Need for Asylum Policy Change: A Conversation with Evgeny Shtorn on Direct Provision in Ireland
“Initially my idea was more about not against direct provision as such … I was mostly thinking that there needs to be some kind of centre that would be LGBT specific, but at the end of the day I realised that there is no sense in fighting for a special prison for LGBT people, because Direct Provision is essentially a prison.” — Evgeny Shtorn
At 𝗣𝗵𝗼𝗲𝗻𝗶𝘅 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸𝘀 we invite guests to talk with us about migration. On the 2nd of May, Project Phoenix’s Jennifer Gaspar welcomed 𝗘𝘃𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘆 𝗦𝗵𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗻 to talk about Direct Provision in Ireland during COVID-19, and how a change in policy is necessary to protect asylum seekers.
𝗘𝘃𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘆 𝗦𝗵𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗻 is an LGBT-activist and researcher from St. Petersburg. In 2018, he was forced to leave Russia. In 2019 he was granted international protection in the Republic of Ireland. He currently works as a Cultural Diversity Researcher at Create and co-facilitates the project ‘Something From There’ in the National Gallery of Ireland. His texts are published in academic journals, anthologies, and news media in Russia, Spain, Germany, and Ireland. As an activist, Shtorn has been involved in human rights and LGBT advocacy for almost two decades. He founded the grassroots initiative Queer Diaspora Ireland in support of victims of gender-based violence and members of the LGBT community in Direct Provision. In 2020 Shtorn received the GALAs Person of the Year by National LGBT Federation of Ireland.
Get Involved:
If you want to be a guest of one of our Phoenix Talks or have ideas and suggestions, please get in touch via contact@project-phoenix.eu. We look forward to your contribution.
Project Phoenix is a young European NGO and social enterprise working to empower migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers in an urban setting, using the best of a social innovation playbook. Premised on the pillars of sustainability, economic empowerment through entrepreneurship, socio-cultural integration through professional-skills training and mentorship, we leverage our global networks and fill gaps that legacy institutions and international organisations are often unable to. We are limber, agile and use a systems-thinking, non-prescriptive approach to present feasible solutions.
Project Phoenix is currently running a Pilot Project on the ground in Cyprus. Motivated individuals apply to join as fellows to receive assistance through skills training and entrepreneurial support. Fellows contribute to their local community through the establishment of their own social enterprise which allows them to pay it forward. This innovative approach encourages the sustainable empowerment of refugees and migrants and the development of a circular and sustainable economic and social movement on the island.
