Earthlings, are you Syrious? I Lejla Juranic I TEDxZagrebWomen
-
0:10 - 0:12Thinking about how it all started
-
0:12 - 0:14and the beginnings
of what brought me here today, -
0:14 - 0:17I realised it happened
because of my biggest fault: -
0:17 - 0:19I never plan anything in my life.
-
0:19 - 0:22I am walking chaos
-
0:22 - 0:26which my husband Luka is trying
to put in some sort of order. -
0:26 - 0:29So, this was the chaos,
-
0:29 - 0:31and this is my husband Luka.
-
0:31 - 0:34There are moments in life
when you need to make plans, -
0:34 - 0:37just as at one point we had to start
planning in Are You Syrious, -
0:37 - 0:39or we would have fallen apart.
-
0:40 - 0:42But there are times, and this was one,
-
0:42 - 0:44when you have to react
immediately from the heart. -
0:44 - 0:47What is there to think about
when you need to feed the hungry, -
0:47 - 0:49put clothes on their back,
give them information, -
0:49 - 0:51and, most importantly, love.
-
0:51 - 0:54What prompted me to start doing something
-
0:54 - 0:57was when in mid-August last year
-
0:57 - 1:01my father suggested
we host a Syrian family -
1:01 - 1:04in a vacant property we had.
-
1:04 - 1:08I started asking around,
but got no reply. -
1:08 - 1:11Everyone was just writing
sad posts, posting sad statuses, -
1:11 - 1:15but no one was taking any action.
-
1:15 - 1:18At that time, the route
did not pass through Croatia, -
1:18 - 1:20but I couldn't bear to watch
what was happening. -
1:20 - 1:22I told Luka we had to do something,
-
1:22 - 1:26we couldn't just sit and watch
what was going on around us. -
1:26 - 1:30I posted on Facebook that we
were collecting donations in our garage -
1:32 - 1:35and a few days later,
our garage was full of donations -
1:35 - 1:37and they were spilling over into our flat.
-
1:37 - 1:40People we had never seen before
started arriving, -
1:40 - 1:43and our friends spent hours
in front of our garage, -
1:43 - 1:46sorting and packing clothes for the field.
-
1:46 - 1:49I often say "we"
-
1:49 - 1:51because none of this would have happened
-
1:51 - 1:53if it had not been for us: Luka, myself,
-
1:53 - 1:57and all the wonderful people who decided
to do something just as we had done. -
1:57 - 2:00I borrowed our first van
from my company, -
2:00 - 2:02filled it with donations
-
2:02 - 2:05and set out with my dear friend Selma.
-
2:06 - 2:09Our first encounter with refugees
was at the Serbian-Hungarian border -
2:09 - 2:14where we met
thousands of people in a field -
2:14 - 2:17with no electricity, water,
-
2:17 - 2:22or any official organised help
-
2:22 - 2:25and with only a handful
of volunteers to help them. -
2:25 - 2:27The scene was truly horrendous.
-
2:27 - 2:31We did what we could to help,
but it amounted to almost nothing. -
2:32 - 2:34On the way back,
we stopped at a gas staton -
2:34 - 2:37and looking in the direction
of the forest near the motorway, -
2:37 - 2:41we saw a family of eight,
with a baby in their arms, -
2:41 - 2:43frantically running around.
-
2:43 - 2:46We approached them
and asked if we could help. -
2:46 - 2:50They said a man had taken 1500 Euros
-
2:50 - 2:52to take them from Szeged to Budapest,
-
2:52 - 2:55which is a distance
of around 170 kilometres. -
2:55 - 2:58He told them to hide in the bushes
while he was at the gas station, -
2:58 - 3:00but he didn't come back.
-
3:01 - 3:03Our logical reaction
was to tell them to get in -
3:04 - 3:06and we would take them to Budapest,
-
3:06 - 3:08where they could take a train to Austria.
-
3:09 - 3:11Five minutes after we set out,
-
3:11 - 3:14there was a deathly silence.
