Celebrating refugees' contributions
“Connecting real time with refugees from Iraq via Shared Studios’ immersive technology portal”
On June 2nd, 2018 I had the opportunity to join 2,000+ people to celebrate, connect, and listen to refugees’ voices, their talents and accomplishments at the One Journey Festival which took place at the Washington National Cathedral.
“One Journey’s mission is to shift the narrative about refugees by inspiring people to connect, build empathy and become enduring allies to refugees.”
During the event thousands of people participated in the One Journey Festival to celebrate refugees and their contributions to society. The all-day event included dance and music, food trucks owned by local refugee & immigrant chefs, children’s activities, live immersive discussions with refugees from Iraq, Rwanda, and Mexico through Shared_Studios portals, and a 360 Virtual Reality that connected festival attendees with refugees living in overseas camps or host countries. Participants also had the opportunity to learn more about Call to Action and how to support refugees in our community and around the world.
I was humbled and honored to have had the opportunity to witness this celebration and learn from humanitarian speakers & storytellers, and enjoy the events taking place from fashion, live cooking shows, and in particular, the Shared Studios’ immersive audiovisual experience where I had the exciting opportunity to volunteer.
At the Shared Studios’ immersive technology portal, sponsored by Accenture Digital, participants could talk real time with refugees and Internally Displaced People from Iraq Rwanda, and Mexico.
Inside the portal I got the chance to chat with Ramy, Ahmed, and Mohammed; refugees from Erbil, Iraq. It was a very heartwarming experience to connect with them at a personal level and learn a bit more about their lives and their hobbies; I learned that they love playing soccer and Ramy loves making rap music, he even has his own YouTube channel!
Connecting with them on a more personal level and learning their stories, their likes and dislikes, their passions and how they remain hopeful regardless of the circumstances and hardships they endure is truly inspiring and my hope and prayer is that they could spend their next Ramadan in better circumstances surrounded by their loved ones.
The entire festival was very inspiring and it served to create global awareness about the refugee crisis, to shift the narrative to one of social & economic advantage, build empathy & understanding, and to become enduring allies to refugees around the world. I was joined by thousands of participants who were also moved by the voices they heard, many of them to action!
So What's Next?
June 2nd was just the beginning. One Journey's purpose is broader than an annual, celebratory festival. One Journey is creating a space for connection and building pathways towards engagement. Their hope is to be able to take One Journey Festival on the road, and share the model with cities and communities to further the #1Journey vision and impact.
If you would like to be part of this national movement for and with refugees, click the Call to Action link here to spread One Journey’s positive message and support refugees, both locally and abroad.
