Human Rights and Displacement 2025

Human Rights and Displacement: A Creative Engagement Workshop

Date: Friday, 20 June 2025

Location: Grassmarket Community Project, 86 Candlemaker Row, Edinburgh, EH1 2QA
https://maps.app.goo.gl/gJExpbRAQsZBWT5B8

Schedule
09:30–10:00 – Arrival, tea and coffee
10:00–11:30 – Session 1
11:30–11:45 – Mid-morning break (tea, coffee and biscuits)
11:45–13:00 – Session 2
13:00–13:45 – Lunch and networking
13:45–15:15 – Session 3
15:15–15:30 – Afternoon tea and coffee
15:30–16:00 – Closing reflections

About the workshop
This one-day, participatory workshop brings together members of Scottish NGOs, community groups, and organisations led by and working with refugee and migrant communities. It creates space to explore how human rights approaches can be applied in the context of forced displacement. The workshop supports critical reflection, mutual learning, and shared strategy development for more effective rights-based advocacy and support.

What we aim to do

explore how human rights principles help protect and empower displaced people
support exchange of knowledge, experiences, and strategies among organisations
help strengthen advocacy links across local, national and international levels
work collaboratively on ways to improve rights protections in practice

Context: Refugee Week 2025
This event takes place during Refugee Week, the UK’s largest arts and culture festival celebrating the contributions and resilience of people seeking sanctuary. The workshop contributes to national efforts to raise awareness and promote refugee rights through creative engagement.

Contributors and activities
We begin with short talks from invited speakers offering perspectives grounded in institutional work and lived experience.

Session 1

Suzanne Hoff (La Strada International) will speak about European anti-trafficking strategies and protection systems
Heather Komenda (International Organization for Migration – IOM) will offer a global view on forced displacement and migrant protection
Kiril Sharapov (Edinburgh Napier University) will present research on the protection of Ukrainian refugees in Europe and the value of rights-based approaches
Frederik Byrn Køhlert (Edinburgh Napier University) will share insights from the project Graphic Narratives of Migration, exploring how comics can communicate complex migration stories and counter harmful populist narratives

Sessions 2 and 3

Session 2 will begin with a presentation and screening by Brook Woldu (Filmmaker), who will introduce and discuss two participatory and collaborative documentary films:

Voices from Ipswich – a film created with young people from Africa reflecting on their experiences of arriving and settling in the UK as refugees

Car Wash – a short documentary exploring how restrictions on the right to work for people seeking asylum in the UK can lead to exploitation and modern slavery

In the remaining time in Session 2, and throughout Session 3, we will engage in creative and collaborative activities. Everyone is encouraged to bring a photograph, object or item that represents personal or professional experiences of displacement or working with displaced communities. These will be incorporated into:

photo and object collage – a shared visual and material piece reflecting lived experiences of displacement and resilience
memory and hope tree – an installation where participants add drawings, notes, or small objects representing challenges and aspirations
comics about displacement – a hands-on session exploring how to tell migration stories through short visual narratives (no drawing skills needed)

Expected outcome
The workshop will create a Living Board of voices, a dedicated online space hosted on this website This will bring together creative contributions, reflections, and advocacy messages from the workshop and make them available to participants, policymakers, and the wider public.

Who the workshop is for
This workshop is open to individuals who are members of Scottish-based non-governmental organisations working with and led by migrant and refugee communities.

How to take part
Places are limited and registration is required. Participants will be able to register by following this link: https://events.humanitix.com/enupe

About the organisers
The workshop is curated by Kiril Sharapov (Migration and Mobilities Research Network, Edinburgh Napier University) and supported by public engagement funding from Edinburgh Napier University.

Questions or more info? Email: k.sharapov@napier.ac.uk