About US
Empowering people to create a better tomorrow, together.
Forced To Flee is a global non-profit organisation, advocating for the welfare and inclusion of refugees around the world. We were founded in 2018 because we believe we can do better - both for ourselves and for the most vulnerable in society. Led and run by youth, we are committed to empowering young people worldwide to lead and engage in conversations around migration, because this is a society-wide effort.
Our work bridges research, advocacy and community programming to amplify the realities of displaced communities and influence outcomes. We are transitioning from a youth project into a recognised research and advocacy hub, building institutional credibility and centring Global South–led knowledge creation.
OUR VISION & Mission
We aim to create a world where actors across the world - from policymakers to community leaders and ordinary people - are working in equitable partnership to protect and welcome refugees.
START A NEW CONVERSATION
Discourse around migration has become toxic and hostile - and it is all young people have ever known. We aim to inject a fresh, authentic youth voice that boldly models a new way to discuss migration as a normal constant of human life. Starting this new conversation is essential to creating an environment where we can all commit to protecting those who need protection.
RECENTER KNOWLEDGE PRODUCTION
A wealth of knowledge is being built about displaced communities, without them. We strive to recentre knowledge production in Global South and displaced communities, embracing diverse knowledge sources and genuinely participatory ways of working - ensuring partnerships are non-extractive and, where appropriate, communities are empowered to act on findings themselves.
CREATE CONDITIONS FOR CHANGE
The hostility pervading current migration discourse is stalling progress on even the most basic rights-based reforms. So alongside starting a new conversation, we aim to create conditions for change beyond the policy sphere: filling research gaps for organisations supporting refugees, and equipping the actors who have the capacity and appetite to act now.
Our Values
We believe re-centering compassion as a basic principle is essential to collaborating across divides for a better future, and it guides everything we do. In our research, it means remembering that behind every policy, statistic and legal category is a person and a story, and never letting rigour or speed come at the expense of treating people with care and dignity.
Whether it's a rapid response to a breaking policy change or a comparative legal database, our work is grounded in primary sources, verified law, and careful sourcing, so that what we publish and teach in our workshops can be relied on.
Refugees deserve better, which means we don't shy away from calling out policies we believe fall short, or the harmful narratives that drive them. Xenophobia, nationalism and scapegoating shape migration law, so we see naming and countering them as part of our legal and policy work, not separate from it.
We are led by young people and believe young people have a distinct and necessary role to play in shaping a more informed, humane public conversation about migration, both as advocates and as the people migrating.
Migration is not one story but a shared one. Our team is made up of volunteers from over 26 countries, with backgrounds ranging from humanitarian aid to law and varied experiences of migration and displacement. We work to ensure balanced representation in everything we do, because every voice is crucial.
We work with other youth-led organisations and multinational institutions to connect grassroots insight with the actors who can act on it. We exist to reinforce and support other organisations advancing refugee welfare and inclusion.