Lesson video

Hello, my name is Mrs. Harris and I'm the person who's going to be guiding you through today's lesson.

The lesson today is called Why Do People Migrate? And it's part of a larger series of lessons called Why do People Migrate around the World? By the end of today's lesson, you are going to be able to say, I can explain what migration is, why people migrate and describe the challenges and opportunities they may experience.

Some of this learning might be new to you and some of it might be challenging.

I'm gonna guide us both all the way through it and we'll tackle it together.

Let's start with some ground rules, first of all.

Now, some of this content might be quite sensitive, and so, it's really important to have an understanding of how we're going to approach that.

So let's look at Andeep, first of all.

He says, "Respect, privacy.

We can discuss examples, but do not use names or descriptions that identify anyone including ourselves." Laura says, "Listen to others.

It's okay to disagree with each other, but we should listen properly before making assumptions or deciding how to respond.

When disagreeing, challenge the statement, not the person." Jacob says, "No judgement.

We can explore beliefs and misunderstandings about a topic without fear of being judged." And finally, Izzy says, "Choose your level of participation.

Everyone has the right to choose not to answer or question or join a discussion.

We never put anybody on the spot." Thank you.

Let's start with some keywords then.

I'm going to say the keyword.

You are going to repeat it back and then I'll tell you the definition.

Migration.

That's the movement of people from one place to another.

For example, moving from one country to another.

Opportunity.

That's the chance or the possibility to do something or go somewhere.

It's time for our first learning cycle.

What is migration? Migration is extremely common in the animal kingdom where many, many different species travel vast distances across the world from the place they were born to find better food, better climate or safer breeding grounds.

Animals like birds, whales, and butterflies often journey thousands of miles every year to survive things like changing seasons and to raise their young.

And migration isn't just limited to the animal kingdom.

It's also true for many human beings who move between places and cross borders for a whole host of different reasons and in different ways.

While some people choose to migrate, others feel forced to migrate, to leave their country, to find a safer life for themselves and for their families too.

So humans move from one place to another for lots of different reasons, and that includes things like family reasons, employment reasons, education reasons, or it could be things like there's political unrest in the country, there's been natural disaster, or conflict.

A quick check for understanding then.

So migration is, A, when people or animals move from one place to another to live, work, or stay more freely, B, when people go on holiday to visit a different country for a short time, or C, when goods are moved around the world to trade with other countries.

Take a few seconds to think.

Okay, so migration is, A, when people or animals move from one place to another to live, work, or stay more safely.

Well done if you've got that one.

Now we can categorise the reasons why people migrate in two main ways, and one of these is push factors and that's different factors, different reasons why people feel encouraged or forced to leave a country, so to move away from the place that they currently live.

And there's also the opposite of that.

So instead of a push factor, we've got pull factors and pull factors are things that encourage or attract people to move to a particular country or area.

Pull factors might include things like access to education, job opportunities, family reasons or lifestyle changes, something that they want to have in their life, and so they move to be able to get that.

Push factors might include things like conflicts or wars in a country, environmental disasters, natural disasters, political unrest, or persecution.

So being victimised or feeling, living in fear because of who you are.

Sometimes though, the reasons that people migrate often involve both push and pull factors at the same time.

So for example, somebody might leave their home country because there's a lack of work opportunities, a lack of employment.

That would be a push factor, but they choose another country because they already speak that country's language, which makes sense.

So that's a pull factor for them.

And migration decisions, on the whole, can often be very complex and it isn't just one positive or one negative, but it has a whole host and mixes of challenges and hopes that people need to consider before moving.

Another check for understanding then.

Can you categorise these migration reasons into push or pull factors? So we have A, lifestyle, B, war, C, education, D, natural disaster.

And we have there, number one, push factor, number two, pull factor.

Can you categorise them into the correct factor? I'll give you a few seconds to think about it.

Okay then, so, A, lifestyle would be a pull factor.

B, war would be a push factor.

Education would be a pull factor.

And natural disaster would be a push factor.

Well done if you've got those ones correct.

