One Digital World

11/02/2022

Hello everyone. As of November 3rd, 2022, One Digital World will officially go on hiatus. Don’t worry, we are NOT shutting down. We are taking this time to reassess our priorities and learn how to better serve refugees and asylum seekers. Thank you for supporting refugees and asylum seekers these past three years, you all made an impact in their lives. See you soon!

— Sincerely, the One Digital World team

10/31/2022

Happy Halloween from the One Digital World team to you, your family and friends! Stay safe, enjoy yourselves and have fun tonight!

10/28/2022

Today we celebrate and acknowledge the contributions immigrants continue to make in the United States. Societies are stronger, diverse and enriched when they welcome refugees and their cultures. Here is how you can celebrate today:

1. If you have immigrant heritage, research your ancestors’ immigration path to the United States and learn more about their lives.

2. Volunteer or donate to support local organizations working with immigrants https://bit.ly/3Q4t1IZ

3. Take the time to meet your neighbors and learn about their immigrant heritage (if they have one). This is an excellent opportunity to learn about their culture and how it has supported them for generations.

Tell us, how are you celebrating this day?

10/26/2022

Tijuana is facing a migrant housing crisis. Many shelters throughout the city are at capacity and cannot accept more migrants, refugees and asylum seekers. The University of California San Diego’s Center for Global Justice and the Embajadores de Jesús shelter have partnered together to tackle this issue by creating a new migrant shelter in Northern Baja California, Mexico.

This shelter is unique because migrants are coming together to build it without contractors of construction machinery. Once completed, this shelter complex will have separate facilities for: job training, educational programs, recreational facilities and a fabrication workshop. Once open, migrants will be able to stay at this shelter for as long as they choose, it is not intended to be a temporary shelter.

We would love to hear from you! How do you feel about migrant shelters incorporating educational and job training facilities?

10/24/2022

Today we celebrate the 77th anniversary of the United Nations and the accomplishments it has achieved so far. The United Nations was established in 1945 after World War II to foster international peace and prevent future wars. The UN is comprised of six bodies: the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Trusteeship Council, the International Court of Justice and the UN Secretariat. Each body carries out specific work such as: review policy, maintain international peace, make decisions on important issues and rule on legal disputes. You too can help to promote the United Nations’ global goals, here's how:

1. Support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs are a blueprint for peace and prosperity for humanity and the planet. With 17 total goals ranging from education to climate action, there is a cause for everyone to make an impact in as an individual.

2. Become an intern or volunteer with the UN. There are many opportunities to volunteer/intern with particular UN bodies. You will also learn more about the work employees do daily.

3. Visit the UN headquarters and global offices. Whether it's the New York City headquarters, the Geneva, Switzerland office or the Nairobi, Kenya office, taking a tour can provide more insight into the work of the United Nations.

Tell us, have you ever visited the UN? Have you ever worked, volunteered or interned with the UN?

10/21/2022

At the end of 2021, there is an estimated 53.2 million people internally displaced in the world. Internally Displaced People (IDPs) are individuals who stay within their home countries whereas refugees flee their home countries. There are a few reasons why people choose to stay in their home countries: they stay hoping the situation improves, they lack the financial means to flee to another country, or they cannot safely leave their home country.

Refugees are protected by international law whereas IDPs have to rely on their home country’s government for protection from violence and persecution. However, IDPs cannot always rely on their own governments for protection because these governments are persecuting them or they are simply unable to provide protection. IDPs must be protected just as refugees are. The world must not forget internally displaced people and must continue to fight for their rights and protection.

