#IAM – Ariane, a Friend, a Daughter, a Woman
#IAM – Happy, Sad, Busy, Scared, Hopeful, Confused, Angry, Excited
What are you?
I am a friend, a child, a sister, a wife, a student of life. I am Human.
Do you remember how it felt, when as a kid, adolescent or even as an adult, you had to move and start everything anew? Sometimes the move was just next door but sometimes it was far. Breaking into existing groups, being liked and accepted were all just too daunting. What if they didn’t like you because of your hair color, height, education, skin color or weight? — questions we can all relate to. To the bullies, did you not want to scream I AM JUST LIKE YOU! (minus the kindness and cultural factors!) Did you not want to remind them that beyond all we’re all Human beings sharing the same planet, sky, moon and sun? That we all laugh, cry, scream, sleep, eat?
Having personally moved around quite a bit, I can relate to all the above but fortunately my circumstances were always conducive to a good life. Sadly not all migrants are that lucky. They don’t move around and leave their family and country behind for new job opportunities but because they fear for their safety. They don’t have a choice in where they end up either – they just flee. They don’t even know if they will be sent back home. But the road to freedom also comes with a high price – feeling safe and accepted, not speaking the language, not having money, not knowing anyone, uncertain future.
Fortunately, there are individuals on this earth that have chosen a path which involves helping the helpless and the hopeless, no matter the frustrations and defeats that accompany this decision. They elect to take a stand no matter how unpopular it may be. They dedicate their energy and drive to making a difference. Katrin Hasslwanter is one of those kindred spirits! Back in February of this year, she founded Kollektiv Raum, a social organization which aims to facilitate the inclusion of refugees in Zurich through cultural events and classes. She’s fighting to get recognized as a non-profit and expand the reach of Kollektiv Raum.
We’ll introduce her in our next post 🙂
For now, feel free to start a Social movement of your own by creating short videos with #IAM and sharing them on our page. Have all your friends and family partake. We are all way more similar than we are different!
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