The different reasons why people migrate include things like economic reasons.

So this might be to improve a person's financial situation or to get to job opportunities.

It could also be to escape poverty, to escape the hardships that they have living where they currently are.

There could be lifestyle reasons, and this could be to improve the quality of life, maybe a better climate, better culture for them, a slower pace of life, or there might be more recreational opportunities.

So for example, if you really like being outdoors and your hobbies include outdoors, then you might want to move somewhere that gives you more opportunity to do that.

And that's about a person's preferences.

People might migrate because they're a refugee or asylum seeking, so they might be forced to leave their home because of dangers such as war, fear of persecution or violence, and so they're seeking safety in another country.

Some people might leave their home because they're internally displaced.

They might have had to leave their home maybe due to a conflict or natural disasters or other dangers, but instead of crossing borders, instead of moving internationally, they're staying within the borders of their own country, but moving to a different area.

It might be for retirement reasons, and this might be to enjoy a more relaxed lifestyle, better weather, opportunity to relax, it might be to explore certain hobbies or to spend more time with family.

It could be for education reasons, attending school, university or different training programmes, seeking better learning opportunities and to then build those skills for their future.

This could be a permanent move, it could be a temporary move.

And there's also the reasons of family and friends.

It might be to join family or friends who live nearby and to be near people that you know and that can help it make it easy to settle in and feel much more at home than you might do moving somewhere where you don't know anybody.

Another check for understanding then.

Which picture relates to migration for lifestyle reasons? Is it picture A, B, or C? Take a few seconds to think.

Okay, so which picture relates to migration for lifestyle reasons? It's picture C.

Yes.

So picture A, it refers to war or conflict, and B is for education, university reasons, for example.

Well done for getting that one.

It's time for Task A.

And for this task, you are going to read through the case studies on the following slides.

From those case studies, you are going to pick three of them and then explain, first of all, what was the main reason for the person's migration? So for example, was it an economic opportunity, education, conflict? Was it environmental reasons, retirement or lifestyle choice? And then B, if that move was down to a push factor or pull factors.

Let's have a look at the case studies together.

So here we have Grace and Grace says, "When I was offered a place at university abroad, I knew it was an opportunity I couldn't miss.

I left the USA to study business in Germany.

It was exciting but also a little scary.

Everything was new, from the big cities, the transport and the food.

I miss my family, but I know this experience will help me in life." Now we have Clive.

Clive says, "I never imagined I'd have to leave my home, but when the tsunami hit, everything changed.

Our house was destroyed and the whole area became too dangerous to live in.

We gathered what little we could and travelled to a city further inland.

We didn't cross a border.

So we're still in our own country, yet it doesn't feel like home anymore.

Life is harder now and I miss everything we used to have, but at least we're safe and together." David says, "I had a good job and comfortable life in Canada.

I always dreamed of living somewhere a bit different.

I wanted more sunshine, a slower pace, and a chance to enjoy the outdoors all year round.

So I moved to Costa Rica.

I now work for a local construction company and I spend my weekend surfing.

I have found a friendly community here.

It wasn't about needing to leave, it was more about choosing the kind of life I wanted to live." And now we have Peter.

He says, "We decided to move because we already had family living here.

It felt like the right opportunity to give our children a fresh start.

Leaving home was difficult, but knowing we had people here to help us settle made a big difference.

The kids are in school now and we're slowly building a new life together." And finally, we have Ana.

Ana says, "I had to leave my country because it was no longer safe to stay.

There was conflict and people around us were being hurt for speaking out or belonging to the wrong group.

I didn't want to leave my home, but we had no choice.

We crossed the border into a neighbouring country and applied for asylum for safety.

Life is uncertain.

I'm grateful to be somewhere safe where we can begin to hope again." So your task is to choose three of those case studies and then to think about the main reason for migration and then the second part, to decide whether that was a push factor or a pull factor.

Right now it's a good chance to pause the video to give yourself the time to do that, and then we'll come back and look at some possible answers together.

Okay, let's look at your responses to Task A then.

