New Learning Model for Safer Migration Choice NLM
An integrated model proving that informed migration decisions can be achieved at scale, through innovative educational outreach, tailored counselling, and targeted social media campaigns.
This project has concluded. Results are final.
“One student confided he had already attempted the crossing several times. After the workshop, he realised irregular migration is not worth risking his life, and he came out determined to pursue other goals.”
Teacher, educational outreach session, northern Morocco.
Challenge & Approach
In Morocco, the gap between awareness and action has long undermined efforts to address irregular migration. The New Learning Model for Safer Migration Choice (NLM) project took a different approach: not by repeating warnings, but by reaching young people and their families in schools, on social media, and within the friend and family circles where migration decisions actually get made.
The Challenge
Across Morocco, youth unemployment is above 35% and social media images of life abroad push hundreds of thousands of young people towards irregular migration each year, a practice known locally as ‘harraga’.¹ Most awareness campaigns have failed to shift this dynamic: they raise knowledge of risk but do not change behaviour, and they rarely reach the families and communities that shape young people’s decisions.
Our Approach
The project combined four mutually reinforcing components designed to change what young Moroccans believe, what they discuss at home, and the choices they make. A national social media campaign, confidential one-to-one consultations with youth and parents, school-based educational outreach using the Turning Tides escape game, and a young filmmakers grant programme.
How the Project Worked
The Turning Tides Escape Game in Schools
At the heart of NLM’s educational outreach was Turning Tides, an interactive escape game for students aged 13 to 18. Rather than lectures, it placed students in teams navigating real-world migration dilemmas: identifying smuggler risks, decoding misinformation, weighing dangerous crossings against local opportunities.
One-to-One Consultations
4,380 confidential remote sessions were delivered: 3,493 with youth aged 16 to 20 and 887 with parents. Nearly half of young participants were actively considering an irregular crossing when they came forward - yet more than nine in ten left with a substantially improved understanding of the real risks. At follow-up, one in four parents said their child was no longer considering irregular migration.
Social Media Campaign
Over 7 million people were reached online, generating more than 2.3 billion engagements. Social media influencer collaborations further amplified the campaign reach, with a single influencer, Brahimologia - a creator from northern Morocco with 1.4 million Instagram followers - driving approximately 95% of all consultation sign-ups after promoting the short film series.
Watch influencer Brahimologia talking about tackling misinformation online
Young Filmmakers Grant
Six young Moroccan filmmakers received grants to produce short films on migration. Watched 2.3 million times, the films rooted the campaign in the cultural context and realities. Two were selected for Moroccan film festivals.
Counselling Youth Directly for the First Time
NLM was originally designed to counsel parents only. But demand moved faster than the design: parents began asking counsellors to speak directly with their children, and youth were already signing up via parents' forms before any youth-facing service existed. Based on this, Seefar opened direct counselling to youth aged 16 to 21 from April 2025, a first for the organisation. The shift paid off: youth consultations outnumbered parent sessions nearly four to one, and 89.6% of youth rated their counsellor as strongly influential, giving young people a direct space to be heard and act on their own future.
Innovation Spotlight - An Educational Tool Built to Scale
The Turning Tides educational escape game was not simply an activity: it was a proof of concept for a new approach to migration education. Designed by Seefar and piloted in Morocco, the game demonstrated that a single immersive session could shift deeply held beliefs more effectively than months of conventional awareness-raising. Before a session, fewer than two in five students could accurately describe the risks of an irregular crossing. By the end, nearly two in three could. 98.4% of students who initially favoured irregular migration changed their position by the end.
By embedding the methodology in teacher training, NLM created a self-sustaining multiplier: 554 trained teachers, each capable of running sessions independently, at no additional project cost.
The results validated the model at scale. The Escape Game has since been adapted and deployed in Iraq through the RADIM project and across four African countries through SAFE-MIT, making Turning Tides one of Seefar’s most exportable programmatic innovations.
“Before this session, I thought leaving without papers was my only option. Now I know there are training courses and scholarships available. I feel better prepared to build a future here or abroad, legally and safely.”
Student, Tangier-Assilah region
Stories from the Field
Ayoub’s story: Social Worker and Escape Game Facilitator
Ayoub Timjicht, teacher and Escape Game facilitator, reflects on how an immersive classroom game reached young people who traditional teaching never could.
Maryam’s story: Youth Consultee
Maryam* grew up where irregular migration felt like the only path forward. After receiving one-to-one counselling, she opened up to many more possibilities. Where she once saw a single, dangerous exit, she now sees training, scholarships, and legal routes abroad.
*Names have been changed to protect identities
Kenza’ story: Counsellor
Kenza Sammoudi, youth and parent counsellor, reflects on what drives young people to risk their lives at sea, the power of trust-building, and the stories she won't forget.
“Before attending the workshop and speaking with [the counsellor], I was struggling with my teenage son. After the consultation, everything changed. He stopped thinking about irregular migration, and he is now focused on school.”
Mother who received a consultation
Key Achievements
25,163
students reached through educational outreach across 283 schools - 68% above target
98%
students who initially favoured irregular migration changed their position after a single Escape Game session
554
teachers trained - 87% motivated to continue beyond the project
4,380+
consultations delivered
90%
teachers improved understanding of migration risks
2,3M
short film views
7M
individuals reached via social media
2.3B
engagements
Scaling Impact
Turning Tides methodology subsequently adapted for Iraq (RADIM) and four African countries (SAFE-MIT)
Sources
1 World Bank. (2024). Morocco: Youth Unemployment. World Development Indicators. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.UEM.1524.ZS?locations=MA