-
3:14 - 3:17We were terrified
that they had suffocated. -
3:17 - 3:20But they were so exhausted,
they had fallen asleep. -
3:20 - 3:24The lovely little baby,
Rahaf, had also fallen asleep. -
3:24 - 3:28That was certainly the longest
100 kilometres in my life. -
3:29 - 3:32We reached a place outside Budapest
-
3:32 - 3:35and stopped at a hotel
because they just wanted to rest, -
3:35 - 3:38but as soon as they
saw us they threw us out, -
3:38 - 3:41shouting they didn't want any refugees.
-
3:41 - 3:43Along the way, we met other families
-
3:43 - 3:44sitting outdoors drinking tea
-
3:44 - 3:47because they were not allowed
inside the restaurant -
3:47 - 3:49to drink their tea there
-
3:49 - 3:51even though they had paid
for it just as we had done. -
3:52 - 3:55We managed somehow
to reach Budapest, avoiding the police. -
3:56 - 4:00This is the tarpaulin they hid under.
-
4:01 - 4:04We reached the train station
and got them on the train. -
4:04 - 4:09That was when I realised
we could do more to help. -
4:09 - 4:13It was a feeling I simply couldn't ignore.
-
4:14 - 4:17The trigger that marked
the transformation from a single action -
4:17 - 4:21into a movement
we called "Are You Syrious?" -
4:21 - 4:22It was a humanitarian concert
-
4:22 - 4:24which we organised, as it happened,
-
4:24 - 4:26on the day that Hungary
closed its borders. -
4:26 - 4:29We got a call from
the wonderful Denis Katanec -
4:29 - 4:32who said he wanted to sing, and that
there were others who wanted to help. -
4:32 - 4:34In only ten days,
Luka organised a concert -
4:34 - 4:36and Vid Jeraj gave it its name.
-
4:37 - 4:39Everyone who worked on the concert:
-
4:39 - 4:42the people receiving donations,
-
4:42 - 4:44the security personnel,
cloakroom attendants, -
4:44 - 4:47sound technicians, musicians,
they were all volunteers, -
4:47 - 4:50and some of them
are still in Are You Syrious? -
4:51 - 4:54We realised this had outgrown our garage
-
4:54 - 4:58and started organising shifts
for receiving and sorting donations. -
4:58 - 5:03The next day I called the Red Cross
and the Centre for Peace Studies -
5:03 - 5:04to offer our help
-
5:05 - 5:08but they obviously
didn't take me seriously. -
5:11 - 5:16That was the first time I said
I was from Are You Syrious? -
5:16 - 5:18What was Are You Syrious?
-
5:18 - 5:22I had unconsciously
given a name to an action, -
5:22 - 5:25an idea, an organisation, a movement.
-
5:25 - 5:28Two days after the concert,
-
5:28 - 5:31I loaded food into the car
-
5:31 - 5:33and drove to Tovarnik
-
5:33 - 5:36because at that point
the route had shifted to Croatia. -
5:36 - 5:39I arrived in Tovarnik,
said, "Hello," to the policemen -
5:39 - 5:41and at that point,
the four thousand people -
5:41 - 5:43who were standing nearby
surrounded by police -
5:43 - 5:46broke through the cordon
and started running towards us. -
5:47 - 5:50A policeman turned to me and said,
-
5:50 - 5:52"Madam, they'll devour you,
but we will help you." -
5:52 - 5:55They made a circle around the car
-
5:55 - 5:58and helped me
distribute food and beverages. -
5:58 - 6:01The let me bring more.
-
6:01 - 6:03What I saw then,
-
6:03 - 6:06I saw throughout
the refugee crisis in Croatia: -
6:06 - 6:09The police showed
that they were not just officers, -
6:09 - 6:11but also human beings.
-
6:11 - 6:15There was still no
organised official help in Tovarnik -
6:15 - 6:19and it became clear to me
we had to organise a serious campaign. -
6:20 - 6:24I went to Luka and said,
"You have to go to the field! -
6:24 - 6:27They need serious help
there and only you can do it." -
6:29 - 6:31He put a post on Facebook,
gathered a team, -
6:31 - 6:34and they were there in a jiffy.
