On 9th September 2021, Advocates for Refugees – Singapore convened a special session, “Young and Resourceful: Navigating Forced Displacement as Digital Natives”. The session was held on Day 3 of the Forced Displacement and Urban Management Conference, organised by the Resilience Development Initiative Urban Refugee Research Group (RDI UREF) and the Indonesian Civil Society Organisation for Refugee Rights Protection (SUAKA).
by Caitin Fernandez and edited by Aleithia Low
Young and Resourceful: Navigating Forced Displacement as Digital Natives
We were honoured to have Hasan Al-Akraa, Mozhgan Moarefizadeh, Mohammed Faruque, and Lin Yanqin as our speakers, with Sarah Bagharib as the session’s host. With this amazing line-up, the session tackled questions concerning our speakers’ personal experience of using social media to highlight refugee-first narratives, create opportunities and garner support as well as how they’ve learnt to carefully navigate these online spaces.
The defining feature of this special session was the interactive elements: We warmed the audience up with a simulation activity, in which they were asked to place themselves in the shoes of a Rohingya male refugee trying to find a job in Malaysia. At various stages, participants were asked to make decisions on which pathway to take, with each leading to a different outcome.
This feature reminded our participants that while no two refugees share the same experience of forced displacement, they face resource constraints at each point and have to make hard decisions; furthermore, while access to social media can be a boon, the pitfalls are plenty.
After introducing our speakers, we allocated participants to four breakout rooms. The shift to a more intimate setting allowed our speakers and participants to explore more sensitive topics, guided by our volunteer facilitators. After fifteen minutes, each breakout room got to hear from another speaker-facilitator pair.
Following this, we wrapped up the session with a persona quiz, which helped audience members to identify their strengths and how they could potentially work as an ally with displaced communities.
Reclaiming Agency through Social Media
In each breakout room, our speakers explained how social media helped them reclaim their agency and slowly change the public’s perception of refugees. In attempts to elicit sympathy and donations, international media and some organisations portray refugees as helpless victims whose plight ought to be pitied. However, this depiction hardly does justice to the resilience and capabilities of refugees.
Social media platforms have become conduits for refugees to reclaim their agency in the public space; they are not simply waiting for help, but are instead tirelessly working with limited resources to survive and carve a better life for themselves, families, and community.
Omar’s Film School was founded by Omar and Faruque, two Rohingya brothers who have spent decades displaced in a refugee camp in Bangladesh. In Cox’s Bazar, they used their own funds to start the film school: these media lessons started with the immediate need to educate the other encamped refugees about COVID-19. Looking beyond that, through videos and photographs, the film school has helped to communicate important health protocols and aims to empower its young people, and provide a record of their cultures and traditions in order to preserve Rohingya culture, as they have been forced out of their home communities.
Social media has been an excellent platform for the film school and its students to showcase the stories of refugees in the camps. Mohammed Faruque also shared that social media has enabled the Rohingya to document and share their everyday realities with an international audience. Amid Myanmar’s persecution of the Rohingya, Facebook and Instagram have become important and free platforms to house films and photographs about the Rohingya culture for future generations.
Galvanising Local and International Support
For many of our speakers, social media has become a crucial tool to galvanise the refugee, host, and international communities to create social change.
Hasan Al-Akraa, a Syrian refugee based in Malaysia, founded the Al-Hasan Volunteer Network (AHVN) to serve refugee and underprivileged communities in his host country. Social media has been instrumental to the organisation’s work: they use social media to raise awareness on the refugee situation in Malaysia, reach out to potential volunteers and donors, and update their followers on fundraising efforts for mutual aid requests.
Hasan stressed that it is important to be transparent, especially with fundraising through social media. He found it crucial to upload receipts, provide a breakdown of how the funds are used, and provide timely updates on social media. Having these layers of transparency helps the organisation to build trust with their followers on social media, and makes it easier to engage them in the long run.
