’s helping refugees so that they can contribute to worthwhile and everlasting change.
Help refugees integrate into new cultures: Refugees often feel isolated when they relocate to a new country and try to overcome the trauma that they have gone through. SPEAK- Share your World, is a Portuguese Social Enterprise connecting migrants, refugees, and locals living in the same city, allowing these groups to participate in the culture of their host countries.
Encourage universities to offer refugee scholarships: For refugee students, losing the chance to pursue studies can be devastating; thus, universities should be pushed to offer scholarships to those that come from this background.
Employ refugees: In some countries, refugees are seen as guests and not allowed to work. Some organisations such as Bizgees help refugee communities take ownership of their own lives by utilising alternative finance streams such as crowdfunding.
Hold fundraising events: Not only do these raise money for refugee communities, but they also raise awareness of them and why supporting these groups is so significant.

GET INVOLVED

If you would like to volunteer to support refugees, you can join a project here.
If you are running or starting up a Social Enterprise or NGO dedicated to helping refugees, you can find the skilled volunteers you need to grow your impact for free here.
Contact us to find out how your employees can make a difference and create a lasting change in your organisation here.

Let’s end refugee discrimination and help those in need 💪