Guest blog by Asylum Speakers
Asylum Speakers is a storytelling platform dedicated to amplifying the voices of individuals with lived experiences of displacement. Founded in 2015, the organisation uses real, first-hand accounts to challenge negative stereotypes about refugees and asylum seekers. Through personal stories of migration, Asylum Speakers fosters empathy, understanding, and unity, aiming to reshape perceptions of refugees by highlighting their courage and resilience.
As a platform for storytelling, Asylum Speakers connects audiences with authentic narratives from people who have travelled through hardship to find safety. By sharing these stories in schools, universities, and events across the UK, the organisation not only educates but empowers both the speakers and the listeners, promoting compassion and fostering a more informed, positive outlook on migration.
How to Book a Speaker for Your Refugee Week Event
Want to make your Refugee Week event unforgettable? Booking a speaker with Asylum Speakers provides a unique opportunity to hear a powerful, first-hand story of migration and displacement. Our platform offers a diverse group of speakers, each with their own lived experience, ready to share their personal journey in an educational and inspiring way.
Booking is easy—simply visit our website and fill out a booking form with details about your event and preferred date. Whether you’re hosting a school talk, panel discussion, or workplace event, our speakers bring their authentic stories to every space, helping to inspire empathy, challenge misconceptions, and educate audiences about the realities of migration.
By booking a speaker, you’re not only giving your audience the chance to hear powerful stories of survival and resilience, but you’re also supporting a platform that empowers those who have lived through displacement. Together, we can create a more compassionate and informed world.
Speakers
Gulwali from Afghanistan
Author of The Lightless Sky, shares his story of escape from the Taliban in Afghanistan to finding safety in the UK as a twelve year old child refugee. He shares wisdom and information with a dry sense of humour; attributes that have seen him overcome prisons, border controls, refrigerated lorries and more to get to where he is today; a world-renowned author, spokesperson and international speaker on behalf of refugees globally.
Mez from Eritrea
From fleeing compulsory military service in Eritrea, his home country, when he was 13, to crossing the Sahara Desert and not eating for 15 days. From his boat capsizing in the Mediterranean Sea to life in the notorious Calais Jungle Refugee Camp to hiding underneath the Eurotunnel train to get to the UK, Mez’s story is a very inspiring one. Once in the UK, he was fostered by Jaz’s family and tells about the challenges of straddling two different cultures and his integration.
Giel from South Sudan
A South Sudanese speaker and advocate for refugee rights, Giel’s work is powered by his own story of crossing land and sea to make it to safety aged just 16. Despite facing imprisonment, modern day slavery and more, Giel’s courage and bravery saw him overcome all odds to arrive to the UK, where he is now a student and working as a model. Giel is famous in the refugee community after saving lives of hundreds imprisoned refugees in Libya.
Ayman from Syria
Ayman is a Syrian actor, filmmaker and creative who arrived to the UK by hiding inside a suitcase from Calais to London. The film he co-wrote, Matar, tells the story of an undocumented delivery driver in London and highlights the challenges of navigating hostile environment Britain and its broken asylum system.
Jaz O’Hara from UK
Jaz, founder of Asylum Speakers, is a leading voice on the topic of migration, speaking everywhere from TedX to the United Nations in NYC. She is also a motivational speaker, author and podcaster. But most importantly, she is the big sister to five child refugee brothers from Eritrea, Afghanistan, Sudan and Libya.
Halimot from Nigeria
Halimot, a Nigerian survivor of child trafficking, FGM, and modern-day slavery, has shown incredible courage and resilience. Trafficked at 9, she eventually found safety in the UK and now leads a life of purpose. As the founder of Haliberry Cake and Haliberry CIC, she provides free training to help others pursue careers in baking or coffee-making. A talented baker, chef, barista, and florist, Halimot is also a devoted mother of four. Now an advocate for Vavengers and the Home Office, she focuses on FGM, homelessness, and human trafficking, using her story to inspire and empower communities.
Follow Asylum Speakers
Website: https://www.asylumspeakers.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asylum_speakers/?hl=en