A Jewish-founded refugee programme inspired by Holocaust survival and powered by interfaith collaboration held its first major showcase on Thursday night, spotlighting stories of resilience, identity and hope.
The “Voices of Home” event, hosted by the Future Leaders programme at Phoenix Court in London, featured personal testimony, spoken-word performances and the launch of a new book combining poetry and recipes contributed by young refugees and asylum seekers across the UK.
Among the standout speakers was Yasir, a Rohingya refugee from Myanmar who arrived in the UK during the COVID-19 lockdown and is now studying at one of the country’s top pharmacy schools.
“I have survived a lifelong civil war, persecution, genocide and bare subsistence in the refugee camp in Bangladesh,” he told the crowd. “Now I have been provided a home by an English family since the Home Office kicked me out of the accommodation when I got my refugee status a few years ago – a Rohingya Muslim living in a Yorkshire Christian family’s home, and a Jewish family who supports my education.”
Photo Credit: Sule Ceyda Karakus
He added: “Once I was stateless, an asylum seeker, a refugee. I never imagined this day would come – from teaching myself English in a refugee camp to standing in front of you today.”
The Future Leaders programme, which has supported more than 200 young people from over 40 countries, was co-founded by Jewish educator Dani Jaff-Klein. Inspired by her grandmother who fled Nazi Germany, she told guests: “It started because my grandmother was a Jewish refugee and always spoke about the kindnesses that others showed her and how important that was to her.”
She added that the core team spans three faiths: “Our team is comprised of a Jew, a Christian and a Muslim – and we all share very strong and similar values based on our own religions.”
Daniella Jaff-Klein, co-founder of the Future Leaders programme, addresses guests at the “Voices of Home” showcase in London. Photo Credit: Amir Hussain Ibrahimi
The evening opened with a short film created by participants, followed by emotional speeches and poetry from graduates who described their journeys from trauma to leadership.
Sule, the programme’s manager and a former participant from Turkey, said: “I arrived in the UK in 2021. The first thing I did for myself – and for this country – was apply for a role with this programme. I didn’t know it would change my life.” Fighting back tears, she added: “Today is my last working day before maternity leave. I already know I’ll miss my family – my community – so much.”
Another speaker recalled being too afraid to apply to university, believing he’d be rejected “like the Home Office has been doing most of my life”. Years later, he now sits on the boards of six charities and has advised the UK government on youth policy. “I was an asylum seeker, yet I was responsible for £154 million of government money,” he said. “That spark? It had been crushed inside of me. This programme helped me find it.”
Future Leaders banner showcasing programme impact at the Voices of Home event. Photo credit: Sule Ceyda Karakus
Graduates also read “letters from London” to loved ones left behind – including one addressed to a father imprisoned in Turkey. “It was too much to put on a 16-year-old girl’s shoulders,” the speaker said. “I hope my daughter never has to be this strong.”
The new book, launched on the night, includes personal poems and recipes handed down through generations. “Every recipe in this book carries a story,” said project manager Nasima Karimi. “They represent the taste of memory, the hope of family, the love behind survival.”
Programme director Dan Ball, who is Christian, told guests: “We don’t create leaders – we create space for people to realise what was already inside them.”
He paid tribute to Param, a graduate from Iran who lived with motor neurone disease and died shortly after completing the course. “He was a warrior,” Ball said. “Despite every reason to give up, he inspired the people around him.”
Closing the event, Jaff-Klein said: “Hopefully tonight was a moment when boundaries and categories collapsed – and we were able to hear each other as humans.”