So first of all, you had to read the case studies and then decide, with three of them, what kind of migration experience the person has and if their moves were down to push factors or pull factors.

So Grace, hers was for education and hers was a pull factor.

Clive was internally displaced.

His was a push factor.

David's was a lifestyle choice, so that was a pull factor.

Peter was for family and friends.

So a pull factor.

And finally, Ana is a refugee, an asylum seeker, and hers was a push factor.

Well done if you've got your three correct.

It's time for the second part of your task now, Part 2, and for this, you're going to write a case study about a retirement migrant.

What reasons might they have for moving to another country and what challenges might they face? Pause the video to give yourself the time to do that and then we'll come back and look at a possible response.

Okay then, let's look at some responses for a case study of a retirement migrant.

Your answer might look something like this.

Someone who's chosen to migrate following their retirement might look for a slower pace of life and warmer weather.

They may want to enjoy their retirement outdoors and improve their quality of life.

Leaving family and friends behind can be difficult, but the move can offer new opportunities.

They might spend their days walking by the beach, learning the local language and enjoying the sunshine and local food.

Well done if you've got some of those key points there about the reasons why people choose to migrate after retirement.

Well done.

It's time for our second learning cycle.

What might it be like to migrate? The whole concept of migration involves both leaving one place and then starting again in another.

And so whether somebody is moving across a border so they're moving to a completely different country across international borders or they're staying within their own country that they already live in, they've got lots of big challenges that they're gonna be facing within their daily life, their sense of identity, who they are, and also their sense of belonging.

And these changes can bring both opportunities and challenges.

Migrating can be very difficult even when the move is very, very much wanted and the whole process can be long, it can be stressful and it can cost a lot of money.

It can be very expensive.

Being approved to move to a different country often requires things like waiting for documents, passing health and security checks, and even meeting strict rules about things like how much money you have, what your job is going to be when you get there, and even what your qualifications are.

Sometimes families get separated, especially if one person goes ahead, while others wait for everything else to be put in place.

And for many, the emotional impact of this and the financial pressure is a really heavy burden.

It's a lot to carry even when the move is planned and wanted.

For people who are migrating in an emergency, the journey can be even more difficult and dangerous.

Some people are forced to travel in unsafe conditions.

Maybe they have little food, little water and no shelter.

They might spend periods of time in a refugee camp or temporary places and they're not sure what is gonna happen next and when.

Sometimes people have to stay in one place while governments of that area decide if they can stay there, which can take a very, very long time, up to years.

And during this time, people can often be treated quite unkindly or unfairly and some might be taken advantage of.

For example, you might get people who promise they can help, who actually don't do anything and can actually make the situation significantly worse.

And for many, it's this part of the journey is one of the hardest parts.

Check for understanding then, true or false? Migrating by choice is a very simple process.

Take a few seconds to think.

Okay, migrating by choice is a very simple process.

That is false, but why is it false? Take a few more seconds to think.

All right, so migrating by choice is a very simple process.

No, it's not, and that's because even when people are migrating by choice, even when they want to move, it's still very complicated because of things like approvals in finance, in health and security checks, things about your qualifications.

And sometimes families might get separated and there can be a very high emotional and financial strain as well.

Well done if you got that one.

When people arrive in a new place, they might have lots of different challenges when beginning life there.

And some of these challenges might include things like language barriers.

So there might be some difficulty in communicating if they're not already fluent in that language.

There might be some loneliness or isolation when you're far away from family, your friends and the community that you've already been in.

It can feel quite an isolating situation at first before you've built a new community there.

There might be challenges to do with employment.

Your skills might not be recognised, so they were recognised in your home country, but in the new country, they're not as highly regarded, for example.

There could be legal and paperwork issues, especially those people who are migrating in an emergency.

There's lots of legal side around that and that can cause a big challenge.

And some people might even face discrimination or prejudice.

So this is unfair treatments or unfair attitudes towards them based on maybe nationality, race, religion, for example.

And we've got David back here.

David was a lifestyle migrant who moved to Costa Rica to live out the life that he wanted.

