


They will force you to imagine what the Syria Crisis would look like in New York City or London, to see what a year of conflict could do to a child, but most importantly to recognize refugees as ordinary people. The videos below all have one aim: to raise awareness for the refugee cause with a new perspective. By shifting the debate away from refugee statistics and refocusing on the attitudes of those who may not be sure who refugees even are, one can create connections through common experiences and increase understanding. Luckily there are tools that can create a capacity to understand what another person is experiencing. Film has proven to be one of the most effective methods to create a sense of empathy and compassion.Īnother powerful tool to help an audience understand a situation is to re-frame it in a familiar context. Perhaps I’m naive, but I don’t think it is easy for everyone to comprehend the changes imposed on someone’s life once they’ve become displaced.

Would you be able to imagine what life as a refugee would look like? Can you imagine the challenges and daily struggles you would face? Raise your hand if you’ve ever heard the phrase “Put yourself in someone else’s shoes.” It was one of the most common expressions my parents used when I was growing up as they tried to get me to look at a situation from a different point of view.Ī lot of people do think if you could just put yourself in someone else’s shoes for a moment, perhaps you would understand why life is not as easy as you seem to think.īut what about the lives of people in protracted refugee crises across the world? How simple is it for someone who has never been touched by this type of devastation and violence to actually imagine what life is like? Let’s try.