Faruque, co-founder of Omar’s Film School, explained how his film students’ photography in Bangladesh have been featured overseas in exhibitions. Social media has opened doors for the film school, with one man from the United Kingdom starting a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for the refugee community. They are currently in talks to launch future GoFundMe fundraising campaigns to secure funding for the film school.
Building Friendships, Trust and Taking Action Together
In addition to short videos and photos, podcasts and digital story-telling have emerged as immersive tools in online advocacy. Our speakers reminded the audience that these mediums are most effective when the voices of refugees are placed at the forefront.
Mozhgan Moarefizadeh, co-founder of ‘The Wait’ podcast, explained that audio is extremely powerful for both the audience and interviewees. Mozhgan found that audio helped audiences connect with the stories of refugees and their emotions. Likewise, when she and her team interviewed the refugee community in Indonesia, they would pour their hearts out because “it is rare to find someone who wants to listen to you.”
The podcast was incredibly successful in raising awareness about the struggles of refugees in Indonesia, and also unlocked many life-changing opportunities for refugees who came forward in the podcast. For example, some received sponsorship for resettlement applications.
Lin Yanqin, a senior producer from Our Better World (OBW), a digital storytelling platform based in Singapore, emphasised that it is important for storytellers to connect with an individual’s or organisation’s ethos and aspirations. For example, OBW regularly communicates with beneficiaries or volunteers at a local level, and often engages locals to write their own stories.
When building the narratives, it is also important to tell a story in a way that encourages viewers to take action in a meaningful way. For example, if an organisation needs to urgently fundraise for their initiatives, OBW would craft a narrative that encourages donations rather than volunteering.
Beyond publishing stories, OBW emphasised that it is important to cultivate meaningful relationships with their story subjects. They have forged friendships and continue to work collaboratively to pursue long-term goals.
Coping with Backlash and Harassment
Refugee issues are very sensitive topics in this region. Thus, our speakers have often been on the receiving end of backlash and harassment. After the release of ‘The Wait’ podcast, Mozhgan had to contend with both internal and external criticism and harassment. At times, she could not leave the house alone because of harassment. Our audience was shocked to hear that Mozhgan has faced exclusion within the refugee community as her advocacy has caused some of her family members to be denied services.
Mozhgan remarked that it is not always possible to ignore criticism because it can potentially jeopardise her organisation. To mitigate this risk, Mozhgan often runs more sensitive content by a lawyer before she posts. She reiterates that the welfare of the refugee community is of greater priority than posting sensational (and potentially harmful) content.
On the topic of mental health, Hasan also spoke about the toll that advocacy takes on one’s mental health. Whenever he feels overwhelmed or exhausted, he takes a step back and a break to engage in his hobbies.
As an ally, Yanqin explained that hate-baiting comments towards refugees have no space on OBW’s social media platforms. If there is no intention for meaningful dialogue, such comments are intentionally hidden from public view.
Reflections
For many young people, donating regularly to organisations may not yet be financially viable. Instead, social media is another way for them to contribute to the movement for refugee rights.
Throughout the session, the audience was very receptive towards the speakers’ personal anecdotes and demonstrated support for their work. After hearing from the speakers, many of our participants shared that they felt greatly enlightened and empowered to engage in advocacy for refugee rights.
While many people entering the field of forced displacement have high aspirations and want to create massive change from the get-go, our speakers reminded us that we should instead focus on taking smaller steps to create ripples of change.
To do this, allies should responsibly consume online content and be careful of which resources to share on social media. They can address misconceptions about refugees, counter apathetic attitudes towards the struggles of refugees, and amplify refugee voices and issues on social media. All of these can be a great boost for refugee-led organisations in the region.
We are extremely grateful for the support of our volunteers and partnership with an amazing panel of speakers and host, and the opportunity to convene this special session with RDI UREF and SUAKA.
You can support refugee-led organizations:
- Al-Hasan Volunteer Network, Malaysia
- Omar’s Film School, Bangladesh
- Refugee and Asylum seeker Information Center, Indonesia
- Refugee Emergency Fund, Malaysia
For more information about the Conference, please visit conference.rdiuref.org or visit RDI REF’s platforms: