EUMIND 2015
ARTICLE 1: INTRODUCTION
ARTICLE 2: ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
Home? (the ballad in the video)
Is this what you call a home?
Where I am all alone,
Left here to rot,
All skin and bone.
It ain't no fun and games anymore,
Guns I see in galore,
All I hear,
Screams from the other side of the door.
Mom where are you?
Dad aren't you coming home?
You say you'd be back soon,
Now I'm here,Waiting
Watching the moon.
People have come and gone,
But the moon has remained,
Now it's time to make my quest,
To the great West.
As i climbed the land look the same,
But the lines in the mind made it vague,
Sneaking through the crevices,
Trying not get shot into my grave.
Overwhelmed by the sites,
With millions by my side,
Prosperity and purpose,
Present in my site.
Never felt this unsafe,
Cause I have no voice, no name,
How is this paradise,
Could you explain?
Honest work is what we are here for,
Horrid cops coming knocking at the door,
"Papers please!" which i posses not,
Prison bars they stuffed me in,with the lot.
They found us running scared,
Transferred us to the place we dread,
Driving us to the place they said we belong,
But there we have to say to our dreams "so long!"
Am back again as angry as ever,
Could possibly cry a river,
Now I'm in this living hell,
An immigrant I wish not to be ever in the future.
Is this what you call a home?
Where I am all alone,
Left here to rot,
All skin and bone.
It ain't no fun and games anymore,
Guns I see in galore,
All I hear,
Screams from the other side of the door.
Mom where are you?
Dad aren't you coming home?
You say you'd be back soon,
Now I'm here,Waiting
Watching the moon.
People have come and gone,
But the moon has remained,
Now it's time to make my quest,
To the great West.
As i climbed the land look the same,
But the lines in the mind made it vague,
Sneaking through the crevices,
Trying not get shot into my grave.
Overwhelmed by the sites,
With millions by my side,
Prosperity and purpose,
Present in my site.
Never felt this unsafe,
Cause I have no voice, no name,
How is this paradise,
Could you explain?
Honest work is what we are here for,
Horrid cops coming knocking at the door,
"Papers please!" which i posses not,
Prison bars they stuffed me in,with the lot.
They found us running scared,
Transferred us to the place we dread,
Driving us to the place they said we belong,
But there we have to say to our dreams "so long!"
Am back again as angry as ever,
Could possibly cry a river,
Now I'm in this living hell,
An immigrant I wish not to be ever in the future.
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
I’m a migrant,
An illegal immigrant,
With a past so scarred,
My rights are harmed.
I’m a migrant,
An illegal immigrant,
All alone,
Living in a place that can’t be home.
I’m a migrant,
An illegal immigrant,
And hope is what keeps me going.
When I finally spread my wings and fly,
Fly away in search for paradise,
A paradise I call my own.
Home once more, alone no more.
Know I’m neither a migrant,
Nor an illegal immigrant,
I have a new identity, a new home.
~Sneha Roy
I’m a migrant,
An illegal immigrant,
With a past so scarred,
My rights are harmed.
I’m a migrant,
An illegal immigrant,
All alone,
Living in a place that can’t be home.
I’m a migrant,
An illegal immigrant,
And hope is what keeps me going.
When I finally spread my wings and fly,
Fly away in search for paradise,
A paradise I call my own.
Home once more, alone no more.
Know I’m neither a migrant,
Nor an illegal immigrant,
I have a new identity, a new home.
~Sneha Roy
ARTICLE 3: REACTING TO QUOTES ABOUT MIGRATION
SNEHA ROY:
“Recognize yourself in he and she who are not like you and me.” (Carlos Fuentes)
Empathy is the first thing that struck me when I read this quote. The feeling of being in someone else’s shoes is pretty hard to imagine. We’ve all faced a tough path and had always managed to overcome it with some help for others around us. These migrants are in a completely alien world with no one to help them out of there agony. What Carlos Fuentes is trying to say is that we have to try and understand the tough situation the migrants are in and try to help them out. He asks us to imagine ourselves in their shoes, no roof over their heads, no way to contact their families, alone in a new world. We might be from different nations, cultures, casts, etc. but we are human. We all have the same emotions and feelings and have faced our own rough paths but what makes us truly human is our ability to understand each other, to understand each other’s situations. Helping one another is what binds us together. What I feel Carlos is really trying to say here is to help those who are in need. This is what I have understood from this truly amazing quote. I would further like to justify my statement using my work given below.
