About
Many paths, one journey
Our Vision
A world where refugees and other displaced people are welcomed, valued, and supported so they and their host communities can thrive together.
Our Mission
One Journey amplifies refugee voices and enhances public awareness of refugee talents and contributions. We strive to build enduring allies for refugees and use cultural and technological tools to facilitate human connections between refugees and their host communities.
Our Story
One Journey’s grassroots movement began in September 2017. With hundreds of volunteers, sponsors, and partners, our team of community organizers has hosted close to 100 refugee awareness-raising and celebratory events.
Our signature event is the annual One Journey Festival held on the grounds of the Washington National Cathedral and drew thousands of participants. Raising awareness worldwide, One Journey’s message of “many paths, one journey” reached more than 275,000 people globally.
Highlights included a cooking show with Chef José Andrés, a live interactive experience with refugees in Iraq, Rwanda and Mexico, and appearances by the Pichintu Girls Chorus and UN Goodwill Ambassadors. More>
In 1991, as war broke out in Croatia, Vanda Berninger left her home country for Germany. In 1989, Wendy Chan immigrated to the United States, as a young girl from China, to unite with her extended family, many of whom had fled China as refugees to escape the civil war.
Both Vanda and Wendy now live in the Washington DC area, and together, they are building a alliance. With a diverse coalition of allies, they are raising awareness of the global refugee crisis, helping the public see the contributions and talents of refugees and displaced people. These efforts aim to celebrate diversity and combat the growing nativism and apathy towards a humanitarian crisis of historic scale.
Compelled by their personal experiences and inspired by the United Nations TOGETHER Campaign, Vanda and Wendy launched the One Journey alliance in September 2017.
Vanda Berninger (left) and Wendy Chan (right), co-founders of the One Journey alliance.
One Journey Impact
In just four years, the One Journey movement has reached thousands of people locally through our events and partners, and hundreds of thousands more through our virtual channels. This reach has translated to increased awareness, substantial opportunities for local refugees, and thousands of community members taking action through our NGO partners. Using music, dance, art, storytelling, technology, and food, we celebrate the talents and stories of refugees and put a human face to the global refugee crisis.
Previous Impact Reports
Core Volunteers
Meet our Core Volunteer Team. Together, they supply the leadership, energy, and creativity that drives our success.
Our Partners
Our grateful thanks to the many nonprofit and business partners who host and support our events.
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