Podcasts about asylum access

For as long as the international humanitarian sector has existed, its top jobs have been overwhelmingly occupied by white Western men. And yet, most of the people affected by their decisions come from the global majority. One, rarely exercised, tactic to address this power differential is for Western leaders to step aside or be willing to turn down coveted top positions in favour of historically marginalised leaders – especially those whose lived experience gives them a better understanding of the very issues international organisations aim to address. Co-hosts Heba Aly and Melissa Fundira are joined by two guests who voluntarily relinquished their roles in efforts to make way for more representative leadership. They reflect on the defining moments that led to their decisions, how they prepared their exits, the triumphs and disappointments that followed, and how the sector as a whole can operationalise “stepping aside” as a tactic to shift power.  Guests: Ignacio Packer, Executive Director of the Initiatives of Change Switzerland Foundation and former  Executive Director of the International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA); Diana Essex-Lettieri, consultant and former Senior Vice President of Asylum Access. ____ Got a question or feedback? Email podcast@thenewhumanitarian.org or have your say on Twitter using the hashtag #RethinkingHumanitarianism. ____ SHOW NOTES Ignacio Packer on changing aid leadership: Privilege, power, and leaving ICVA Ten efforts to decolonise aid From refugee inclusion to shifting power UN aid chief seeks more focused and inclusive humanitarian efforts The next UN humanitarian chief should be picked on merit Offboarding: The Diplomatic Way To Achieve Critical Board Turnover

Refugees International, The New Humanitarian, and Asylum Access hosted an event on the sidelines of the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva for a candid conversation about how to truly include refugees in the policy decisions that shape their lives. SPEAKERS Sana Mustafa, Asylum Access CEO (moderator) Ana Maria Diez, President of Coalición por Venezuela and Fellow at Refugees International Matai Muon, South Sudanese refugee and graduate student Mohammed Naeem, Deputy Director of Strategy and Partnerships at American Immigration Council, and Advisor on the U.S. Refugee Advisory Board Farhad Shamo Roto, Founder of Voice of Ezidis and Fellow at Refugees International Hafsar Tameesuddin, Co-Secretary General, Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN)  ____ Got a question or feedback? Email podcast@thenewhumanitarian.org or have your say on Twitter using the hashtag #RethinkingHumanitarianism.  ____  SHOW NOTES Flipping the Narrative The roots of the refugee protection system are colonial and racist by Sana Mustafa Let refugees be economic contributors by Matai Muon

Flipping the Narrative is an ongoing series by The New Humanitarian. It aims to amplify the voices of refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants, placing them at the centre of the conversations about the policies and events that shape their lives. Today's essay was written and read out by Sana Mustafa. She is a feminist human rights defender and CEO of Asylum Access. In her essay, Sana looks at power imbalances within the international refugee protection system, and calls for those who have been forcibly displaced themselves to have much more say in the decision-making. Read more from The Flipping The Narrative series here.   

A growing movement of LGBTQ groups and supporters are calling on the federal government to make it easier for transgender and non-binary Americans to seek asylum in Canada. Host Jeff Douglas spoke with Kimahli Powell, the executive director of Rainbow Railroad, a global not-for-profit organization that helps LGTBQ+ people facing persecution, about why that is.

