In the last week of August, with summer still lingering in Berlin, we gathered in a small corner of Neukölln to celebrate a big milestone: 10 years of Migration Matters.
Together with colleagues, partners, friends, and supporters, we gathered at IL KINO, an independent cinema that has been part of our journey over the years, hosting numerous Migration Matters film screenings, talks, and events. It felt like the perfect place to celebrate a decade of creating spaces for more nuanced conversations about migration.
The 10-year anniversary of Migration Matters was organized in IL KINO, Berlin
The evening began with a quiz that brought back memories of the past 10 years, some significant, others small and quirky. Fun facts: our series with Hein de Haas in 2016 was filmed in his living room in Amsterdam and Barcelona is the city where our petty cash got stolen during a video shoot in 2018!
In the cozy cinema, our Co-founder and Managing Director, Sophia Burton, guided the conversation, bringing together voices from the team to reflect on where we’ve been and where we’re heading. Executive Board Member Karoline Popp began by returning to the foundations of our work: how we foster evidence-based conversations about migration. She reflected on the interplay of brains, values, facts, and stories, and how bringing these elements together can help us navigate complex issues with greater nuance. From there, Bernadette Klausberger introduced “Future Imaginaries”, one of this year’s highlighted projects. Launched in Berlin this past June, the first Future Lab brought together researchers, artists, and civil society representatives to explore possible futures of migration in aging societies. Rather than simply analyzing what lies ahead, the project created space to imagine what could be possible. Executive Board Member Rebecca Ferreboeuf then reflected on the challenges facing civil society today and spoke about how Migration Matters is adapting to the current moment, such as creating more spaces for dialogue, strengthening our work in Germany, and engaging more closely with students and local administrators.
Karoline Popp shared our approach to fostering evidence-based conversations
A highlight of the evening was a short film looking back at Migration Matters’ 10-year journey with projects we are most proud of, featuring renowned academics and researchers and thinkers like Hein de Haas, Naika Foroutan, François Gemenne, Nando Sigona, Yvonne Su, and Anna Triandafyllidou. Their expertise has been instrumental in grounding our work in research while helping us translate complex ideas into accessible conversations for wider audiences.
Over the past decade, we’ve created nearly 200 videos across 10 series, exploring migration from many different angles. Our educational content invites audiences to look beyond simplified narratives, ranging from nationalism, multiculturalism, and populism to climate change and mobility. We’ve also featured voices ranging from academics and practitioners to people with migration or refugee backgrounds and members of the wider public, bringing different perspectives into the conversation.
Saying thanks to the team for a decade of Migration Matters
As we look toward the next 10 years, one thing is clear: the need for nuanced, evidence-based conversations about migration is not going away. If anything, it is becoming more urgent. That is why we are committed to creating more spaces for dialogue with different audiences in Germany and beyond. If you would like to help us continue this work, please consider supporting our 10th anniversary fundraising campaign.
Colleagues, partners, and supporters came together to celebrate 10 years of Migration Matters
None of this would have been possible without the many team members, volunteers, collaborators, funders, donors, and supporters who have shaped Migration Matters over the past decade. We are deeply grateful to everyone who has contributed their time, expertise, trust, and resources to our work. Thank you for being part of our story and for helping us carry it forward into the next decade!
Photo credit: Allan Whyte