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 workshop is for colleagues from NGOs, community groups, and organisations in Scotland that are led by or work with refugee and migrant communities (though non-Scottish participants are very welcome if you are able to travel or will be in Edinburgh on 20 June). It’s a space to think together about how human rights ideas can help guide support for people who have been displaced. The workshop will be a chance to reflect, learn from each other, and share ideas for how to strengthen rights-based work in practice.

What we aim to do

Talk about how human rights can help protect and support people who have been displaced
Share experiences, ideas, and ways of working across different organisations
Build stronger connections between people and groups working at local, national, and international levels
Work together on practical ways to improve support and protection for displaced people

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.

Contributors and activities

Session 1

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

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 speak about the value of rights-based approaches in protecting Ukrainian refugees in Europe
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 to 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.

This is a participatory event where all attendees are encouraged to take part in both discussions and creative sessions. Participants are invited to bring a photograph, object, or personal item that reflects their experiences of displacement or their work with displaced communities. Examples could include a meaningful photograph, a small keepsake, or an item that symbolises their journey or engagement.

We have a limited number of places available, so we invite one colleague per organisation to register. If you would like to request additional places, please email us at k.sharapov@napier.ac.uk. We will review requests once we have a clearer idea of overall attendance.

How to take part

Places are limited and registration is required. To register, follow 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