-
6:35 - 6:38Bapska, a village
on the Croatian-Serbian border, -
6:38 - 6:41has a special place
in the story of Are You Syrious? -
6:41 - 6:44This was the first place we had
a serious presence on the ground -
6:44 - 6:47where our volunteers stayed
in shifts, 24/7, for almost a month. -
6:48 - 6:50At that time all the refugees
passing through Croatia -
6:51 - 6:56passed through Bapska on their way
to the official camp in Opatovac. -
6:59 - 7:02We are talking about
5,000 - 7,000 people a day, -
7:02 - 7:04whom the volunteers clothed, fed,
-
7:04 - 7:07comforted, and provided
with much-needed information. -
7:09 - 7:14The volunteers slept
in the field, all in one tent, -
7:14 - 7:16and some did not sleep for days on end.
-
7:16 - 7:19They worked 48-hour shifts
without stopping. -
7:19 - 7:24Bapska taught us much about the stories
of the refugees and their truth, -
7:25 - 7:30much about ourselves
and about what was needed. -
7:31 - 7:35We became convinced we could do
everything others were doing, if not more. -
7:36 - 7:39That was when individual volunteers
-
7:39 - 7:42from Croatia and abroad
started joining us. -
7:43 - 7:46Then it went on - camps and especially
informal border crossings -
7:46 - 7:50through which hundreds of thousands
of people were passing: Mohovo, Bregana, -
7:51 - 7:54Šentilj, Ključ Brdovečki/Rigonce,
Dobova, Hamica... -
7:56 - 7:59Amid this chaos our 15-year-old son
packed a bag and went to the field. -
7:59 - 8:02He went to the
Serbian-Croatian border on his own -
8:02 - 8:05and came back so ill,
he ended up in hospital. -
8:05 - 8:08But this didn't stop him
and when he got out, -
8:08 - 8:13he spent his nights in the field,
even though he had school in the morning. -
8:13 - 8:18It seemed quite normal to see my husband
come home in the middle of the night -
8:18 - 8:25with a batch of razor wire in his hand,
the next morning go with him to a festival -
8:25 - 8:29we had organised to collect donations.
-
8:30 - 8:35We were crazy enough
to gain access to no man's land -
8:35 - 8:38where no one else had gone before us.
-
8:38 - 8:41After a week, we had to leave,
but the situation there improved -
8:41 - 8:44which showed us that sometimes
-
8:44 - 8:48it's enough to be there
for things to change. -
8:48 - 8:52For months after this,
hard-working AYS volunteers -
8:52 - 8:57were busy cleaning the camp in Dobova
-
8:57 - 9:00where the conditions were unfit
for the people arriving there -
9:00 - 9:04who were often rejected.
-
9:04 - 9:07We patrolled the roads and followed buses
-
9:07 - 9:10because the authorities
often transported refugees -
9:10 - 9:14to informal border crossings
where no help was available. -
9:14 - 9:17In mid-winter, people
were arriving in flip-flops, -
9:17 - 9:20children without socks or only in socks,
-
9:20 - 9:22babies in just bodysuits, and worse.
-
9:23 - 9:29We learned that in the field
you can't plan anything -
9:29 - 9:32You make a plan
and two hours later, it's useless. -
9:33 - 9:37Field work has to be guerrilla work
and it doesn't bear plans -
9:37 - 9:39but requires flexible
and resourceful people -
9:39 - 9:42for whom nothing is too hard.
-
9:42 - 9:45Who if you call them
in the middle of the night, -
9:45 - 9:48in winter, and say help is needed,
get up, get dressed, -
9:48 - 9:51go to the nearest open store,
-
9:51 - 9:54buy 100 kg of bananas
or whatever else is needed, -
9:54 - 9:56and go to the field.
