On Tour with Mapping Memories

Ayanda, Stephanie and Leontine want students to know what it means to be a refugee and are on tour to high schools throughout Montreal encouraging students to create safe spaces for newcomers and to discover their own family stories.

Longer Description:

Ayanda, Stephanie and Leontine want high school students to know what it means to be a refugee. They are on tour to schools throughout Montreal to share the digital stories they made through the Mapping Memories youth media project. Leontine’s story is about surviving the Rwandan genocide and developing an alternative family at her university with other orphans of the genocide seeking support. Ayanda’s story is about arriving to Montreal from Zimbabwe as an unaccompanied minor and making his way in a new city. Stephanie’s story is about what is means to be the youngest daughter in a family of Rwandan refugees and the challenge to uncover well-kept family secrets. Each of the stories resonates differently with youth audiences, who pose challenging questions to the youth speakers. While bringing personal stories about war and genocide into classrooms is not easy, Stephanie, Leontine and Ayanda are determined to break stereotypes, create safe spaces in schools for newcomers, and to encourage youth to discover their own family stories.