Amplify Now - An opportunity to exchange with a global audience

By Alice Deasy

The driving idea behind the Virtual Refugee Conference is to bring together change-makers from around the world to amplify innovative solutions in response to the challenges and opportunities of forced migration.  In the space of a few months, participants from 57 countries spread across 5 continents have registered for the event, making it truly global.

We want to co-create our conference program with our participants, so that it is participatory and inclusive, and amplifies the issues that matter to them and their community. 

We surveyed our registered participants as well as hosted live online co-creation sessions with potential speakers and satellite event organisers   to discover which topics they would like to be included in the conference and the following areas were highlighted:

• Education during crises, including Covid-19

• Opportunities and challenges of different forms of learning

• Climate change and migration

• Integration and empowerment

• Jobs and entrepreneurship

• Funding issues

• Media representation of refugees

• Female refugees and domestic violence

These topics bring to light new focal points and areas of collaboration within the scope of our conference theme “Amplify Now! Elevating new learning and strengthening communities” and we are working hard with our partners, satellite event organisers and speakers to shape a program which addresses them and the challenges they face personally. Through interactive formats we aim to stimulate discussion and create a space for open exchange. The diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise of our participants promise meaningful collaboration, and experience-sharing. Over the next month, we look forward to reaching even more people worldwide making the Virtual Refugee Conference a unique opportunity to connect, learn and share with a diverse group of people committed to empowerment and resilience building.