Exclusive early release of The Refugee Journal

Living Brussels, we get a lot on information about the situation of refugees and migrants: news from the borders, the latest EU law, statistics about the number of migrants that have arrived in Europe and their integration into European society—but from the perspective to European journalists, rather than from migrant communities.

This is a gap that we are attempting to fill with The Refugee Journal.

We are pleased to share with the Brussels Express community and exclusive early release of our new “Refugee Journal” this magazine has been created for you by the Refugees who attend our programs in Lebanon and Brussels.

The vision of the journal is to serve as a platform for the individuals in our community to share with each other and the work their thoughts, skills and talents – putting the power of the narrative about refugees back into their hands.

Here is an excerpt from a young girl at the Bukra Ahla centre in Beirut writing a letter to her future self:

“So, even with all the impediments in your life, and in your education, you overcome it by trusting yourself, and by the people who you support ,who give you strength and hope. So , trust in yourself, and just be yourself, and tell yourself who encouraged you, and who gave you all kinds of love. You’re the creative girl in the world not the failure.”

By clicking on the link you will have access to the full content of our first issue. This inaugural issue features primarily the voices of the youth that we support in Brussels and in Lebanon, in honor of them and International YOUTH Day.

Every two months we will be releasing a new edition. All of the content has been curated by our colleagues in Lebanon that work closely with our community in paying attention to every last detail. The magazine is composed of experiences, customs and creative expressions of the youth and women we work with. We will be including different types of material including, art, writing, photos, crafts, recipes.

Not only can you enjoy the work shared in the Journal, in this digital format it is something that the women and youth can be proud of and share with their friends and family.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we have enjoyed the process of creating this unique journal for you!