Since the dawn of humanity migration was a commonplace in society. The right to lead a safe life is officially declared as a human right, unfortunately even this contemporary society faces a tremendous refugee crisis. Refugee and migration theme has generated a great deal of heated debate all around the world - so today, we went ahead and covered it.

Through a Visa application process simulation we were able to feel all the chaos, fear and sense of unpredictability, which are experienced by asylum seekers. Sadly, many of us were rejected on the grounds of political situation, which led us to the understanding of how cynical the immigration system actually is. The simulation was followed by a group work throughout which we were creating refugee integration plans. Surprisingly, the plans showed that we can actually change the current situation by implementing small changes into communities.

Afternoon activities, however, were full of diverse emotions, from desperate sorrow to the appreciation of a brighter tomorrow. Speaker Mirwais Wakil, who is an Afghan refugee in Austria, came to share his incredible and inspiring story. He narrated about his foretime losses, about his harsh childhood, about how he was losing friends the same way someone like me was losing toys. I asked him whether he believe in hope in face of all the cruelty, and he answered honestly: “In the eyes of death the only hope is life, because without hope what good is life?” His life story forced us to understand how privileged we actually are.

This invaluable conversation was followed by the film “White Helmets”, which tells us about the routine of White Helmets’ (an organization formed of volunteers dedicated to rescuing victims of the Syrian conflict) members. The sincerity and fidelity towards humanity of those volunteers made me feel the shame of the Western world, in which, surrounded by expensive and cozy belongings, we forget the critical values of the human being.

To conclude, the people who sacrifice their lives for humanity, who claim equality and importance of every individual in the face of merciless circumstances, motivated us to be the change in our communities, the change in society’s attitude towards refugees. In the end, eliminating poverty for one person and for one night is the primary step to eliminating poverty for all of humanity.