MASI 10 Year Anniversary Conference 2024

Dear MASI Supporter,

We are thrilled to announce that the Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland (MASI) will soon celebrate a momentous milestone—our 10th Year Anniversary Conference! This event will not only mark a decade of our shared commitment to advocacy, solidarity, and justice for migrants and asylum seekers but also serve as a powerful platform to envision the next chapter of our journey together.

On the 14th September 2014, asylum seekers in Kinsale Road Direct Provision centre began a protest that would last for 10 days. They locked-out staff for 10 days – a period that saw increased media coverage of the struggles of life in the abhorrent system of Direct Provision. More than half of people in the Direct Provision system then had been there for 5 years or more with no right to work. The Irish government expected them to make do with a petty weekly allowance of €19.10. Asylum-seeking mothers spoke of the struggles of raising children in Direct Provision and how such deprivation affected their mental health.

Our founders, who were at the centre of this protest, decided that it was necessary to form a group to bring together asylum seekers across Ireland. They called the group the Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland (MASI). The main objective of the group was and remains to campaign for an end to the cruel system of Direct Provision; to campaign for the right to work for all asylum seekers; to campaign for access to education; and to campaign for an end to the deportation regime.

The founders also decided that the self-organised group would be 100% voluntary and would maintain its independence by not seeking government funding or any funder who would dictate how we organise and what we say. This has allowed us to speak out on issues that affect us without fear of reprisal.

2024 marks 10 years since MASI was formed and we are organising the next MASI Conference which will bring together asylum seekers from Direct Provision centres across Ireland. Now more than ever, we need to hear from voices of asylum seekers who are on the margins of Irish society to counter those who seek to sow hatred and division.

As a 100% voluntary group, we do not have staff to pay. We appeal to you to help us cover the costs of organising the conference which include transport (usually the biggest expense), food, merch, accommodation for people travelling from afar, and the like. The MASI Conference will be held on the 19th October 2024 in Trinity College Dublin.

Thank you for your continued support and commitment to our mission. We look forward to celebrating with you!

With gratitude,

Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland (MASI)