“Months ago, a professor told me ‘Everyone has an immigration story,’ and whether that would be directly or indirectly, it is quite true,” writes Miguel Bermudez for The Humanitarian Network. Miguel invites you to ask, where does your story begin?
No matter how small or great the migration – whether it’s one city to another – or how many generations ago – it could have been your ancestors from centuries ago, or your parents – everyone has a story of migration which has shaped who you are today.
Start by asking yourself:
- Where does my story of migration begin?
- Who began my story of migration?
- What message do I want to send to someone fleeing their home country?
- Why did I, my family or my ancestors leave home?
You can write your story, sing it, film it, speak it, or draw it. Telling your story can help send a message to those fleeing their homes around the world that they are not alone, that we have all been migrants at some point in our ancestries, we all have a common story to tell. In this way, to tell your story is to send a message of compassion.
If you’re looking for more inspiration, hear someone else’s story, like Zain Alsoud’s, the daughter of Syrian migrants, or Conchis’s, a refugee grandmother and cook from Venezuela.
Alternatively, if writing a short story does not inspire you, we invite you to instead write a letter of compassion. There are many brilliant initiatives which facilitate letter writing and sending to refugees from all over the world.
Letters of Love to Ukraine – Letters of Love Global
In this project, you will be able to write a Letter of Love that will be directly delivered to a Ukrainian refugee. Moms, you will have the opportunity to write to another mom and kids will be able to write to kids, but we of course welcome letters from everyone. People in Poland, France, the United Kingdom, and any other country can also use the letterhead templates on this site to write their letters.
Message of Hope – Refugee Council
Thousands of Afghan refugees are spending their first winter in the UK, far from home, in an unfamiliar place, worried about their loved ones and facing an uncertain future. In these challenging circumstances a message of hope and kindness from you can make a difference. You can show refugees they are not alone. Just a few simple words can help someone feel welcome. They’ll share your messages with the Afghan refugees They work with in the UK.
Any Refugee was founded in 2014 by a then 9-year-old Alaskan boy, William Scannell. The idea for Any Refugee came from a story he heard from his father about how people used to be able to send letters addressed to Any Soldier. William took this idea and put it to work helping refugee children in order to love and comfort them.
Write a postcard with a message of hope, comfort, and love. Everyone needs to know that others are thinking well of them and wishing them a better future. You may even want to add something personal from your own life. Your postcard will be distributed by the Jesuit Refugee Service to a refugee child overseas. JRS works in more than 55 countries worldwide, having helped over 677,000 refugees and other forcibly displaced persons.