-
9:56 - 9:58When you're doing something like this,
-
9:58 - 10:01you realize that what
is happening in reality -
10:01 - 10:06and what is presented in the media
are two completely different stories. -
10:06 - 10:12Does the general public know why
there were initially more men than women? -
10:12 - 10:14Probably not.
-
10:14 - 10:17Because the man of the family
went ahead on this difficult journey -
10:17 - 10:20so that when he was granted asylum,
-
10:20 - 10:23he would have the right to bring
his family over to safety. -
10:24 - 10:32And another reason was that in the chaos
in Syria they didn't see who to fight for, -
10:32 - 10:37for which of the world powers playing
games with the fate of their country. -
10:38 - 10:41In parallel with
all this work in the field, -
10:41 - 10:43I was going through a real drama
coordinating all this. -
10:44 - 10:46Luka was spending
more and more time in the field, -
10:46 - 10:49my life was getting more chaotic
with three children and my job -
10:49 - 10:51which I couldn't keep up with,
-
10:51 - 10:53and I am grateful to my partners
for being so understanding. -
10:53 - 10:56I slept for only a few hours
a day, never in one stretch -
10:56 - 10:59as there was no difference
between day and night. -
10:59 - 11:02We realised that the only
possible response to this situation -
11:02 - 11:03was a 360° approach.
-
11:03 - 11:07You can't go to the field
if you have nothing to distribute, -
11:07 - 11:13and you can't distribute things if
you don't know to whom, what, and where. -
11:14 - 11:16These are our warehouses.
-
11:16 - 11:20We changed warehouses
and we got them all for free. -
11:20 - 11:25We drove donated vans,
and bought only what we had to. -
11:26 - 11:30We received a donation
of 1,000 pairs of shoes -
11:30 - 11:32from a Croatian entrepreneur.
-
11:32 - 11:34The shoes were quite dressy,
-
11:34 - 11:38not something you'd wear
for walking through muddy fields, -
11:38 - 11:41but the refugees
wore them with a big smile -
11:41 - 11:44because they were much better
than the flip-flops they had arrived in. -
11:46 - 11:49In this period I was probably
getting on the volunteers' nerves -
11:49 - 11:52because I kept badgering
them to send me information. -
11:52 - 11:56Our dear volunteer Vlasta once
said to me, "You're a pain in the butt. -
11:56 - 11:59Stop bothering me, I don't have time
for all this in the field." -
11:59 - 12:02But I didn't give up on
gathering and sharing information, -
12:02 - 12:07and all this time we continued networking,
which later proved to be very important. -
12:07 - 12:11Luka and I had terrible rows.
-
12:11 - 12:15He would say to me, "Who do you think
you are? What do you imagine you can do?" -
12:15 - 12:17"We can't go on living like this."
-
12:18 - 12:21After those two months, I told you about,
-
12:21 - 12:24he said, "OK, sit down and tell me
the things you're doing -
12:24 - 12:26and I'll write it all down."
-
12:26 - 12:30The result was 26 people, a minimum
of 26 people in the coordination team -
12:30 - 12:33for everything to function 24/7.
-
12:33 - 12:38These are some of the groups
we set up, which are still with us today. -
12:38 - 12:41I advertised and I will never forget
the people who responded -
12:41 - 12:45when we were at breaking point and I was
deciding whether to go on or give up; -
12:45 - 12:50give up because I would
collapse, which actually happened. -
12:50 - 12:53I had a minor stroke but
I am all right now, as you can see. -
12:53 - 12:58I would like to mention all the people
who responded to my call: Asja, Magda, -
12:58 - 13:01Milena, Emir, Petar, Zvone,
-
13:01 - 13:07the Jasnas, the Sanjas, Krešo...
