Refugee Journeys

Refugees are human beings. The journey doesn’t end with arrival in a new country. This educational tool explores themes of belonging, identity, discrimination and culture in a hands-on experiential way.

Refugee Journeys is based on a simple "snakes and ladders" game concept - players move forward, backward, or miss turns based on the cards they draw or the spaces they land on. Cards include integration experiences of real refugees, drawn from academic research, news and media, and the game creator's personal experiences. Examples are: "You are 65 years old. You want to learn English, but the topic is always about finding a job. Move back a space." "You were sponsored to a rural area, where there is no bus transportation. You always have to ask for rides. Move back two spaces." "Your child has made a friend at school. Move forward a space." Players move through the game using an "Identity card" which details their country of origin, family background, housing situation, gender, and many other identity markers. As they move through the game, their identity influences the path they take. For example, one space on the board says, "Are you Muslim? Move back 2 spaces." The game critically highlights experiences of discrimination and profiling.

While the goal of Refugee Journeys is for players to move from the "start" to the "finish," the real purpose of the game is to establish a space for critical conversations about refugee experiences, integration, and the intersectionality of identity. To this end, after every experience card is played, players choose a discussion question from options printed on the board to talk about as a group. The discussion questions cover topics related to identity, injustice, policy, and allow for players to share their personal experiences with the topic.