This week we have a follow-up to our recent interview with Sana Mustafa. When I interviewed Sana back in November 2021, we could not have imagined the Ukrainian refugee crisis. So I wanted to hear Sana's perspective as Director of Partnership and Engagement at Asylum Access, on the mass migration from Ukraine that has resulted from the Russian invasion and to understand the broader impactions on how the world will deal with future mass migrations as climate change forces people North. This is a shorter than normal episode but Sana's insight and experience make this well worth a listen. Sana's perspective on the crisisThe impact on the host nations The new standard set for welcoming the displacedThe institutional racism and bigotry that exists in the system See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week's guest is Sana Mustafa. Although Sana's moving story is bound up in the Syrian conflict, her journey, courage, fortitude, and the work she is doing in her role as Director of Partnership and Engagement at Asylum Access, force us to confront what is an anachronistic approach to dealing with displaced peoples, Sana is focused empower them with agency and help them retain their dignity. In this moving interview, Sana recounts her upbringing under the Assad dictatorship, the jubilation of the Arab spring, the trauma of being thrust into civil war, and being forcibly displaced at age 22. However, Sana's story is one of resilience, inner belief, the power of community, and the kindness of strangers. Sana is a founding member of The Global Refugee-Led Network, a coalition working to increase refugees' engagement with the international community to pursue inclusive, sustainable, and effective refugee and immigration policy. something many nations must confront as they integrate millions of displaced Ukrainian citizens. The historical context of Syria's ethnic-cultural makeup.Sana describes the foundational impact of her father and mother.Her Father's willingness to be an active decenter to the regime.Her memories of the indoctrination of the Soviet-influenced Syrian education system. The influence of the intifada and the broader political make-up of the middle east.Living under the oppressive surveillance of the regime.Sana recounts the experience of living through the Arab Spring, explaining the historical events that precipitated the uprising, and her gratitude for being able to witness that moment in history. She describes the danger of protesting and the violence, detention, and murder inflicted by the regime's ‘thugs'. We discuss Sana's experience of being thrust into the center of the resulting multilayered conflict that emerged from the people's revolution, that ultimately led to the complex civil war with the influence of external actors to create a proxy ‘global' war. Sana explains the detention of her father and the human rights violations occurring. Giving voice to the voiceless refugees and conviction to be part of a collective effort and action. She describes escaping Syrian, her journey, arriving in the US with nothing other than her values, the kindness of strangers, and studying political science to establish herself as Director of Partnership at Asylum Access. Finally, Sana discusses the broader issues facing dealing with funding a refugee-run organization, her vision, and her work to create refugee rights and build agency for refugees around the world. Her hopes for Syria. Social Links Linkedin LinksIsmailiAsylum Access The Network For Refugee VoicesLarsen Lam Impact Award Pose White Tears Brown Scars See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On this episode of Immigration Today! Angeline Chen interviews Lindsay Toczylowski,  Executive Director of the Immigrant Defenders Law Center, an organization founded by a dedicated group of advocates and activists interested in creating an organization on the vanguard of the movement for a public defender system for immigrants facing deportation. They are fighting back every day against the immigration system's campaign of cruelty against migrants at the border with a focus on assisting children and families. Lindsay is a social entrepreneur whose work to increase access to justice for immigrants is at the forefront of the movement for universal representation. Lindsay also served as the Overseas Operations Director at Asylum Access, an international nonprofit that fights for the rights of refugees in the global South. She was recently named one of California's Top 40 Under 40 Lawyers by the Daily Journal. Lindsay is the proud mother of two revolutionaries-in-training, and they are her inspiration to keep fighting for social justice every day.Lindsay describes her experience defending kids in foster care and how that funneled her into providing legal representation for immigrant children. Her work is unique as she was one of the first attorneys in the Los Angeles area exclusively representing unaccompanied minors. This eventually paved the road in founding Immigrant Defenders Law Center. They are strong believers that no child should be forced to face an unjust immigration system alone. If you are interested in learning more about their work please check out their website and consider making a donation. Give them a follow on social media: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn! Immigration Today! is always releasing new content. Please subscribe to our immigration newsletter to stay up to date with any new episodes!DISCLAIMER – The views and opinions expressed in the podcast represent the view of the host and guest(s) and not necessarily the official view of Clark Hill PLC. No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions. 

See Full Show Notes here: https://growensemble.com/home-storytellers-francisco-alejandra-alcala/ Francisco & Alejandra Alcala, a powerful father-daughter duo, founded the United States-based nonprofit Home Storytellers in 2018. Their mission is to inspire people, philanthropic organizations, businesses, and governments to act in support of proven solutions that enable refugees’ self-reliance through visual storytelling. They deliver impact with very attractive ROI through communication campaigns powered by artful, character-driven short documentary films they produce with a team of seasoned filmmakers and photojournalists.  Based in Mexico, Francisco brings a unique combination of more than 30 years’ experience as a senior business executive in four continents for the Kellogg Company and a transformation into a photojournalist and documentary filmmaker. Alejandra is a visual designer based in Barcelona. Even though her background is in graphic design and she recently completed her post-grad in motion graphics and 3D design, her career has led her to explore different disciplines, such as animation, post-production, and art direction. Together, they have found that they can leverage their skills and passion to make a difference in the lives of many refugees through the art of storytelling. They have since completed their first project, a short documentary called Hot Dogs on a Tricycle, which profiles a young man and his mother who were forced to flee El Salvador and successfully sought asylum status in Mexico. This film, produced in partnership with Asylum Access, helped that organization bring about social change by shedding light on the refugee crisis. They have recently released the trailer for their second project, Sawdust, profiling a Congolese refugee and his story of resettlement with his family in a refugee camp, a camp that is home to 42,000 refugees, in Malawi. In this episode, Francisco and Alejandra discuss how they came up with the idea of using film production to showcase sustainable solutions for this refugee crisis, the lessons learned from their first film and partnership, and the goals they are hoping to achieve with their next film currently in development.

