What Does it Mean to be a Refugee?
This 5:27 minute TED-Ed video titled, “What does it mean to be a refugee?” by Benedetta Berti and Evelien Borgman provides descriptions to differentiate the terms “migrant” and “refugee.” They also introduce the topic of seeking asylum. “The first legal step for a displaced person is to apply for asylum. At this point, they are an asylum seeker and not officially recognized as a refugee until the application has been accepted.” The presentation discusses some of the conflicts these populations encounter and social restrictions that are placed on them within the societies they are seeking refuge. The realities that they face include that they “are frequently the victims of inconsistent and discriminatory treatment. They’re increasingly obliged to rebuild their lives in the face of xenophobia and racism. And all too often, they aren’t permitted to enter the work force and are fully dependent on humanitarian aid. In addition, far too many refugee children are out of school due to lack of funding for education programs.”
I like that this is a short video because it can be watched multiple times in a class session and used to look at language and content. I also like that this TED-Ed is transcribed in 37 languages and students can view the transcripts and follow along as the narrator speaks. Students can listen in segments and pause and re-listen to portions, as needed. I also think this TED-Ed can be used for mixed level ESL/EFL groups and this video would be useful with opening discussions (using the vocabulary discussed in the presentation) with topics related to politics, social constraints, and injustices immigrants face in different circumstances.
[The video was directed by Biljana Labovic, narrated by Susan Zimmerman, music by David Obuchowski and Peter Linder].
Thanks Jeanne! I know this video – I am going to show it in class tomorrow. Good resource to use with learners at all age groups I think!
Having watched this video in class, I really like it since its descriptions are very clear. I also like the vocabulary and agree that it could be used for younger or lower-proficiency students because of the simplicity of its presentation of the information. This is not to say it should be limited to those levels, though, since it could help students of any level understand current discussions about refugees and migration in general.
This video really hits close to home for me. Most of my mom’s family falls under the “refugee” title.
You could get so deep into this rabbit hole of refugee rights and stories. It’s just a very very real (tangible) topic for countless students and they almost never get to share their stories.
Thank you for sharing!
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