As I sit on the other side
Content within, safe inside;
I know not what lies
On the other side.
Brothers and sisters with no hope,
Disaster around, forced to leave home.
Escaping from a place
Which was once their own.
Fatigue and fright,
Anger and alienation,
Are these not feelings
I once had before?
Forward we march,
Trying to leave our pasts;
For safety we’re parched,
With persistence we march.
We’ve all had our risky road,
But none as tough
As our migrant siblings
Though.
You shall not ride this road
Alone with no guiding light.
So let me be yours
As someone has been mine
-Sneha Roy
“Recognize yourself in he and she who are not like you and me.” (Carlos Fuentes)
Empathy is the first thing that struck me when I read this quote. The feeling of being in someone else’s shoes is pretty hard to imagine. We’ve all faced a tough path and had always managed to overcome it with some help for others around us. These migrants are in a completely alien world with no one to help them out of there agony. What Carlos Fuentes is trying to say is that we have to try and understand the tough situation the migrants are in and try to help them out. He asks us to imagine ourselves in their shoes, no roof over their heads, no way to contact their families, alone in a new world. We might be from different nations, cultures, casts, etc. but we are human. We all have the same emotions and feelings and have faced our own rough paths but what makes us truly human is our ability to understand each other, to understand each other’s situations. Helping one another is what binds us together. What I feel Carlos is really trying to say here is to help those who are in need. This is what I have understood from this truly amazing quote. I would further like to justify my statement using my work given below.
As I sit on the other side
Content within, safe inside;
I know not what lies
On the other side.
Brothers and sisters with no hope,
Disaster around, forced to leave home.
Escaping from a place
Which was once their own.
Fatigue and fright,
Anger and alienation,
Are these not feelings
I once had before?
Forward we march,
Trying to leave our pasts;
For safety we’re parched,
With persistence we march.
We’ve all had our risky road,
But none as tough
As our migrant siblings
Though.
You shall not ride this road
Alone with no guiding light.
So let me be yours
As someone has been mine
-Sneha Roy
RACHEL THARAKAN:
“Remember, remember always that all of us, and you and I especially are descendants of immigrants and revolutionists.”
~ Franklin Delano Roosevelt
This quote takes us back to a point in time where human life on earth was budding. The first humans as curious as ever went about exploring what the earth had to offer. They travelled from one landmass to another with an aim to discover and explore the world. They eventually procreated and began human life on these landmasses leading to the formation of what are known as continents today. Our ancestors moved from one place to another (another term that can be used is migrated) which caused the formation of primitive societies across the globe.
Therefore we all have the same origin and are only born in different places because our ancestors migrated. The freedom they had along with their indigenous ideas and hard work has enabled us to progress to this extent.
Hence being intolerant and discriminatory on the basis of caste, creed and colour defeats the very socio-fabric of the human race.
“Remember, remember always that all of us, and you and I especially are descendants of immigrants and revolutionists.”
~ Franklin Delano Roosevelt
This quote takes us back to a point in time where human life on earth was budding. The first humans as curious as ever went about exploring what the earth had to offer. They travelled from one landmass to another with an aim to discover and explore the world. They eventually procreated and began human life on these landmasses leading to the formation of what are known as continents today. Our ancestors moved from one place to another (another term that can be used is migrated) which caused the formation of primitive societies across the globe.
Therefore we all have the same origin and are only born in different places because our ancestors migrated. The freedom they had along with their indigenous ideas and hard work has enabled us to progress to this extent.
Hence being intolerant and discriminatory on the basis of caste, creed and colour defeats the very socio-fabric of the human race.
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This video gives us an exact pattern of migration of people across the globe pertaining to the previous text showing us that we all have the same origin and hence connected. |
ANUSSHA GUPTA:
'be called a refugee is the opposite of an insult; it is the badge of strength, courage and victory.’