Dr. Sudeep Mohandas, Co-Founder and MD of I First International asked Deepa about her own views and insights to Capacity Building. Asylum Access is based Malaysia and they ensure their efforts are aligned to the Mission of the organisation.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, more than 65 million people around the world have been forced from home—the highest levels of displacement on record. In her recent SSIR article, “Let Refugees Be Their Own Solution,” Emily Arnold-Fernandez, executive director of the nonprofit Asylum Access, and Brian Rawson, the organization’s associate director of advocacy and communication, make the case that better policies in host countries can enable refugees to rebuild their own lives and contribute to host economies. Priss Benbow, a fellow at Stanford’s Distinguished Careers Institute, interviews Arnold-Fernandez about what enabling environments look like in practice and how nonprofits and other social sector players can help create them. Additional resources:@EDAsylumAccess   https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/creating_enabling_environments_for_refugees

Imagine if you had no choice but to flee your country. Where would you go? How would you cope? What would you need to rebuild your life in exile? These are the questions that three million South Sudanese have had to ask themselves in the face an unrelenting civil war, famine, violence and persecution. And as conflicts across the globe have forced millions to flee their homes, the international debate on refugee policy rages on. How does South Sudan fit into this broader narrative, and what lessons can be learned from its citizens cast into uncertain exile? Join World Affairs as we examine this pressing global issue from both policy and human perspectives. Gabriel Akim, spokesperson for Rebuild South Sudan, Diana Essex-Lettieri, Deputy Director of Asylum Access, and Valentino Achak Deng, co-founder of the Valentino Achak Deng Foundation, will call upon their unique expertise and personal experience to shed light on what it means to be displaced from war-torn South Sudan. As part of our "Engage" series, this event features a post-discussion Q&A, when you will have the chance to participate directly with the speaker and gain incredible insights that you won't get anywhere else. SPEAKERS Valentino Achak Deng Co-founder, Valentino Achak Deng Foundation Gabriel Akim Advisor, Rebuild South Sudan Diana Essex-Lettieri Deputy Director, Asylum Access MODERATOR: Jane Wales CEO, World Affairs and Global Philanthropy Forum; Vice President, The Aspen Institute For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1743

The news cycle reminds us that the world has some serious figuring out to do when it comes to refugees – those individuals who have left their home country due to war, conflict or persecution. Thankfully, there are advocates out there working relentlessly to find solutions. One of these people is Jessica Therkelsen, global policy director for Asylum Access, a nonprofit devoted to refugee rights. And, while we know there’s a problem and that refugees are homeless while building a new life, what many of us may not realize is the scale of this crisis. There are more than 20 million refugees today, and a refugee (including children) stay in a refugee camp in exile for an average of 20 years. This isn’t okay with Asylum Access. The nonprofit believes refugees have a right to a fair chance at a new life – wherever they might be – and the group works tirelessly to help refugees in their new country obtain basic rights to live and work. Last year Asylum Access helped more than 20,000 refugees gain these basic rights through individualized legal services. And it doesn’t stop there. The nonprofit also advocates with the United Nations and government entities around the world to ensure the systems that help refugees obtain these basic human rights remain intact. “There is a growing recognition in the international community that the status quo of how we deliver aid is not meeting long-term needs,” Jessica says, “… What somebody experiences to become a refugee is something you never ever want your family or friends to experience.” Listen to episode 9 of I Want Her Job: The Podcast to hear her advice on how you can get involved and make an impact. TOPICS DISCUSSED IN TODAY'S SHOW: Understand and Access: How Asylum Access helps refugees understand their rights legally in the places where they are exiled. Tools of the Trade: While Jessica travels and can often be found in New York, Washington, D.C., and Geneva, Switzerland working on global policy, she swears by the power of Skype for connecting and working. On Perspective: “I try to be very cognizant of my own privilege and the luck that I’ve had to live a life that is very open and free. I have the right to live in the United States. I have the right to move freely in this country. I can choose where I live. I can choose where I work. I am able to go to school. That’s something that I am grateful for every day, and it’s also something that I fundamentally believe that everyone should have access to.” On Global Policy: “We’re not really talking about a special package of rights for a special package of people. We’re talking about families – parents, youths – people who want to live a normal life, who want to go to school and have opportunity. These are not crazy things to want. These are not crazy things to ask for.” I Got It From My Mama: The special woman who inspired Jessica’s career path. Food For Thought: “We don’t all have the same deck of cards that we’re playing with.” Dance Lessons: How Jessica’s days in ballet during law school gave her the ability to focus, the maturity to deal with rejection and the inspiration to shoot for really, really big goals. Resting + Recharging: How time outdoors and spent reading helps Jessica refuel. On Her Nightstand: The New Yorker and The New York Times Magazine Creating Comfort: Find out how you can get involved and make a difference in the refugee rights movement. Learn More: AsylumAccess.org On Twitter: Follow her @JessTherkelsen and the nonprofit @asylumaccess

