What refugees need to start new lives
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0:01 - 0:02About two years ago,
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0:02 - 0:05I got a phone call that changed my life.
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0:06 - 0:09"Hey, this is your cousin Hassen."
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0:09 - 0:11I froze.
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0:11 - 0:14You see, I have well over
30 first cousins, -
0:14 - 0:16but I didn't know anybody named Hassen.
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0:18 - 0:20It turned out that Hassen
was actually my mom's cousin -
0:20 - 0:23and had just arrived
in Montreal as a refugee. -
0:23 - 0:25And over the next few months,
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0:25 - 0:28I would have three more relatives
coming to Canada to apply for asylum -
0:28 - 0:31with little more than
the clothes on their back. -
0:32 - 0:34And in the two years
since that phone call, -
0:34 - 0:36my life has completely changed.
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0:36 - 0:37I left academia
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0:37 - 0:42and now lead a diverse team
of technologists, researchers and refugees -
0:42 - 0:46that is developing customized
self-help resources for newcomers. -
0:46 - 0:50We want to help them overcome
language, cultural and other barriers -
0:50 - 0:54that make them feel like they've lost
control over their own lives. -
0:54 - 0:57And we feel that AI can help restore
the rights and the dignity -
0:57 - 0:59that many people lose when seeking help.
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1:01 - 1:03My family's refugee experience
is not unique. -
1:04 - 1:06According to the UNHCR,
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1:06 - 1:09every minute, 20 people
are newly displaced -
1:09 - 1:12by climate change, economic crisis
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1:12 - 1:14and social and political instability.
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1:14 - 1:17And it was while volunteering
at a local YMCA shelter -
1:17 - 1:20that my cousin Hassen
and other relatives were sent to -
1:20 - 1:23that we saw and learned to appreciate
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1:23 - 1:27how much effort and coordination
resettlement requires. -
1:27 - 1:31When you first arrive,
you need to find a lawyer -
1:31 - 1:33and fill out legal documents
within two weeks. -
1:33 - 1:37You also need to schedule a medical exam
with a pre-authorized physician, -
1:37 - 1:40just so that you can apply
for a work permit. -
1:40 - 1:42And you need to start looking
for a place to live -
1:42 - 1:45before you receive
any sort of social assistance. -
1:47 - 1:49With thousands fleeing the United States
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1:49 - 1:51to seek asylum in Canada
over the past few years, -
1:51 - 1:53we quickly saw what it looks like
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1:53 - 1:57when there are more people who need help
than there are resources to help them. -
1:57 - 1:59Social services doesn't scale quickly,
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2:00 - 2:03and even if communities do their best
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2:03 - 2:05to help more people
with limited resources, -
2:05 - 2:08newcomers end up spending
more time waiting in limbo, -
2:08 - 2:10not knowing where to turn.
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2:10 - 2:12In Montreal, for example,
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2:12 - 2:16despite millions of dollars being spent
to support resettlement efforts, -
2:16 - 2:18nearly 50 percent of newcomers
still don't know -
2:18 - 2:21that there are free resources that exist
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2:21 - 2:23to help them with everything
from filling out paperwork -
2:23 - 2:24to finding a job.
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2:25 - 2:28The challenge is not
that this information doesn't exist. -
2:29 - 2:33On the contrary, those in need are often
bombarded with so much information -
2:33 - 2:36that it's difficult
to make sense of it all. -
2:37 - 2:41"Don't give me more information,
just tell me what to do," -
2:41 - 2:44was a sentiment we heard
over and over again. -
2:44 - 2:47And it reflects how insanely difficult
it could be to get your bearings -
2:47 - 2:50when you first arrive in a new country.
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2:51 - 2:54Hell, I struggled with the same issues
when I got to Montreal, -
2:54 - 2:56and I have a PhD.
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2:56 - 2:58(Laughter)
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2:58 - 3:01As another member of our team,
himself also a refugee, put it: -
3:02 - 3:05"In Canada, a SIM card
is more important than food, -
3:05 - 3:07because we will not die from hunger."
