Charity event highlights need to ‘humanise’ migration debate
City News gains an exclusive insight into a London-based charity that connect Asylum Seekers with the media as part of 'humanising' the debate on migration
This Monday, City News attended IMIX’s ‘Behind the Headlines: Channel Crossings Uncovered’ event at the YMCA KX in King’s Cross.
Esther Raffell, the Policy and Communications Coordinator for IMIX told City News the migration debate has become a “political football”, missing “the structural reality of being in the asylum system in the UK” which she said is “misunderstood by most people in the way its been portrayed in the media”.
IMIX are a London-based charity made up of communication experts and former journalists aims to tell “the human side of the migration story’”. The organisation specialises in providing media training to combat the “often-hostile narrative on migration and displacement” by centring on human stories.
Since becoming Prime Minister, Keir Starmer has repeatedly affirmed his commitment to stopping dangerous, “uncontrolled landings” led by people smugglers. As part of this, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper affirmed a “moral imperative” this summer to stop illegal migration, setting up a Border Security Command with 100 officers.
However, Campaigners at IMIX challenge the characterisation of the current political debate on “small boats” as a “migration crisis”. Panellists at the event argued that the highly charged and polarisedpolitical discourse on migration is “sensationalising” and “dehumanising”, failing to focus on the people and their stories.
The panel was led by individuals in the UK with lived experience of the asylum system and Channel crossings. Asylum Seekers from Afghanistan, Iran, and Eritrea provided insights into the risks involved in undertaking the dangerous journey and suggested practical measures to prevent further loss of life.
Following the panel, attendees participated in a ‘Human Library’, where journalists at the event engaged directly with individuals who shared their personal stories. IMIX described this “safe space” as am effort to “challenge prejudices and build understanding through open and meaningful conversations”.
Ronnie Tagwireyi emphasised the decision to flee one’s country should not be framed as a ‘choice’.
On Tuesday, City News caught up with IMIX at an internal meeting to gain a deeper insight into their mission. Ronnie Tagwireyi, a refugee campaigner and former asylum seeker, stressed that “the most powerful story comes out of the person actually experiencing it”. He expressed how he hopes to be part of “changing the narrative” surrounding refugees and asylum seekers in the media.
Tagwireyi emphasised “we are not just numbers” or “people to be feared” but “humans with stories”. He also rejected that fleeing one’s country is a choice, urging policymakers and the media to reframe the conversation around migration.
IMIX’s mission to empower individuals and combat disinformation comes at an increasingly contentious time in the migration debate. New figures published yesterday revealed net migration to the UK was 906,000 in the year up to June 2023 – a record high. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage described the figures as “horrendous”, while Keir Starmer commited to immediately publishing a white paper aimed at reducing immigration and “turning it around”
Meanwhile, IMIX continues with journalists both work on and off the record in London as part of their aim to shift the discourse away from statistics and a “crisis of morality”, and instead towards the lived experience of refugees and asylum seekers.
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HeadlineCharity event highlights need to ‘humanise’ migration debate
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StandfirstCity News gains an exclusive insight into a London-based charity that connect Asylum Seekers with the media as part of 'humanising' the debate on migration
This Monday, City News attended IMIX’s ‘Behind the Headlines: Channel Crossings Uncovered’ event at the YMCA KX in King’s Cross.
Esther Raffell, the Policy and Communications Coordinator for IMIX told City News the migration debate has become a “political football”, missing “the structural reality of being in the asylum system in the UK” which she said is “misunderstood by most people in the way its been portrayed in the media”.
IMIX are a London-based charity made up of communication experts and former journalists aims to tell “the human side of the migration story’”. The organisation specialises in providing media training to combat the “often-hostile narrative on migration and displacement” by centring on human stories.
Since becoming Prime Minister, Keir Starmer has repeatedly affirmed his commitment to stopping dangerous, “uncontrolled landings” led by people smugglers. As part of this, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper affirmed a “moral imperative” this summer to stop illegal migration, setting up a Border Security Command with 100 officers.
However, Campaigners at IMIX challenge the characterisation of the current political debate on “small boats” as a “migration crisis”. Panellists at the event argued that the highly charged and polarisedpolitical discourse on migration is “sensationalising” and “dehumanising”, failing to focus on the people and their stories.
The panel was led by individuals in the UK with lived experience of the asylum system and Channel crossings. Asylum Seekers from Afghanistan, Iran, and Eritrea provided insights into the risks involved in undertaking the dangerous journey and suggested practical measures to prevent further loss of life.
Following the panel, attendees participated in a ‘Human Library’, where journalists at the event engaged directly with individuals who shared their personal stories. IMIX described this “safe space” as am effort to “challenge prejudices and build understanding through open and meaningful conversations”.
Ronnie Tagwireyi emphasised the decision to flee one’s country should not be framed as a ‘choice’.
On Tuesday, City News caught up with IMIX at an internal meeting to gain a deeper insight into their mission. Ronnie Tagwireyi, a refugee campaigner and former asylum seeker, stressed that “the most powerful story comes out of the person actually experiencing it”. He expressed how he hopes to be part of “changing the narrative” surrounding refugees and asylum seekers in the media.
Tagwireyi emphasised “we are not just numbers” or “people to be feared” but “humans with stories”. He also rejected that fleeing one’s country is a choice, urging policymakers and the media to reframe the conversation around migration.
IMIX’s mission to empower individuals and combat disinformation comes at an increasingly contentious time in the migration debate. New figures published yesterday revealed net migration to the UK was 906,000 in the year up to June 2023 – a record high. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage described the figures as “horrendous”, while Keir Starmer commited to immediately publishing a white paper aimed at reducing immigration and “turning it around”
Meanwhile, IMIX continues with journalists both work on and off the record in London as part of their aim to shift the discourse away from statistics and a “crisis of morality”, and instead towards the lived experience of refugees and asylum seekers.