July 10, 2014 - Read the full Your Mark on the World article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/1xU2cJv. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. Over 15 million people in the world are living as refugees. According to Emily Arnold-Fernandez, the executive director of Asylum Access, the average time in a refugee camp is now almost 20 year. “Less than 1% of refugees reach the US, Canada, Europe and Australia combined each year,” she says. “In many places, refugees aren’t allowed to move freely, work, attend school, or open a bank account, so they can’t rebuild their lives. They’re forced to depend on aid.” Tweet: “Less than 1% of refugees reach the US, Canada, Europe and Australia combined.” -@asylumaccess via @devindthorpe http://ctt.ec/w0knA+ Emily says, “Asylum Access is changing this, by focusing on refugees’ rights. We believe that when refugees enjoy their rights, they can fulfill their own needs.” More about Asylum Access: Asylum Access is an innovative international nonprofit dedicated to making refugee rights a reality. Asylum Access empowers refugees in Africa, Asia and Latin America to live safely, work, send children to school and rebuild their lives. Asylum Access is the only international organization solely dedicated to making refugee rights a reality in first countries of refuge. By helping refugees assert their rights, we are putting power back into their hands. We provide direct legal assistance and education to over 10,000 refugees annually in Ecuador, Thailand and Tanzania, reaching hundreds of thousands more through policy advocacy and strategic litigation. Our work transforms the traditional approach of endless humanitarian handouts to a sustainable solution that gives refugees the tools to provide for themselves and make choices about their own lives. image Emily’s bio: Emily Arnold-Fernández, the founder and executive director of Asylum Access, is a social entrepreneur and human rights pioneer. A lawyer who has advocated nationally and internationally for the human rights of women, children, and other vulnerable individuals, Emily first became involved in refugee rights in 2002, when she represented refugees in United Nations proceedings in Cairo, Egypt. Recognizing that refugees throughout Africa, Asia and Latin America – some of whom flee with nothing more than the clothes on their backs – were almost always unequipped to go into a legal proceeding in a foreign country, alone, and explain why they should not be deported, Emily founded Asylum Access to advocate on behalf of refugees seeking to assert their rights. For her innovative approach to the global refugee crisis, Emily was honored by the Dalai Lama as one of 50 “Unsung Heroes of Compassion” from around the world (2009), Waldzell Institute’s Architects of the Future Award (2012) and Grinnell College Young Innovator for Social Justice Prize (2013). She has also been recognized as Pomona College’s Inspirational Young Alumna (2006), awarded the prestigious Echoing Green fellowship (2007), and recognized as the New Leaders Council’s 40 Under 40 (2010), among others. Emily holds a B.A. cum laude from Pomona College and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center. A visionary human rights activist, Emily Arnold-Fernández takes her inspiration from a line in a June Jordan poem: “We are the ones we have been waiting for.” Emily is particularly passionate about Asylum Access because it has the power to transform refugee rights from paper promises to on-the-ground reality. “For half a century, international law has given refugees the rights to live safely, seek employment, send children to school and rebuild their lives. But those rights are meaningless unless they are respected on the ground,” she says. “Asylum Access provides a rare opportunity to fill a gaping hole in our human rights system – by making refugee rights a reality for real people.”