Migration Matters

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Migration Matters

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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]

08/10/2026

🚌This past Tuesday, we spent the morning with 9th to 11th graders at the Freie Waldorfschule Berlin-Südost on the occasion of their “Courage-Tag”, discussing the connections between climate change and migration.

🌏The students explored climate hazards in different parts of the world, from rising sea levels in Kiribati to the 2021 floods in North Rhine-Westphalia, and their impact on communities.

🇳🇬 Segun from querstadtein e.V. shared his personal perspective on how climate change drives seasonal and long-term migration within Nigeria, contributing to tensions over resources between different religious and ethnic groups. We also explored ways students can get involved and help promote climate justice.

💡 One main takeaway: climate change is better understood as a threat multiplier rather than a direct cause of migration, as it often interacts with and intensifies social, political, and economic drivers of migration.

Want us to come to your school?
📩 Contact us at [email protected] or send us a DM

This workshop series is supported by Engagement Global with funding from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), as well as the Berlin Senate Department for Economic Affairs, Energy and Public Enterprises.

23/09/2026

Our new series of school workshops is on the way! 🌍

Together with ClimateAdam, we will be conducting workshops in schools across Berlin and Brandenburg on the connections between climate change, migration, and global inequalities.

Students will be introduced to new perspectives and voices on the intersection of climate change and migration, explore different forms of climate-related mobility, and reflect on their own role in advancing climate justice.

We will be offering these interactive workshops in either German or English, from now through June 2027.

Want us to come to your school?
📩 Contact us at [email protected] or send us a DM

Funded by Engagement Global with funding from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), as well as the Berlin Senate Department for Economic Affairs, Energy and Public Enterprises.
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Unsere neue Reihe von Schulworkshops steht vor der Tür! 🌍

Gemeinsam mit ClimateAdam, werden wir an Schulen in Berlin und Brandenburg Workshops zu den Zusammenhängen zwischen Klimawandel, Migration und globalen Ungleichheiten durchführen.

Die Schüler*innen lernen neue Perspektiven und Stimmen zum Thema Klimawandel und Migration kennen, setzen sich mit verschiedenen Formen klimabedingter Mobilität auseinander und reflektieren ihre eigene Rolle bei der Förderung von Klimagerechtigkeit.

Wir bieten diese interaktiven Workshops ab sofort bis Juni 2027 entweder auf Deutsch oder auf Englisch an.

Du möchtest, dass wir an deine Schule kommen?
📩 Schreib uns an [email protected] oder schick uns eine DM

Gefördert durch Engagement Global mit Mitteln des Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung, sowie die Berliner Senatsverwaltung für Wirtschaft, Energie und Betriebe.

21/09/2026

“We’re not here to tell people what to think about migration. We’re here to help people think about it more critically.”

🌱 That’s what Migration Matters is all about: creating opportunities for open and nuanced conversation that help people move beyond "pro" and "con".

🧑‍💼 This week for instance, we held a workshop with frontline administrators in Brandenburg, Germany exploring integration and the barriers that refugees face in accessing the labor market.

🌍 We’re also about to launch a series of school workshops in Berlin and Brandenburg exploring climate change and migration.

💡 These are just some of the spaces we’re creating. But workshops like these don’t happen without support. Your donation helps us produce evidence-based content and bring nuanced conversations about migration into classrooms, workplaces, and communities.

Whether it’s €5, €50, or whatever you can give, every donation helps us keep going!

👉 Support Migration Matters via WhyDonate (link in bio)

11/09/2026

💬🌱 “Bringing people together”, “Making research accessible”, “Adding nuance to polarized debates.”

That’s how our co-founders and partners describe Migration Matters, and it captures what we’ve been trying to do for the past 10 years. 🎉

Over the years, we’ve been lucky to work with leading researchers and thinkers, including Hein de Haas, Naika Foroutan, François Gemenne, Nando Sigona, and Anna Triandafyllidou. Their expertise has helped us ground our work in research while making complex ideas accessible to wider audiences. 🔎

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 But migration conversations can’t be shaped by researchers alone. We’ve also brought artists, civil society representatives, journalists, and most importantly, migrants to the table.

Because at the end of the day, we aren’t here to tell people what to think about migration. We create spaces for different voices and experiences to meet so we can listen, question, and make room for nuance. 😊

💛 Want to help us keep these conversations going? Support Migration Matters via WhyDonate (link in bio).

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

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http://www.migrationmatters.me/

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