#migrantstories

[sofiajadeotero]

Belonging isn’t something that happens overnight—it’s a journey of growth, adaptation, and self-discovery. 🌍 Explore a heartfelt story about navigating a new culture, building connections, and finding a place to call home in Dutch society.

Read more: https://www.mayabutalid.com/learning-to-belong-immigrants-passage-dutch-life/

[sofiajadeotero]

Every migrant story carries pieces of identity, sacrifice, and resilience. 🌍 Discover a powerful reflection on representation, belonging, and the voices too often left unheard.

Read more: https://www.mayabutalid.com/migrant-stories-representation-identity/

[sofiajadeotero]

Holding two worlds at once means living between identities, cultures, memories, and expectations. At the intersections of belonging, people often discover both struggle and strength—learning how migration, heritage, and personal experience shape who they are becoming. 🌍✨

Read more: https://www.mayabutalid.com/holding-two-worlds-identity-in-the-intersections/

[sofiajadeotero]

Migrant stories highlight identity, belonging, and representation—showing how personal experiences shape how we see ourselves in a new land. These narratives give voice to resilience, cultural memory, and the ongoing search for home across borders and generations. 🌍

Read more: https://www.mayabutalid.com/migrant-stories-representation-identity/

[sofiajadeotero]

Migrant communities face challenges, but their resilience and strength tell powerful stories of survival and hope. Discover how they cope, adapt, and thrive despite adversity.

Read more: https://www.mayabutalid.com/judgment-migrant-communities-coping/

#MigrantStories #HumanResilience #CommunityStrength #SocialJustice #HopeAndSurvival #Inspiration

[readersmagnet]

"Chasing Windmills" is a powerful collection of stories tracing Maya Butalid’s journey from political activism in the Philippines to life as a migrant in the Netherlands. With honesty and heart, she explores identity, integration, and belonging across cultures.

Be inspired by Maya’s journey. Visit https://www.mayabutalid.com/ to learn more and get your copy of Chasing Windmills today!

[juliannenguyen]

Thank you Ba, Thank you Dad, Brimbank Council Exhibition May 2022

[thangngo]

Being Different is Your Superhero Power

Sydney: in the 80s, I was one of three Asian kids at school. I hated being different. I looked different, acted different, didn’t like sports, was introverted, had no money and lived in public housing.

At the time, I thought being different was an economic and social disadvantage.

After high school, I travelled to Asia and started to appreciate the richness of my Asian background.

It was an epiphany - the things that made me different were the things that made me more employable and more interesting.

The old me saw diversity as a deficit. The new me knows that being different can be a distinctive advantage at work.

❌ OLD MINDSET: Migrants/refugees aren’t employable 💪 NEW MINDSET: Migrants have skills that companies need I turned my refugee experience into a successful career in multicultural marketing.

❌ OLD: Migrants don’t know how Australia works 🏋‍♀️ NEW: Migrants succeed because they’re not bound by traditional constraints/thinking In 1999, I was elected to Fairfield council. I didn’t know (or cared) that it was almost impossible to be elected as a first time candidate when you're not with a major party.

❌ OLD: New arrivals don’t know our tastes and what we like 🔥 NEW: Migrants have a global view and can recognise and build trends In 2012, while working at SBS, I came up with the concept for SBS PopAsia, the first Asian pop music program on Australian free-to-air TV. It takes a migrant to recognise the global phenomenon of K-pop.

❌ OLD: Gays aren’t good for a company’s culture 🌈 NEW: Embracing diversity is better for company culture Walter and I have been together for 33 years. Colleagues have told me how it’s changed their perspective of a loving ‘family’ unit.

💯 Diversity is a valuable asset.

What's holding you back? A new migrant, introverted, different sexual orientation, different ability, left-handed, public housing resident, chess addict - take five minutes to change your perspective (and everyone around you) because being different is a blessing.

❓ In what ways have you turned your perceived disadvantage into a distinctive point of difference?

I’d love to learn from you, please share your experience in the comments.