'be called a refugee is the opposite of an insult; it is the badge of strength, courage and victory.’
“I studied to be a teacher, but I’m young, so I knew I’d be forced to fight. I don’t like fighting. I don’t like blood. But I was the only one working so I couldn’t leave or my family would go hungry. But my mother begged me to leave. She kissed my feet. She said she wouldn’t mind starving if she knew that I was safe. I hired a smuggler but he took all my money and left me at the border. He told me that he’d call me when the passage was safe, but then he turned off his phone. I was all alone and stuck without money. I called my mother and she said that she’d pray for God to send someone to help me. Then I met this man. I told him my story and he loaned me the money I needed to get to Europe. He treated me like one of his family. I’ll pay him back when I get to Germany, but until then I’m trying to return the favor by helping him carry his children.” (Vienna, Austria)
– Humans of New York.
The hardships faced by the Syrians finally came under the limelight and woke up the global conscience when the picture of a Syrian toddlers body, Ayan, 3, was found washed ashore on a Turkish beach went viral and caused widespread outrage.
‘We asked for workers, we got people’
‘Skilled and youthful labor’ the world called these asylum seekers who were fleeing their homes and motherland to a place of safety.
The above quote, by one of Swiss author Max Frisch’s characters, succinctly captures the global crisis of the Syrian refugees.
Having spent so much time in such a traumatic environment makes it difficult to gain a sense of control over your work life. This vulnerability and helplessness is heightened when workers don’t speak the dominant language or if they’re not citizens, with the possibility of been sent back to their country of origin at the drop of a hat.
Countries are now finally realizing that the influx of Syrian refugees provides several opportunities for the global economy. Especially for European countries like Germany, where due to a shrinking and aging population, businesses are unable to fill many jobs and specialized workers are a rare entity. And every refugee or migrant who finds work becomes less of a drain on the public officials and burden on the state.
These Syrians are the glimmer of hope for and a solution for Germany's population and economic crisis.
By next year, the US should not just let in not another measly 10,000 but vastly increase its resettlement quotas for Syrian refugees to 100,000 people. Fitting into their labor market; complementing existing American workers, Syrians can only help their economy grow.
In conclusion, to quote a famous proverb, ‘No matter what job, No matter what height, we all deserve to be treated right’. This can only be done through accepting these displaced outsiders as 'one of us', governments granting more of them asylum access and formulating permanent work permits, a secure legal status and labour laws to protect their rights.
‘Skilled and youthful labor’ the world called these asylum seekers who were fleeing their homes and motherland to a place of safety.
The above quote, by one of Swiss author Max Frisch’s characters, succinctly captures the global crisis of the Syrian refugees.
Having spent so much time in such a traumatic environment makes it difficult to gain a sense of control over your work life. This vulnerability and helplessness is heightened when workers don’t speak the dominant language or if they’re not citizens, with the possibility of been sent back to their country of origin at the drop of a hat.
Countries are now finally realizing that the influx of Syrian refugees provides several opportunities for the global economy. Especially for European countries like Germany, where due to a shrinking and aging population, businesses are unable to fill many jobs and specialized workers are a rare entity. And every refugee or migrant who finds work becomes less of a drain on the public officials and burden on the state.
These Syrians are the glimmer of hope for and a solution for Germany's population and economic crisis.
By next year, the US should not just let in not another measly 10,000 but vastly increase its resettlement quotas for Syrian refugees to 100,000 people. Fitting into their labor market; complementing existing American workers, Syrians can only help their economy grow.
In conclusion, to quote a famous proverb, ‘No matter what job, No matter what height, we all deserve to be treated right’. This can only be done through accepting these displaced outsiders as 'one of us', governments granting more of them asylum access and formulating permanent work permits, a secure legal status and labour laws to protect their rights.
SHARMILEE SUPRIYO:
BEING HUMAN :
Not every child grows to a fairytale. Not every family lives in a castle.
And the poorer they are, the more desperate are they to believe in a fairytale.
The fairytale that they believe exists for real somewhere. With the beautifully clothed people, smiling happy children, colorful life.
