Raising Awareness of the Dangers of Irregular Migration RADIM
Helping Iraqi youth make informed migration decisions through returnee stories, trusted community voices, digital storytelling and gamified learning.
The first phase of this project has been completed. Results are final.
“I had already decided to migrate irregularly and was just looking for a sign that it was the right choice. After watching this video, I realised how dangerous the journey truly is.”
Male youth reached through the RADIM project
Challenge & Approach
For many young people in Federal Iraq, the decision to migrate irregularly is shaped by economic hardship, peer influence, regional instability and misinformation from smugglers who promise safe passage and a better life abroad.
Funded by the UK Government, the Raising Awareness of the Dangers of Irregular Migration project (RADIM) set out to change that conversation. It did this not by issuing warnings, but by placing trustworthy returnee voices, factual information and genuine alternatives in front of the people most likely to be weighing migration decisions.
The Challenge
Young Iraqis face economic hardship, peer pressure and a constant flow of misinformation about irregular migration routes. Awareness of risk alone is not always enough to shift decisions when young people do not see credible alternatives at home.
Our Approach
RADIM combined community storytelling, training for educators and religious leaders, one-to-one advisory counselling, digital outreach and immersive educational activities across Baghdad, Basra, Nineveh, Dhi Qar and Muthanna.
How the Project Worked
Community Outreach
Returnees were supported to share their lived experiences safely and authentically, while educators and religious leaders were trained to continue informed conversations in their own communities.
Digital Storytelling and Advisory Support
The project used real stories, practical information and clear calls to action to reach young Iraqis online and direct those seeking guidance toward confidential one-to-one advisory support.
Gamified Learning for Youth
RADIM adapted the Turning Tides educational escape game for Iraq, giving young people an interactive way to explore migration decisions, challenge misinformation and discuss safer alternatives.
The Power of Community Influence
At the heart of RADIM were returnees: Iraqis who had attempted irregular migration to the UK and Europe and returned to Iraq. Five workshops supported 73 returnees to process their experiences and find the words to share them.
“Life in exile is far more difficult than expected. Home is better.”
Returnee, RADIM storytelling preparation workshop, Iraq
Twenty-seven returnees went on to speak publicly at community storytelling sessions, offering first-hand accounts of financial loss, physical danger and personal cost. These were not abstract messages for the people in the room. Of the 651 participants who attended the storytelling sessions, 94% reported learning something they had not known before.
“After hearing these stories, I prefer to stay in my country.”
Session participant, RADIM community storytelling event, Iraq
The sessions were designed to multiply beyond project delivery. Five Training of Trainers workshops equipped 127 educators and religious leaders with the tools to keep the conversation going in their own communities. Supported by a dedicated coaching hotline, trained leaders independently organised 58 awareness sessions in mosques, schools, youth centres and colleges, reaching a further 1,383 people.
For young people who needed more tailored guidance, 500 individual phone counselling sessions provided a confidential space to discuss concerns, ask questions and explore safer alternatives available within Iraq.
Digital Storytelling At Scale
Beyond face-to-face engagement, RADIM ran a digital campaign through The Migrant Project, Seefar’s public facing migration awareness brand. The campaign reached more than 12.7 million individuals and generated over 3.1 million engagements, exceeding the original target of 10 million people reached.
Central to the campaign was Heroes at Home, a series of six short documentary films featuring young Iraqi returnees who chose to rebuild their lives in Iraq. Their stories challenged misinformation and showed that it is possible to build a viable future at home.
Watch the Heroes at Home series
Trusted local creators and short-form campaign content helped extend these messages to youth audiences in a relatable way. This content generated more than 927,000 views and strong engagement, helping the campaign reach audiences beyond Seefar’s existing channels.
Structured A/B testing was used throughout the campaign to understand which messages resonated most with target audiences. Hope-based storytelling consistently outperformed risk focused content, achieving an 8% click through rate compared with 6.76%.
“Thank you so much for helping the youth discover alternatives and more legal paths.”
Social media user, The Migrant Project Iraq Facebook page
Innovation Spotlight - Gamified Learning
One of RADIM’s most distinctive contributions was adapting the interactive educational escape game Turning Tides, first developed under the NLM project in Morocco, for the Iraqi context.
Across all five governorates, 40 Escape Game sessions were delivered, reaching 1,024 young people. Separately, five Training of Trainers workshops equipped 207 teachers and academics with the tools to run the sessions themselves, embedding the methodology within the educator community beyond the project period.
To make the approach scalable, Seefar also developed a fully localised online course for educators in Iraq through the e-learning platform Seefar Academy. The course gives educators practical guidance on delivering informed classroom discussions on irregular migration risks and safer pathways, including how to run the Escape Game.
Stories from the Field
Mohammed’s story: From migration risks to stability in Dhi Qar
Mohammed’s story was featured in the Heroes at Home series. Like many young Iraqis, Mohammed once believed that a better future lay abroad. His journey through Turkey and Greece, however, brought exploitation and danger rather than opportunity. Coming home to Iraq wasn't a simple decision, nor an easy one. However, through education and community engagement in Dhi Qar, Mohammed has since built the stable life he originally set out to find elsewhere.
Watch Mohammed’s story.
Zahra’s story: From Germany to Basra
Zahra, 23, was forcibly returned from Germany to Basra with almost nothing. Her family had sold everything to fund a migration journey that had not paid off. With no home and no income, she faced an uncertain future.
Her turning point came at a returnee storytelling session. She shared her experience openly, and a representative from a local NGO running a returnee employment programme happened to be in the room. He heard her story, recognised her situation and acted. Within days, Zahra had a six-month renewable employment contract. She had not come to the session looking for a job. She had come to tell her story. The project created the conditions for both.
Looking ahead
RADIM has created a strong foundation for future migration awareness work in Iraq. The project showed that credible local voices, especially returnees, educators and religious leaders, can shift how young people think about migration choices when they are supported with factual information and space for honest discussion.
Future programming can build on this by expanding the trained community network, strengthening referral pathways for young people who need tailored support, and continuing to use hope-based storytelling through The Migrant Project. The Escape Game and Seefar’s e-learning platform Seefar Academy also offer a scalable way to keep migration education active in classrooms beyond the project period, without relying on in-person delivery alone.
Together, these approaches show that informed migration programming is strongest when it combines community trust, digital reach and practical alternatives that young people can see in their own context.
Key Achievements
3,655
participants reached across five governorates in Federal Iraq
94%
of storytelling session participants reported gaining new knowledge about irregular migration
73
returnees supported through preparation workshops
27
returnees shared their experiences publicly through community storytelling sessions
53
trained leaders independently organised 58 awareness sessions, reaching 1,383 additional people
500
young people received personalised phone counselling
12.7M
individuals reached through the digital campaign, exceeding the 10 million target by 27%
3,1M
engagements generated through The Migrant Project campaign
1,024
young people engaged through the Escape Game
927,000+
views generated through creator-led campaign content