And one thing he says is that I didn't expect how much I'd missed the little things from back home, like certain foods, silly family traditions or just being able to express myself without thinking about the language.

"Sometimes I feel a bit out of place even though people are so kind and welcoming.

It's a great life here.

There are moments when I feel far away from everything I once knew." And here's Clive.

Clive had to move within his country because of a natural disaster and he says, "It's hard starting over with almost nothing.

Even though we're still in the same country, everything feels unfamiliar.

We're living in a small temporary place that doesn't feel like ours and I miss our home, our neighbours, the view from our old streets.

People here are busy with their own lives and often it doesn't feel like we quite belong.

The hardest part is most people don't really understand what it was like for us.

They try, but they will never understand how quickly everything changed, how much we lost and the effects that it has had on our lives.

Migration can also offer new chances and opportunities and some of these might be work, leisure or education prospects.

There might be more safety and more political freedom.

So you can say what you think about politics and the way that the country is run.

There might be improved living standards, especially for those who are moving to escape poverty or hardship.

There could be more opportunities, especially for children if they're gonna live the rest of their life in that area.

And there could be greater personal freedom or equality for people too.

Some people who did migrate say that moving helped them find a new purpose, a new career or a voice they'd never been able to have before.

Pieter, he moved, he migrated for family reasons and he says, "One of the best things has been the stability of having family close by.

Before, being far away meant we often felt isolated and worried about managing everything on our own, but now, with relatives nearby, we can have more support and our children can join clubs and enjoy life more without so much stress." Ana, she had to move because of conflict in her country and she says, "The best thing is just feeling safe.

Back home, we were always scared.

Even going outside felt dangerous.

Here, I don't have to worry like that.

I've started going to school again and I'm making friends.

Things still feel unsure, but at least now I can think about the future and not just surviving each day." A check for understanding then.

Can you complete the sentence by choosing the correct word? So here we have number one, a lack of contact with familiar people and places can lead to feelings of.

Two, some migrants experience unfair treatment, which is also known as, and three, for many, moving gives access to greater personal freedom or, and the words to end those sentences are here.

We have equality, isolation, or discrimination.

Take a few seconds to think about it.

Okay then, so complete these sentences by choosing the correct words.

So number one, a lack of contact with familiar people and places can lead to feelings of isolation.

Two, some migrants experience unfair treatment, which is also known as discrimination, C, and three, for many, moving gives access to greater personal freedom or equality.

Well done if you finished those three sentences correctly.

When people migrate, it doesn't just impact a person practically.

It can also have an impact on their emotions and their feelings and their thoughts too.

It can have things like grief for what has been left behind.

Even when you want to move, there can still be a grief and a longing for things that you no longer have near you.

It can have hope for a better future.

There could be some identity struggles, so trying to learn about who am I here in this new place? There could be a lot of pride about it, but also some apprehension, some nervousness around it.

And there can also be a culture shock and having to adapt to new traditions and new ways of doing things.

Here's Grace.

She was the person who migrated for education reasons and she says, "Sometimes I feel caught between two lives.

There's a strange kind of grief for what I've left behind, my family, the routines, the familiar way of life, but there's also a hope that this journey will lead to something better.

I'm proud of how far I've come, even though I still wonder who I am in this new place.

The culture is different and I'm learning to adapt.

I feel like I live between two worlds, like I don't fully belong in either, but I do carry both with me." For those people who do migrate, support can really help them with this transition to a new life in a new country or a new area, whether that move was forced, whether it was from push factors or by pull factors.

So whether it was by choice or not.

And this support could include things like language support, so helping people with communication, work, education.

It could be getting support with legal guidance, especially if they're navigating things like immigration rules and the paperwork around that.

They could get support through access to housing and healthcare.

So making sure that they have somewhere to live and that they have medical care set up straight away.

Things like jobs and skills helps.

So finding work or training and making sure that their qualifications are recognised and can they do anything towards that.

And also things like cultural orientation.

Every country has its own way of doing things and learning that when you move to a new country can be a really big deal.

So having somebody to help you through that and understanding that can make people feel so much more at home so much more quickly.

There's also things like getting community connections, being able to meet people, build friendships and support networks can help people settle in so much more quickly than if they feel isolated.

So that kind of support is really welcome.

Another check for understanding then.

So here are the words that Grace shared about her experience of migration.

Can you fill in the missing words from the list below and the words that we have are: better, adapt, and grief.

I'll read the paragraph to you and then I'll give you a few seconds to be able to fill in the gap.

Sometimes I feel caught between two lives.

There's a strange kind of, mm, for what I've left behind, my family, the routines, the familiar way of life, but there's also hope that this journey will lead to something, hmm.

I'm proud of how far I've come, even though I still wonder who I am in this new place.

The culture is different and I'm learning to, mm.

I feel like I live between two worlds, like I don't fully belong in either or to carry both with me.

Take a few seconds to think where these words should go.

Okay, so the first gap, then, it says there's a strange kind of grief for what I've left behind.

The second one is there's also a hope that this journey will lead to something better.

And the third gap is the culture is different and I'm learning to adapt.

Well done if you've got those three in the correct places.

It's time for Task B then now.

Now, Grace migrated three months ago.

So for this task, you are going to write a first-person diary entry, so as if you are Grace, which describes what her experience of migrating might have been like so far.

And she says, "It's been three months since I moved here to study business at university.

Sometimes I feel at home, but the fast-paced city and new challenges remind me I'm far away from my real home.

I'm still getting used to things like the language and public transport." So for this diary entry, you might want to include things to do with your thoughts and feelings at the time.

What pushed or pulled you to move, what challenges you've faced so far, what you miss and what you are hopeful about.

Pause the video to give yourself the time to do this and then we'll look at some possible responses together.

Okay, then, let's look at this task then.

So writing a first-person diary entry that describes what your experience as Grace, experience of migrating has been like so far.

So your diary entry might look something like this.

"It's been three months since I moved to Germany and I still wake up sometimes thinking I'm back home.

Then I hear the tram outside and remember I'm here, living the life I worked so hard to reach.

Getting into this university was such a big moment for me, couldn't say no.

It was my chance to study business at a great school, experience something new and open more doors for my future, but no one really prepares you for what it feels like to leave everything familiar behind.

This city is so fast-paced compared to my town back home.

It's full of things I'm still figuring out like public transport, language differences, things like going to the bank." And it might continue like this.

"At first, I was overwhelmed.

I miss my family more than I expected.

Things like eating dinner together every Sunday.

But at the same time, I'm so proud of myself.

I've met people from all over the world and I'm mixing with so many different ages and backgrounds.

I've learned how to manage stuff on my own I'd normally just leave for my dad to sort out.

I feel more independent than I ever have and sometimes I don't really recognise myself.

It's a strange one though.

I don't feel completely at home here, but now I don't feel like I fully belong back at home either.

It's like I'm in between two lives.

Still, I believe this opportunity is shaping me in ways I never imagined.

I'm hopeful that this experience will lead to more confidence, more choices, and hopefully even a career I love.

If I can do this, what else can I achieve? For now, I just keep going, learning bit by bit, carrying both places with me." Well done if you managed to include some of those big moments for Grace as she's been on her migration journey.

Well done.

It's time to sum up our lesson today then, which has been called Why do People Migrate? People migrate for many reasons, such as work, education, lifestyle, retirement, or to escape danger.

Some choose to move, while others are forced to leave due to conflict, disaster or persecution.

Push factors are reasons people leave a place, while pull factors are reasons they are drawn to a new one.

Migration often involves big changes to daily life, identity and sense of belonging.

Even planned migration can be long, expensive and involve strict rules and paperwork.

Forced migration may involve danger, delays and long periods of uncertainty or instability.

Migrating is a complex process that can offer new opportunities, but also involves significant challenges.

Well done for sticking with me to the end of the lesson today.

There's been some really complex information there and I hope that you've learned something and taken something away from it.

Well done.

I hope to see you again soon.