Blog post

Alice Sachrada's website >>

I enjoy bringing imagination, creativity and fresh ideas to social research. A creative starting point embraces curiosity, takes us into the realm of metaphor, and provides new avenues for expression while bringing in new and often unheard voices.

“Imagine if you walked into your local tube station or metro and instead of being faced with walls of advertising you looked up at pictures of people living in your local community. With their photos and words they would tell stories about their lives - what ‘home’, ‘family’ and ‘belonging’ mean to them - in their own way. We [Odyssey Stories] want to convey the complex, multiple identities we all have, and to encourage empathy for people we tend to see as ‘other’.” 

MaximNoise's video channel >>

I’m Germany‘s Ambassador for YouTube‘s ‘Creators For Change’ programme and music is my language to celebrate diversity.

“In my music videos, I have blindfolded myself and accepted hugs from strangers. I think this is a strong way to illustrate the trust and acceptance we can display towards people we don’t know. My idea is to do this again, asking two strangers of different backgrounds to hug each other while blindfolded, and then to reveal who they are.”

Raima Chaoui's video channel >>

I started my YouTube channel after having to face so much discrimination in my daily life. I found it all very unfair and I wanted to speak out to raise awareness in our society and to educate people.

“I reach many people through my YouTube channel, but it’s usually me in front of the camera. The question of what it means ‘to belong’ is complicated and needs to be asked of many people. So I want to use my channel to give voices to others talking about this. It’s the question that interests me, rather than finding an answer.”

Elio Germani's twitter account >>

My work combines my artistic background with my keen interest in contemporary social and human rights issues, which also led to regular collaborations with non-profit organisations. The so-called ‘migration crisis’ has lately been the focus of my work, which led to the participatory photographic project MarePlurale.

“MarePlurale is a cosmopolitan photomosaic, the result of a participatory workshop I coordinated with newcomers who acted as photographers. The project aims to create interaction between newcomers, residents and tourists in an attempt to break barriers, prejudice and discrimination at this time characterised by closure around national identities and xenophobia.”

Yeyei Gómez's website >>

I started to make satirical cartoons because I saw that what happened in the media did not coincide with what was happening on the street. The role of the satirical cartoonist is not to guess, it´s just to observe and listen; it shows the contradictions. It can clarify facts because reality and media stories rarely coincide.

“Cartoons tend to have a birds-eye view. They look on issues from above, rather than from within. What I would like to do is use cartooning to show people’s real experiences of housing issues, in terms of access, rent, politics and business influence. It can be quite a dry, political subject, so I would like to give it characters and bring it to life.”

Sepp Bruderman's video channel >>

We have been telling stories to each other since we started gathering around the fire - the goal has always been to pass on information in order to reflect on our actions and improve our behaviour. I am trying to widen these tiny gaps in the crust of life to enable the audience to see and grasp a moment of understanding of what it means to be human. This moment is the starting point for positive change in each one of us.

“I am working on a project called HereThereAfter, in which long interviews with refugees are translated into European languages, shortened, edited and performed by European actors in the first person and in the local dialect, so it is not immediately apparent that they are relaying someone else’s experience. I call it ‘Trojan Horses of Empathy’ and I think this is a powerful way to make us think about who we readily relate to.”

Nadir Nahdi's video channel >>

I´m the UK’s Ambassador for YouTube Creators for Change and founder of a storytelling platform that aims to turn social influence into substance, inspiration and adventure. We find people whose story you don´t often hear, and collaborate with like-minded others from different backgrounds. The goal is to draw from our heritage but create a cultural space that is entirely new.

“Telling people how to communicate can be bland and boring, but stories are powerful. I want to use human connection and humour to talk to people about framing mistakes. I see a series of short films in the style of [the UK TV comedy] ‘The Office’ but set in an NGO. This setting could be a good way to approach issues like stereotyping, authenticity and repeating unhelpful language in a fresh and funny way that highlights the complexity of doing the work in a sympathetic way.”

CinémaHumain website >>

As a film practitioner, I work at the intersection between film making, academia and human rights. My work seeks to generate knowledge on various levels. The projects I develop makes information more accessible by telling stories of real people in an engaging way. I also use the production process to do original research that might contribute to existing human rights principles.

“A specific project I am developing relates to the idea of ‘belonging’ within the European context. Currently, this concept remains elusive and/or misunderstood. I would like to define key elements as to what it means to ‘belong’ in our transnational and transcultural environment. This will involve creative, multiplatform storytelling that includes a diverse range of voices throughout Europe.”

Abbie Trulíková's twitter account >>

Through my videos I hope to contribute to the de-stigmatisation of ‘taboo’ topics, specifically interracial relationships. Being a black woman talking about Slovakia I have faced backlash, criticism and negative comments. I enjoy bringing humour and positivity to the topics I discuss. In this way I hope to provoke curiosity and intelligent conversation as well as challenge people's way of thinking. I believe as humans we are stronger when we integrate and share ideas

“My belief is that in breaking down barriers and opening up communication on difficult subjects, through visuals and the powerful tool that is social media, we can educate the younger generation to challenge the status quo.”

Ralph Underhill's website >>

I draw cartoons to share my incredulity about how the world currently works, or more accurately, fails to work.

“I really want to flip the focus of human rights communications away from those most affected and onto the real cause of the problems, the people and institutions blocking a truly progressive agenda. To give an example - maybe it isn’t about a ‘migrant crisis’ but rather an ‘empathy crisis’ in those countries rejecting refugees.”