Listening to better understand : when Marseille middle schoolers give voice to migration journeys
What if we started changing our perspective on migration as early as middle school? In Marseille, the 8th grade B students of the media class at Defferre Middle School embarked on an extraordinary project: a podcast on migration stories, built from A to Z with the help of journalist Daphné Gastaldi and the SINGA Marseille team. Stories, interviews, emotions… a journalistic and human journey that leaves no one indifferent.
One class, one mic, one mission
In February 2025, the students launched a real journalistic investigation. The theme? Migration. A subject they had already started working on in class, through readings, discussions, and now… real-life meetings.
“I really liked these workshops because they taught us to speak and think like a journalist, to gather information to learn more. I hope I can make another podcast one day.” — Melvil
The power of real-life meetings
In February 2025, the project took on a new dimension: the students met people supported by SINGA Marseille. Preparing interviews, recordings, editing… but above all, powerful exchanges with those who, one day, left everything behind to rebuild a life elsewhere.
Among them was Mustapha, a 21-year-old from Sudan. He crossed the desert and the Mediterranean before settling in Marseille, driven by the hope of resuming his studies and building a new life in the city.
“It was a very beautiful experience. It’s impressive and moving to have in front of you people who tell us their more or less complicated stories.” — Elisa
Another striking journey: that of a young Afghan man, 26 years old, who crossed ten countries, often on foot, in the hope of a better future. Each of these stories became for the students a gateway to another reality.
When comics meet journalism
Cherry on the mic: the students had the chance to interview Fabien Toulmé, author of L’Odyssée d’Hakim, a comic book recounting the real journey of a young Syrian refugee. An opportunity to approach exile differently, through images and empathy.
A transformative experience
Beyond the podcast, the students experienced an inner transformation:
- Understanding migratory journeys differently.
- Questioning representations.
- Learning to fact-check in a world saturated with fake news.
“The media influence our points of view. I found it super interesting.”
“Knowing how to verify information is important today.”
Throughout the episodes, the students didn’t just learn to handle a mic or conduct an interview: they mostly learned to listen. To open their eyes. To question preconceived ideas. A journalistic… and human experience.
To listen to the podcast and discover the project !
