Meet a Migrant

Meet a Migrant

This project works to develop the skills and confidence of migrants to speak out in the media, challenge institutional media culture, and seek to influence the media agenda. The goal is for migrants themselves to challenge discrimination and negative rhetoric in the media, amplify their voice, and pass on their new skills and knowledge to the wider migrant community.

The project builds on an earlier 'Meet a Migrant' initiative, which brought together migrants and journalists in face-to-face meetings and led to more than 150 high-profile media appearances and the development of a media toolkit.

In phase two we are taking this further, facilitating meetings between migrants and editorial teams from newspapers or broadcasters, enabling our members to give direct feedback on articles or broadcasts – the good, the bad and the missing.

The goal is for members of our network to play a role in changing newsroom culture around reporting on migration.

Alongside the ‘Meet the Editors’ programme, we are using the toolkit to train individual migrants to become ‘ambassadors’, working with them to identify issues in their communities and pitch stories to the media.

We are also training staff and volunteers at community groups and migrant/refugee organisations using the toolkit so they can work with migrants in their own networks, building their communication skills and their understanding of the media.

The project is funded by the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation.