Migration Matters

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Migration Matters

Bite-sized videos that empower you to have more nuanced and evidence-based conversations about migration and refugees. Let's together.

Migration Matters is a non-profit organisation that was founded in January 2016 by Julia Karmo, Sophia Burton, Kelly Miller, and Elina Ribakova in response to media coverage about the so-called refugee crisis. Our team has since grown to include Bernadette Klausberger and Julian van Dieken, two of the creators behind one of the 50 most popular Massive Open Online Courses of all time: The Future of

Storytelling. We are awardees of grants from The London School of Economics and Advocate Europe and a winner of the 2017 Migration Media Award from the International Centre for Migration Policy Development. Our mission is to empower the public to have more nuanced and evidence-based conversations about migration. We produce bite-sized video courses that complicate commonly held preconceptions with original ideas, research, and solutions-oriented perspectives from leading thinkers in the field: researchers, practitioners, as well as migrants and refugees themselves. Help us change the debate around migration by informing your family and friends about Migration Matters, sharing our videos, and contributing your questions and ideas for future course topics. Let’s together. Sign up for our courses at http://migrationmatters.me/
Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at and email us at [email protected]

04/09/2026

A few more moments from our 10th anniversary celebration at our beloved IL KINO in Neukölln. 🩵
The evening gave us a chance to look back, with a quiz that brought up some very specific memories 😅 and our anniversary film capturing 10 years of Migration Matters.
But we also looked forward. Two of our Board members reflected on our approach to creating nuanced, evidence-based conversations about migration, the political moment we find ourselves in, and what that means for our work ahead.
For us, that means putting even more focus on dialogue: bringing conversations about migration into schools, communities, and local administrations, and creating spaces to question simplistic narratives, encounter different perspectives, and form informed opinions.
Plus plenty of pasta, drinks, laughter, and catching up with people who have been part of the journey. 🥂
🫶 Want to help us continue? Support our 10-year fundraiser via WhyDonate or share it with your networks. Link in bio!
Photo credit: Allan Whyte

31/07/2026

Raise your hand in the comments if you could be part of this documentary. 🙋‍♀️

Because honestly, we sometimes wonder how we’re still here. Passion, hard work, and a great team are essential, but they’re not always enough to keep an NGO going. Funding, the political context, and external circumstances all play a role.

And yet, for the past 10 years, we’ve kept going because we believe there is a better way to talk about migration. Not through polarized debates that reduce a complex issue to “pro” or “con”, but through conversations built on evidence, empathy, and different perspectives.

Because changing the way we talk about migration starts with all of us. Every conversation, every shared story, and every person willing to listen helps create more space for dialogue. 😉

23/07/2026

POV: You work for an NGO where every euro matters!

Behind every community initiative is a constant question: How can we make the greatest impact with the resources we have?

At Migration Matters, we aim to keep our operational costs lean so we can create more space for what truly matters. That’s why we make use of a co-working space as our office and otherwise work remotely. It gives us a flexible and inspiring environment in which to collaborate, while allowing us to direct more resources towards our mission: fostering more inclusive societies through nuanced, evidence-based conversations about migration.

For an NGO, every decision counts. Sometimes, creating a bigger impact starts with making smart choices behind the scenes.

Thank you, , for providing us with a space to work on meaningful projects.

21/07/2026

Around two-thirds of people who migrate to Germany leave again within five years. Yet Germany’s aging society increasingly depends on people not only coming here, but choosing to stay. The decision to stay or leave is rarely shaped by just one factor. At a recent Welcome Alliance offsite in Erfurt, we discussed different reasons that can play a role, including:

💬 Bureaucracy

Bureaucracy can be one of the biggest barriers. Frustrating experiences, long waiting times, and language barriers can make people reluctant to engage with the system again or commit to the often lengthy process of changing their immigration status.

🏡 Who gets to be “German”?

Germany is home to people from more than 200 nationalities. Yet many people’s image of a “typical German” is still far less diverse. This can lead to unfair treatment or discrimination. If you don’t feel accepted as part of society, it’s difficult to imagine building a future here.

👨‍👩‍👧 Family

Most people want to build a new life with their family. Yet long reunification processes can keep families apart for months. Once reunited, partners may struggle to find work, while families can face difficulties accessing childcare and navigating the school system.

👩‍💼Professional opportunities

Foreign qualifications are not always recognized, and many migrants end up working below their level of experience. When career progression feels out of reach, it’s understandable that some begin to imagine their future elsewhere.

Of course, everyone’s story is different: If you’ve lived in Germany as an immigrant, what has made you want to stay, or consider leaving?

Thank you to the Welcome Alliance (ProjectTogether ) for inviting us to contribute to the offsite. We’re looking forward to continuing the conversation!

13/07/2026

At our “Why Migration?” intergenerational fishbowl discussion last month at the Futurium, we asked people of all ages: when it comes to aging societies and migration, what can we do NOW to ensure a better future?

Discover unexpected perspectives and reflections from Berliners! What does your vision for the future look like?

Thank you to our partners and supporters who helped make this event possible: .institut and

09/07/2026

🥣 "The ingredients we choose today are the soup that will feed the future. The past is always reflected in the future."

💬 At our intergenerational fishbowl discussion, "Why Migration?", hosted at Futurium on June 26, more than 100 Berliners and international guests gathered to co-imagine what Germany could look like in 2050, and what role migration might play in that future. With a little help from our "fortune tellers" - artists Cana Bilir-Meier and Chana Boekle, conversations turned into possibilities.

🌍 Some visions were more hopeful. Others challenged ideas we often take for granted, including the concepts of nations and borders. A key theme of the day was that the future isn't something we discover, it's something we create.

✨ Now it's your turn. Take a look at some of the ideas from that day, and tell us: What kind of future do you dream of for 2050?

This event was part of the Future Imaginaries of Migration project. More information available on https://www.futureimaginaries.org/

🤝 A big thank you to our partners and supporters for making this Lab possible: Robert Bosch Stiftung Deutsches Zentrum für Integrations- und Migrationsforschung Toronto Metropolitan University Global Migration Institute Futurium and Goethe-Institut

30/06/2026

Berlin was certainly hot last week, but our three-day Future Lab journey was even hotter. 🔥

Last Wednesday, we welcomed researchers, artists, and civil society leaders from Toronto, Accra, Singapore, and, of course, Berlin to kick off the first Future Lab in a four-part series. After a kick-off and tour in Kreuzberg (and a little time to recover from jet lag), the group got to work imagining possible futures of migration at DeZIM.

Working in groups, participants explored four different possible future scenarios. Each group developed both hopeful and challenging visions of the future — before an unexpected “climate shock” changed the scenario entirely, forcing everyone to rethink their assumptions and adapt their ideas.

On the final day, our conversations moved beyond internal workshops and into the public at the Futurium museum. During an intergenerational fishbowl discussion with over 100 participants, young people, older adults, researchers, and artists came together to reflect on migration in the future. It was an incredible experience sharing insights from the Lab with the public and hearing their perspectives, questions, and assumptions.

There’s so much more to share, and we’ll be doing so over the coming weeks. Stay tuned! ✨

A big thank you to our partners and supporters for making this Lab possible: Robert Bosch Stiftung, DeZIM, Global Migration Institute, Toronto Metropolitan University, Futurium, and Goethe Institut.

25/06/2026

TOMORROW IS THE DAY! 🎉

We’re excited to welcome you to our intergenerational fishbowl discussion, where we’ll imagine what migration in Germany might look like in 2050, and co-create possible futures through the perspectives of different generations.

Together with migration researchers, practitioners, and artists, we’ll explore how social developments might unfold. From demographic aging and immigration system reform to automation and artificial intelligence, there are so many shifting forces that could reshape how mobility and belonging work in the decades ahead.

The conversation opens up big questions: How mobile will we be in 25 years? Where are borders necessary? Who will need to move, and why?

Join us at Futurium (Futurium), a space for future thinking, where imagination is for everyone and the future is something we build together.

Grab the last tickets (free) for the event! Check the link in our bio!

📅 June 26, 2026 | 9:30 AM–12:30 PM
📍 Futurium, Berlin
🎟️ Free, registration required
🗣️ German-language event with AI-supported English translation

Adresse

Kantstraße 10
Berlin
10623

Webseite

http://www.migrationmatters.me/

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