As a person who has just been exposed to or is involved in refugee issues, Jean Sonia considers herself fortunate to join the APRRN Short Course on Refugee Rights and Advocacy held from 24 November to 18 December 2020. This online course has helped her delve deeper into refugee issues through lectures, in-depth sessions with practitioners, case studies with small group works, and an individual task on chosen advocacy issues. She gained much new knowledge such as refugee rights, policy advocacy, elements of advocacy planning, gender and intersectionality in refugee advocacy and forced migration issues. This course also allowed her to network with resource persons who are practitioners and refugee leading experts as well as fellow participants. They shared knowledge and the latest information on refugee protection and advocacy.
The key takeaway she gained from this short course is that collaboration, ally-ship and partnership building, and a bond of understanding are the elements to advocate better and help refugees and other vulnerable, oppressed people.
