Talking About Migration Means Talking About Our Youth
Siham Al-Halimi
Arabic teacher · Rabat, Morocco · 23 years old
A view from the other side of the sea
At Ubuntu Canarias we work with people who have already migrated, but we're also interested in hearing from those who, on the other side of the sea, think and speak about why people migrate in the first place.
Siham Al-Halimi is 23, lives in Rabat and works as an Arabic teacher. Drawing on her experience with young Moroccans, she shares a reflection on the reasons that push part of her country's youth to consider a future outside Morocco.
Her testimony isn't about a journey already made, but about the decisions that take shape before setting out: the lack of opportunity, the need for guidance, and the hope that a better future can also be built at home.
Migration is a short word, but behind it lie many stories, dreams and difficult decisions. For me, it isn't just a journey or a move from one country to another: it's the moment when a person decides to leave their homeland, their family, their loved ones and everything they're used to, in search of a new opportunity or a life they see as better. As a young Moroccan woman of 23, living in Rabat and working as a teacher, I believe that talking about migration is really talking about young people: about their ambitions, and about the circumstances that lead some of them to consider building their future far from their country.
I believe one of the most important reasons young Moroccans consider migrating is the lack of job opportunities and low wages, especially for those who haven't been able to finish their studies or access suitable training that would open up better opportunities for them.
Through my work as a teacher, I see that education in our country still needs further development, although the responsibility doesn't rest with educational institutions alone — it's shared between the family, society and young people themselves. I believe one of the things our young people most need today is guidance, because many of them have great abilities and ambitions, but don't always find someone to help them discover and develop those abilities, or to guide them toward the path that best fits their potential and aspirations.
I would like organisations working on youth and migration to offer young people real opportunities to discover who they are and what they're capable of, through training, guidance and the creation of spaces for learning and experience. I firmly believe our young people have a great deal of energy and talent, and that what they sometimes lack isn't the desire to succeed, but opportunity, support and guidance. Helping young people discover their abilities and giving them the tools they need to develop them can give them greater hope of building their future — whether they choose to stay in Morocco or look for opportunities abroad through safe, legal channels.
In the end, I hope that Morocco's reality improves, and that young people have real opportunities for work, training and fulfilling their ambitions, so that migration doesn't become, for some, the only way out of the difficulties they face. Moroccan youth has a great deal of energy and ability; what it needs is an environment that gives it confidence, opportunity and guidance, so it can make the most of its potential and contribute to building a better society and a more stable future.
Listening to those who stay too
Siham's testimony reminds us of something we keep very present at Ubuntu Canarias: migration doesn't begin at the border, but much earlier, in the opportunities — or the lack of them — that every young person finds in their own country.
Investing in education, guidance and support for young people, both at home and at destination, is part of the same work: building futures where migrating is a free choice, not the only way out.
Editorial note. This testimony is published with the authorisation of its author, Siham Al-Halimi, an Arabic teacher in Rabat, Morocco. Its content reflects her personal experience and opinion.
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