-
13:07 - 13:10I'll probably forget someone,
but they know very well who they are, -
13:10 - 13:13because they hold a special place
in the story of Are You Syrious? -
13:13 - 13:16But all the volunteers who came later
-
13:16 - 13:20also contributed to the evolving story
of Are You Syrious? and where we are now. -
13:20 - 13:24My gathering and sharing
of information finally came into its own -
13:24 - 13:29when Milka arrived with her team
and developed it to perfection. -
13:29 - 13:35The Daiy Digest grew into the now
famous Are You Syrious Daily News Digest -
13:35 - 13:42the only uncensored daily news covering
the refugee route from Syria to Norway -
13:43 - 13:46which is quoted by well-known world media
such as the Washington Post, the BBC, -
13:46 - 13:49Le Monde, and many others,
-
13:49 - 13:53and is read by refugees,
volunteers, and everyone on the route -
13:53 - 13:56because they consider it the only
reliable source of information. -
13:56 - 14:01Along with the volunteers in the field,
who perform the so-called "sexy" jobs, -
14:02 - 14:06a great strength of AYS are the people
working in dark warehouses, -
14:06 - 14:10doing night shifts at their computers
-
14:10 - 14:14gathering and sharing information
which will be of use to others. -
14:14 - 14:17Imagine what it's like when
a message arrives in the inbox -
14:17 - 14:20saying that smugglers
are holding refugees hostage -
14:20 - 14:24or that a boat full of people
is sinking and they need urgent help. -
14:24 - 14:29Imagine the stress volunteers
face every day in their lives. -
14:29 - 14:32But they don't give up. They go on.
-
14:32 - 14:39And when all the people are saved,
imagine the joy of the whole AYS family. -
14:39 - 14:44However much we plan, we have had
some unforeseeable situations. -
14:44 - 14:49For example when Luka, after one of those
rows when he said we couldn't go on -
14:50 - 14:53came home one evening
with Samuel from Nigeria, -
14:53 - 14:56who hadn't been allowed
across the Slovenian border -
14:56 - 14:58because he was black.
-
14:58 - 15:01Samuel is still with us,
a little more than a year later. -
15:01 - 15:06He has become part of our family.
Our children adore him. -
15:06 - 15:10Samuel plays soccer
and is desperate to stay in Croatia, -
15:10 - 15:15which he has come to love
with all his big, naive, childlike heart. -
15:15 - 15:19Sadly, this state does not want Samuel,
but we are still fighting to keep him. -
15:20 - 15:22Samuel is not the only one.
-
15:22 - 15:26Right now there are
almost 1,000 people in Croatia -
15:26 - 15:29who, like a million others, come
from war-torn areas of the world -
15:29 - 15:31seeking international protection.
-
15:32 - 15:35Did you know that the
full name of Are You Syrious -
15:35 - 15:37is Zemljani (Earthlings)
- Are You Syrious? -
15:37 - 15:42As earthlings we wanted to show what it is
we believe in and what we're fighting for, -
15:42 - 15:45which is life without
borders and false divisions -
15:45 - 15:48because all of us are just
ordinary, commonplace, wonderful, -
15:48 - 15:51insignificant, magnificent people.
-
15:51 - 15:55From early September last year to today
-
15:55 - 15:59AYS volunteers have helped in
many countries on the refugee route. -
15:59 - 16:04We have gained the confidence
of people everywhere in the world. -
16:04 - 16:07We've had donors and volunteers
from all over the world. -
16:07 - 16:10We've delivered tons of aid
to various countries on the refugee route. -
16:12 - 16:16We've organised humanitarian drives,
concerts, created a brand. -
16:16 - 16:23We've been supported by many artists
who organised humanitarian events -
16:23 - 16:25on their own initiative
in order to help us. -
16:25 - 16:28We rebuilt a camp in Syria
which was destroyed by shelling -
16:28 - 16:30which houses mostly
women, children, and the elderly -
16:30 - 16:33who lack even the means
to cross the border. -
16:33 - 16:40AYS volunteers help
asylum seekers to integrate. -
16:40 - 16:44We left our comfort zone and got
to know people from all parts of the world -
16:44 - 16:46with different
occupations and life stories, -
16:46 - 16:50but the most important experience
was being united around an idea -
16:50 - 16:56and being able to value and embrace
someone completely, totally different. -
16:56 - 16:59They told us we were
neglecting our children, -
16:59 - 17:01that this was no way to live,
-
17:01 - 17:05but our children have experienced
what they wouldn't have in a million years -
17:05 - 17:09living in this insular
and conservative society. -
17:09 - 17:12Each volunteer brought
something of their own into this story -
17:12 - 17:16There are now about 50 volunteers
working in the organization. -
17:17 - 17:21We see what we are doing
as supremely patriotic, -
17:21 - 17:24because we are presenting
our country as a country of good people -
17:24 - 17:28which it was before it became
a land of "great warriors." -
17:28 - 17:33It used to be a land of good people
and good hosts who help those in trouble. -
17:33 - 17:39We once got a message saying their people
would remember what we did for them -
17:39 - 17:42for as long as their children were alive.