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3:08 - 3:11But getting access to the right
resources and information -
3:11 - 3:15can be the difference
between life and death. -
3:15 - 3:17Let me say that again:
-
3:17 - 3:20getting access to the right
resources and information -
3:20 - 3:24can be the difference
between life and death. -
3:25 - 3:27In order to address these issues,
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3:27 - 3:29we built Atar,
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3:29 - 3:32the first-ever AI-powered virtual advocate
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3:32 - 3:34that guides you step-by-step
through your first week -
3:34 - 3:36of arriving in a new city.
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3:36 - 3:38Just tell Atar what you need help with.
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3:39 - 3:41Atar will then ask you
some basic questions -
3:41 - 3:43to understand your unique circumstances
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3:43 - 3:46and determine your eligibility
for resources. -
3:46 - 3:49For example: Do you have
a place to stay tonight? -
3:50 - 3:52If not, would you prefer
an all-women's shelter? -
3:53 - 3:55Do you have children?
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3:55 - 3:59Atar will then generate
a custom, step-by-step to-do list -
3:59 - 4:01that tells you everything
that you need to know, -
4:01 - 4:04from where to go, how to get there,
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4:04 - 4:05what to bring with you
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4:05 - 4:06and what to expect.
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4:07 - 4:09You can ask a question at any time,
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4:09 - 4:11and if Atar doesn't have an answer,
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4:11 - 4:14you'll be connected
with a real person who does. -
4:15 - 4:16But what's most exciting
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4:17 - 4:20is that we help humanitarian
and service organizations -
4:20 - 4:24collect the data and the analytics
that's necessary to understand -
4:24 - 4:26the changing needs of newcomers
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4:26 - 4:27in real time.
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4:28 - 4:29That's a game changer.
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4:30 - 4:32We've already partnered with the UNHCR
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4:32 - 4:34to provide this technology in Canada,
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4:34 - 4:38and in our work have conducted
campaigns in Arabic, English, -
4:38 - 4:41French, Creole and Spanish.
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4:42 - 4:45When we talk about the issue of refugees,
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4:45 - 4:47we often focus on the official statistic
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4:47 - 4:51of 65.8 million forcibly
displaced worldwide. -
4:52 - 4:54But the reality is much greater than that.
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4:55 - 5:00By 2050, there will be
an additional 140 million people -
5:00 - 5:04who are at risk of being displaced
due to environmental degradation. -
5:04 - 5:09And today -- that is today --
there are nearly one billion people -
5:09 - 5:12who already live in illegal
settlements and slums. -
5:13 - 5:15Resettlement and integration
-
5:15 - 5:18is one of the greatest
challenges of our time. -
5:19 - 5:23and our hope is that Atar can provide
every single newcomer an advocate. -
5:24 - 5:28Our hope is that Atar
can amplify existing efforts -
5:29 - 5:31and alleviate pressure
on a social safety net -
5:31 - 5:34that's already stretched
beyond imagination. -
5:35 - 5:38But what's most important to us
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5:38 - 5:42is that our work helps restore
the rights and the dignity -
5:42 - 5:46that refugees lose throughout
resettlement and integration -
5:46 - 5:50by giving them the resources that
they need in order to help themselves. -
5:50 - 5:51Thank you.
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5:51 - 5:54(Applause)
- Title:
- What refugees need to start new lives
- Speaker:
- Muhammed Idris
- Description:
-
Every minute, 20 people are newly displaced by climate change, economic crisis and political instability, according to the UNHCR. How can we help them overcome the barriers to starting new lives? TED Resident Muhammed Idris is leading a team of technologists, researchers and refugees to develop Atar, the first-ever AI-powered virtual advocate that guides displaced people through resettlement, helping restore their rights and dignity. "Getting access to the right resources and information can be the difference between life and death," Idris says.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDTalks
- Duration:
- 06:07
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for What refugees need to start new lives | ||
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for What refugees need to start new lives | ||
Brian Greene approved English subtitles for What refugees need to start new lives | ||
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for What refugees need to start new lives | ||
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for What refugees need to start new lives | ||
Camille Martínez accepted English subtitles for What refugees need to start new lives | ||
Camille Martínez edited English subtitles for What refugees need to start new lives | ||
Camille Martínez edited English subtitles for What refugees need to start new lives |