The journey to that somewhere is not easy. But its even more difficult to let go of the idea of a better life.
The only thing that stands between hoping for a better life and actually living it; is the integration of the migrants into the laws and lifestyle of the new shores.
This disparity of wealth and clash of cultures often leads to unwanted situations. Situations that benefit neither party.
The migrant crisis is more real than ever before as more and more of them arrive to a different land.
Trying to run away from wars and poverty. And trying to embrace a new way of life that is far, far away from their old ones.
Armed only with hopes and dreams, in the new lands they are lost between love and loathing.
Strangers to those they have left behind. Strangers to where they have arrived.
“Strangers are more stranger the poorer they are" - Hans Magnus Enzenberger
Not every child grows to a fairytale. Not every family lives in a castle.
And the poorer they are, the more desperate are they to believe in a fairytale.
The fairytale that they believe exists for real somewhere. With the beautifully clothed people, smiling happy children, colorful life.
The journey to that somewhere is not easy. But its even more difficult to let go of the idea of a better life.
The only thing that stands between hoping for a better life and actually living it; is the integration of the migrants into the laws and lifestyle of the new shores.
This disparity of wealth and clash of cultures often leads to unwanted situations. Situations that benefit neither party.
The migrant crisis is more real than ever before as more and more of them arrive to a different land.
Trying to run away from wars and poverty. And trying to embrace a new way of life that is far, far away from their old ones.
Armed only with hopes and dreams, in the new lands they are lost between love and loathing.
Strangers to those they have left behind. Strangers to where they have arrived.
“Strangers are more stranger the poorer they are" - Hans Magnus Enzenberger
YASHASWINY DINKAR:
“The land flourished because it was fed from so many sources--because it was nourished by so many cultures and traditions and peoples.”
― Lyndon B. Johnson
“The land flourished because it was fed from so many sources--because it was nourished by so many cultures and traditions and peoples.”
― Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson often referred to as LBJ, was the 36thPresident of the United States from 1963 to 1969, assuming the office after serving as the 37th Vice President of the United States from 1961 to 1963. He the speaker of the above lines bared a vision for a country that was enriched with various sources that came from the immigrants.
The bill passed by President LBJ stated with reference to the terrorist attacks in Cuba. The Cubans were given an opportunity to escape the terrors of their country and flee to the land of America. The opportunity first given to those who had family in the States and the remaining were to follow. Over 700 people were able to successfully reach America only because of the Immigration Act.
The words of President LBJ describe the benefits of immigration beautifully. He gives credit to the talent that people from all over the world have brought to America. Everyone had something to provide but individually it was not good enough but when you put all of their works together you get a masterpiece. This gives a great example of the effort of teamwork; it takes all the members’ efforts and intelligence to reach success.
This quote also brings out the power of acceptance of others. We might not all look the same, think the same, or even feel the same way but that is what makes each one of us unique. We must accept and appreciate everyone.
This is something everyone should do- accept the cultural differences around us and work towards fighting them out.
The bill passed by President LBJ stated with reference to the terrorist attacks in Cuba. The Cubans were given an opportunity to escape the terrors of their country and flee to the land of America. The opportunity first given to those who had family in the States and the remaining were to follow. Over 700 people were able to successfully reach America only because of the Immigration Act.
The words of President LBJ describe the benefits of immigration beautifully. He gives credit to the talent that people from all over the world have brought to America. Everyone had something to provide but individually it was not good enough but when you put all of their works together you get a masterpiece. This gives a great example of the effort of teamwork; it takes all the members’ efforts and intelligence to reach success.
This quote also brings out the power of acceptance of others. We might not all look the same, think the same, or even feel the same way but that is what makes each one of us unique. We must accept and appreciate everyone.
This is something everyone should do- accept the cultural differences around us and work towards fighting them out.
Another View On Immigration: Cultural Diversity
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Cathy Huffma, Specalist in Talent Development and Engagement shares her views on 'Immigration brings Cultural Diversity'. Cross Cultural Contempency Training. |
Dennis Jackson, Vice President Socitabank Ottawa and West shares his views on 'Immigration brings Cultural Diversity'. Hiring Skilled Immigrants. |
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