I have been with Voices for Refugees for over two years now and I have seen the group mould and transform through different stages, different people and different environments. Having been in the group for this long I have grown an affinity with it. It has influenced me and I hope I have influenced it. I recall my very first sessions with the group. The “Why not?” that brought me there and the lessons I have learned. I learnt three things being with Voices the first being that the world is not always about ourselves, there are 7 billion other people who also call this rock home. The second is that apathy comes from either a lack of knowledge or an over-accumulation of it without emotional response. Knowledge combats a lot of things: fear, ignorance, the IB, but the interesting thing is that an accumulation of too much information without emotional connection leads to a nihilistic response to the world. The third, however, is that neuroplasticity exists and conventions and mindsets can be changed if put into the right circumstances. I felt that in myself. Before joining the focus group, I could have cared less about refugees. All I did was feel bad and go on apathetically with my life. Things change you, for the better or worse and it is up to us to decide which one it is. I can safely say that the group has changed me for the better.
