The International Organization for Migration's "i am a migrant' campaign and platform is a place for the personal stories of migrants. We want to challenge the anti-migrant stereotypes and hate speech in politics and society. "i am a migrant" lets migrants tell their own stories. Together we want to show: Migration has a human face. Migration is diverse.
This is a letter from 200 hundred young migrants featured in the "i am a migrant" campaign about the UN Summit for Refugees and Migrants held on 19 September 2016. Find some of their testimonies on iamamigrant.org and watch their video here.
'Educating the Future': Advocating for the Education of Young Migrants
In light of the UN Summit for Refugees and Migrants in which we place our hopes, we, young migrants of the world studying in Geneva, confirm to the gathered heads of states that education is our future and the future of the democracies who welcome us. We want the right to education for all children, regardless of their status...
Because a country that wants to grow must have people to build it.Because school is where we begin to love justice.Because school is a way to freedom.Because we do not want to be victims, but students.Because school means meeting friends, who become a second family.Because as girls we have the chance to get the same education as boys,Because we want all children to go to school like we can, to have freedom of expression and a second chance, as we have had thanks to our professors.Because education will help us conquer our dreams.Because effort, hard work and patience are key ingredients for a successful life. Because school will allow us to provide a better life for our families.Because we learn new languages, new cultures.Because we hope we will be able to create our own businesses.Because it is a right many young people do not have access to.Because we learn to live together and respect one another and this will serve us all our lives.Because education is an essential tool,Because yesterday we were different, today we are different, and tomorrow we will be different, thanks to education
But essentially because an educated person is a free person, with the power to choose their own future career, to defend their thoughts and rights, and to gain their independence, we want more schools and the right to education for all children.
We are 200 young migrants, eager to achieve our dreams.
"Educating the Future" is an initiative from the students of Geneva schools (Service de l'Accueil du Postobligatoire [ACPO] and Espace Entreprise) to celebrate the International Day of Democracy when 200 young migrants between the ages of 15 and 19 went to the UN to discover the role of Genève Internationale and met with officials.
This post is part of a series produced by The Huffington Post to mark the occasion of two critical conferences at the UN on the Refugee and Migrant crisis: the UN Summit for Refugees and Migrants (Sept. 19th, a UN conference) and the Leaders Summit on Refugees (Sept. 20th, hosted by U.S. Pres. Barack Obama, at the UN). To see all the posts in the series, visit here. To follow the conversation on Twitter, see #UN4RefugeesMigrants.