On-line presentation (research report on practice and activities) (30 minutes) Delivering asylum seeker stories in Japan: Harnessing collaborative civic engagement and leadership more

Sun, Nov 28, 13:50-14:20 Asia/Tokyo

With Japan's low recognition rate of refugees, it is easy to conclude the natives' overall indifference to this topic. However, once people learn the background stories of asylum seekers in direct, structured, face to face interactions, a different picture emerges. It is one of low awareness and confusion that evolves into curiosity, connection and inspiration that springs to collaborative civic action. In this presentation I will introduce my 2-year activities delivering asylum seeker stories to the Japanese public (schools, businesses), the audience reactions, and case studies of audience members that lead action with initiative thereafter, share the insights on successful and unsuccessful aspects, key points for preparation, and considerations for future directions. I will argue that open, authentic and confident autobiographical presentation is an effective way of changing the perception of asylum seekers and making a complex, biased, little-known topic accessible and easy for engagement. Finally, I will discuss the implications for applying it to other minority groups, and engaging the audience to one’s cause.