Cultural Wealth Brought By Crossing Borders...  

December 18, International Migrants Day, aims to recognize the rights of migrants around the world and to raise awareness about the problems faced. People who had to migrate hope for a brighter future wherever they go. It is the common responsibility of all humanity to contribute to the formation of a safer and more resilient world.

As the World Academy for Local Government and Democracy (WALD), within the scope of the "International Migrants Day”, we held our "Migratory Birds and People of the World" themed activities with the participation of local and refugee children in the districts of Ümraniye and Sultangazi, where we provide services in the field of social protection.

The program started with the “Can you teach me a word in your language?” to strengthen communication between children. In the event, psychologists narrated that the birds began to migrate during the winter months and that the main reasons for their migration were the difficulty of finding food in cold and snowy weather, so their migration from the northern hemisphere to the southern hemisphere began in autumn. In the program, the V shape of the birds on the migration path, the main species of migrating birds were shown to the children. Among those images, a bird species chosen by the children. This year's migration route and their adventures on the migration route were left to their imagination and they were asked to illustrate this theme.

In the second part of the program, the event with the theme “There is the most valuable person in the world in this box” was held with the participation of refugee and migrant women together with Turkish women. It was aimed for the beneficiaries, who saw themselves in the mirror when they opened the boxes, to feel important, to reveal their emotions and to make them realize their original side. At the end of the program, the beneficiaries were asked to share their evaluations of 2022 and their expectations for 2023.

As the World Academy for Local Government and Democracy (WALD), on the 18th of December, World Immigrants Day, we wish to create a world where people are not forced to migrate, human rights and dignity are protected, and human life is not negotiated.