Myroslava Keryk: Migrants and refugees stepping up as changemakers

Whether due to conflict, climate change or economic opportunity, more and more people find themselves on the move across and within borders. Ukraine is a case in point, with more than 8 million of its citizens forced to leave their homes since the war broke out in 2022. Nearly one million of them landed in Poland, doubling the size of the country’s Ukrainian diaspora.

For Ashoka Fellow Myroslava Keryk, who had moved from Ukraine to Poland more than 20 years prior, it was clear that the approach of seeing migrants merely as recipients of aid would fall short and end up stoking tensions in the long run. She founded Dom Ukrainski (Ukrainian House Foundation) to ensure newcomers could quickly become active contributors to the common good in their new home and their homeland, playing a key role in welcoming newly arrived refugees.

Tune in to hear a conversation between Myra and Ashoka’s Kenny Clewett on reframing our narratives about migration and recognizing people on the move as powerful changemakers.

*Episode recorded live on October 25, 2023.

Welcome Change is Ashoka's news and insight series - short conversations with the world's leading changemakers on what works, what's next, and the role we can play.

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