10/20/2022

Today we celebrate and acknowledge the potential, accomplishments and energy of young people. National Youth Confidence Day was created in 2018 by Tiffany R. Lewis, who is the founder and CEO of Confident Girl Mentoring Program, Inc. Lewis’ organization works to support and empower young girls, teens and young adults through mentorships to become the leaders of tomorrow. This day calls for adults to instill confidence in all youth and help them to grow into successful adults. The youth of our world are our future and we must support them. Here is how you can support youth today:

1. Volunteer or donate to support local organizations working with youth https://bit.ly/3Q4t1IZ.

2. Mentor a young person in your life. Support them as they pursue their goals and when they face challenges.

3. Support youth activists in their endeavors to tackle the issues that impact their lives and futures.

10/19/2022

Every child who is displaced deserves the right to a nationality! No child who is a refugee should ever be stateless! A birth certificate is a crucial key for a child to obtain their nationality. Without a birth certificate, children who are refugees face barriers to their resettlement and integration into their new home countries. Children who do not possess a birth certificate are often denied access to vital services such as medical care and education.

Children who are from particular ethnic, religious, linguistic and cultural minorities can also be grounds to deny them a nationality in certain countries. Governments must put an end to discriminatory laws and practices that disenfranchise children who are refugees and are stateless. Children who are stateless must be given a nationality so that they can exercise their basic human rights and reclaim their dignity.

10/17/2022

On October 12th, 2022, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that the United States will offer humanitarian parole to about 24,000 Venezuelans who arrive at U.S. airports. Humanitarian parole is a special program that grants quick temporary entry to the United States for “urgent humanitarian reasons.” Venezuelans seeking humanitarian parole must have a financial sponsor living in the United States.

To qualify for this program, Venezuelans do not need to be in Venezuela, they can also come from other countries. Interested individuals can apply online and applicants will be considered on a case-by-case basis. If approved, applicants become eligible to apply for work authorization and asylum. Applicants can be rejected if: they are found have been removed from the United States during the past five years, they improperly entered Mexico or Panama, or they improperly entered the United States. The United States government must continue to support Venezuelan refugees and asylum seekers. This humanitarian parole offer alone is not the sole solution to help Venezuelans who have fled their home country.

10/14/2022

Music is a powerful form of expression. For the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra, music is protest and resistance against the war that is impacting Ukraine. The orchestra was formed several months into the war, it is a collaboration between Canadian-Ukrainian conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson, the Polish National Orchestra, the Metropolitan Opera and is supported by Ukraine’s ministries of cultural and foreign affairs.

The Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra is comprised of 75 Ukrainian musicians from within and outside of Ukraine, some of whom are recent refugees. The orchestra has mostly toured Europe, but has performed twice in the United States, spreading their message of peace and international solidarity with Ukraine. The Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra’s performances are also a showcase of Ukrainian musical heritage.

Read more about the orchestra here https://n.pr/3MzIkIg

10/13/2022

There is a lot that host communities can learn from refugees. Individuals who are not refugees themselves can learn from their neighbors and support them on their resettlement journeys. Communities are stronger, diverse and culturally enriched when they welcome and support refugees.

After finding sanctuary in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundian refugees are sharing their knowledge of farming with locals.

10/11/2022

The final Latinx Heritage Month spotlight today features Mexican American labor rights activist and educator Emma Tenayuca. Tenayuca fought for the labor rights of migrant workers and Mexican Americans in San Antonio, Texas. In 1933, at the age of 16, Tenayuca joined a picket line with striking workers against the Finck Cigar Co. Tenayuca was arrested and imprisoned, but this experience further strengthened her resolve to fight for workers' rights. In 1938, Tenayuca led a three-month strike of mostly female Mexican American pecan shelling workers, 12,000 in total, against the Southern Pecan Shelling Company. The strike was victorious, and the Southern Pecan Shelling Company agreed to raise workers' wages.

In 1939, Tenayuca fled San Antonio as her personal safety was put at risk after a rally she organized was disrupted by counter-protestors. The same year, Tenayuca arrived in Houston, Texas and then in 1946 moved to San Francisco, California where she obtained her teaching degree and became a teacher. Tenayuca returned to San Antonio in 1966 where she taught bilingual education to migrant children. Upon her passing in 1999, Tenayuca was dubbed “La Pasionaria” (“The Passionate One”) for her tireless work in advocating and fighting for workers' rights.