‘That Fills Me with Hope – That Human to Human, We Can Find Connection, Understanding and Empathy’

Jasmin O’Hara founded the not-for-profit organisation Asylum Speakers to amplify the voices of refugees and debunk common myths and misconceptions around migration. She spoke to Josiah Mortimer about her journey from the fashion industry to providing a human platform for those whose stories are a vital counterbalance to damaging media and political narratives

In the summer of 2015, Jasmin O’Hara’s brother was turning 18 and moving out. Their parents were worried about having no children at home any more and so they started looking into options to foster or adopt.

The couple realised there was a need for host families for unaccompanied minors arriving on the shores of Kent – some as young as seven – searching for sanctuary. Jasmin’s parents put their names forward.

It looked likely that Jasmin’s new sibling would be coming via the ‘Calais Jungle’, the makeshift refugee camp on the French coast. So Jasmin decided to go there. “That trip really changed the course of my life,” she told Byline Times.