Routes To Home: A poem by Safe Passage Young Leaders

Today is the last day of Refugee Week, celebrating the resilience and contributions of refugees. This year's theme, 'Home,' challenges us to extend our warmth beyond our own walls and make our neighbourhoods more welcoming. To honour this, the Safe Passage Young Leaders, a group of young people from refugee backgrounds, have created a powerful poem about what home means to them.

Routes To Home

I close my eyes and I see… 

It's complicated... 

Home.

I see... 

A vision of diversity full of peace and comfort for everyone   

Mud and rain together...the smell of the floor wetting by the rain  

Reminds me always of home.

I hear... 

The sounds of 

My cat purring when I arrive home  

The noise of family, the children, excited  

Mama, mama!  

Loud music 24/7  

Afrobeat

Qudud

The sound of the Azan and old Sudanese childhood music 

The sound of the beats cheering me up.

I feel... 

The feeling of when I am most confident

the moments of challenges and peace  

A reflection of where I feel truly secure.

Home is
The emotional and physical space  

Without fear and anxiety

The feel of wearing my mother’s sari.. A thobe  

Touching something from my family home  

Reminds me of home. 

 I smell... 

The scents of lavender and jasmine  

The smell of food in Ramadan in my neighborhood reminds me of home 
Even the air smells different.

I taste... 

The tantalising taste of

Chicken curry

Yabraq (Dulma)

Egusi soup with fufu

Lime and green mango with chilli 

That we buy every day after school from the auntie outside

A taste of a cup of tea to start the morning   

My grandma’s food.

Home is where justice is  

It's about what we feel  

Home is family  

A house is not a home without people  

Home is our food  

Home is our religious festivals.

Routes to home

Routes to safety...  

Passports, legal documents 

Allowing me to travel without hesitation 

Scared 

Afraid of checkpoints  

Let us educate 

Raise awareness    

Challenge 

Support 

Ensure protection 

Home is... 

Moving freely  

Home should be settled  

Home is
Calm  

Security

Mental and emotional support during tough times 

We need

Routes to safety

We need
Routes to…
Home.