Safe Place International – The Dream Academy

Refugees are among the world’s most vulnerable populations, but they are not a homogenous group. Intersectionality – having two or more diverse identities – can increase their challenges for acceptance in host countries. This is truly the case for LGBTQI+ refugees. Although they may leave their homeland in hopes of a safer country, they must often hide their identity because other refugees will reject them. And they often find themselves victims of homophobic cultures in the countries to which they travel.

Safe Place International (SPI; https://www.safeplaceinternational.org/) is an NGO that focuses its work on supporting LGBTQI+ and single mother refugees. Since 2017, it has created safe houses in Athens, Greece and numerous other cities in Europe, Africa, and Latin America to provide support for these doubly marginalised refugees. Support includes housing, food, clothing and advocacy.

In 2021, SPI created a programme called The Dream Academy (TDA). This is an online intensive course for SPI members to gain social and emotional skills, leadership skills, human rights information, and career opportunities. To date, TDI has worked with refugees living in Botswana, Cameroon, France, Greece, Kenya, Malawi, Morocco, Netherlands, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. The programme has expanded from a pilot in 2020 to providing numerous courses in English and French. The pilot involved 35 members from South Africa, Kenya and Greece. The student survey answers indicated that 94% felt confident after attending TDA, 100% gained leadership skills, 97% felt prepared to take further steps to prepare for career and/or leadership roles, and 94% gained the ability to trust others. The programme has hired TDA graduates and helped other graduates find jobs. Early research on the project indicates that students gain a sense of trust and community that they had not previously experienced. This online course offers an example of an innovative way to help refugees and asylum seekers gain skills and confidence to move forward with employment skills and a recognition of their rights.