-
17:42 - 17:46What we did and what we are doing,
and what we feel while we are doing it, -
17:46 - 17:48that's what it means to be Syrious.
-
17:48 - 17:52To be Syrious means to help, with the will
and without fear, anyone who needs help, -
17:52 - 17:57whether it be refugees in a park,
in a field, or in a camp, -
17:57 - 18:02asylum seekers or people not seeking
asylum and everyone passing through. -
18:03 - 18:09We'll go on for as long as we are needed,
-
18:09 - 18:12and our main goal is not to be needed
any more and to cease to exist. -
18:13 - 18:17Looking back on everything
I've told you about today -
18:17 - 18:19I don't think I've done
anything spectacular, -
18:19 - 18:22anything that any one of us couldn't do
-
18:22 - 18:26if we only make the decision and have
the courage to carry it through. -
18:26 - 18:29This is proven by all the AYS volunteers
-
18:29 - 18:34to whom I send hugs, and to all volunteers
and refugees, displaced people, -
18:35 - 18:40migrants, people without a home,
without freedom, without peace. -
18:40 - 18:44Earthlings, let's be Syrious!
-
18:44 - 18:45(Applause)
- Title:
- Earthlings, are you Syrious? I Lejla Juranic I TEDxZagrebWomen
- Description:
-
Poverty, wars, refugees - there's a lot of trouble in the world and they are such a burden that we feel, if we tried something, they would overwhelm us with their gravity. But sometimes, when we look at them from afar, the desire to help other human beings is so strong that we cannot stop it.
Are You Syrious? is a story about such a desire born in the wake of a humanitarian crisis in the fall of 2015. that starts with words told to a husband - "Let's do something!". From bags with clothes, to buses and vans and trucks, from a Facebook profile to a credible source of information for Le Monde, Al Jazeera, BBC and Washington post, Are You Syrious? is a story about the unsatiable desire of humans to help and give dignity to other humans.
When you see a short, blue-eyed blonde, you'd think there's nothing more innocent in this world, an angel. But she's the devil that made her own husband to write her bio, because she has more important things to do: like save the world as the founder of Are You Syrious?, bring in the bacon for a five member family with a degree in chemistry and being a co-founder to a company for lab equipment maintenance, or baking the best chocolate cake for the birthday party.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx
- Video Language:
- Croatian
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDxTalks
- Duration:
- 19:00
Ellen approved English subtitles for Zemljani, Are You Syrious ? | Lejla Juranić | TEDxZagrebWomen | ||
Ellen edited English subtitles for Zemljani, Are You Syrious ? | Lejla Juranić | TEDxZagrebWomen | ||
Ellen edited English subtitles for Zemljani, Are You Syrious ? | Lejla Juranić | TEDxZagrebWomen | ||
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Retired user edited English subtitles for Zemljani, Are You Syrious ? | Lejla Juranić | TEDxZagrebWomen | ||
Retired user edited English subtitles for Zemljani, Are You Syrious ? | Lejla Juranić | TEDxZagrebWomen | ||
Sanja Matesic edited English subtitles for Zemljani, Are You Syrious ? | Lejla Juranić | TEDxZagrebWomen | ||
Sanja Matesic edited English subtitles for Zemljani, Are You Syrious ? | Lejla Juranić | TEDxZagrebWomen |