The Refugee of the Year 2026 Youssef Asad Alkhatib

Finnish Refugee Council has named Youssef Asad Alkhatib as the Refugee of the Year 2026. The recognition was announced in Helsinki on Tuesday, 16 June.

Youssef Asad Alkhatib
Age: 26
Country of origin: Syria
Residence: Helsinki
Occupation: Actor 
Family: Father and three sisters in Syria
Arrived to Finland: An unaccompanied minor who arrived from Greece in 2017 through the UN resettlement program

Fleeing to Safety

“When a person escapes the grip of a dictatorship, it feels like a bird being released from a cage.”

This is how Youssef Asad Alkhatib, the Refugee of the Year 2026, describes his life in Finland.

Originally from Syria, Youssef began his search for safety at the age of 15, leaving behind his family and homeland. ISIS had arrived in the region where his family lived and had also begun threatening the young Youssef. His family ultimately decided that he had to leave. Transportation was arranged to pick him up at 2 a.m. On his final evening at home, the youth ran to see his best friend one last time.

“I was afraid of leaving, and I asked my friend to come with me. He told me he couldn’t because he had a biology exam the next day. That sentence shattered me: while others were preparing for school, I had to flee for my life.”

Youssef returned home heartbroken. His mother was packing a backpack for the journey ahead. His father, usually a large and outspoken man, sat quietly on the sofa with tears in his eyes.

“I decided to be brave for my family’s sake and told my father that I would be fine. What worried me most was how my family would cope and who would support my parents if something happened.”

Journey to Safety

According to Youssef, childhood in Syria before the 2011 uprising was happy and carefree. Children played football in the streets, and every Wednesday the local community would gather outdoors to celebrate a weekly festivity.

“All that mattered was finding a ball and a place to play. I also remember dreaming of becoming an architect. I would look at buildings and imagine making them even more beautiful one day,” he recalls.

Youssef also recalls the anti-government demonstrations.

“Of course, I didn’t understand anything about economics or corruption. To a child, the demonstrations were exciting places to be. For me, they were moments when people from different backgrounds came together and drums filled the air with music. My parents forbade me from going, but somehow I always managed to find my way there,” he says with a laugh.

As his childhood came to an end, a journey through Turkey and onwards to Greece lay ahead. In Turkey, Youssef spent several months working in a shoe factory to earn enough money for food. He remembers dragging heavy sacks of sandals—almost as large as he was himself—from one floor to another countless times each day.

Eventually, he continued his journey towards Greece. When borders along the migration route closed, he spent three months sleeping in a sleeping bag near the border between Greece and North Macedonia.

“By the time I received a message from UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, a year and a half had passed since I left Syria. The message said: Finland is willing to receive you. My first question was whether Finland was a city in Germany,” he says with a laugh.

A New Opportunity

Youssef arrived in Finland in the spring of 2017 at the age of 16. As the plane descended towards Helsinki, he knew he wanted to make the most of the new opportunity he had been given: he would become an actor.

Shortly after arriving at the reception centre for unaccompanied minors in Siuntio, Youssef opened his laptop and began searching for Finnish actors online. Using a translation tool, he sent emails introducing himself:

“My name is Youssef, I’m 16 years old, and I want to become an actor. I don’t have any experience yet, but I have a lot of energy.”

Most of the messages never received a reply. Yet just two days after arriving in Finland, his journey towards an acting career had already begun.

“I got my first role in the Finnish National Theatre’s project Another Home. After that, I joined the Student Theatre and began my comprehensive school studies at Eira Adult Upper Secondary School. In 2020, I completed comprehensive school and continued acting in various projects.”

The year 2021 marked another turning point in his life: Youssef was accepted into the Theatre Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki as its first student with a refugee background.

“When I arrived in Finland, all I had was my dream. Now, almost ten years later, I know so many wonderful people and I’m about to graduate from the Theatre Academy,” he says with a smile.

According to Youssef, language has been his most important tool in building a life in Finland. At school, many students with immigrant backgrounds spoke Arabic with one another, which motivated him to spend time among Finnish speakers.

“Fortunately, I became involved in theatre so quickly, because it was the best place to learn Finnish. It’s a difficult language, but by listening to Finnish music and watching Finnish films, it gradually started to come naturally,” he says.

The Importance of Human Connection

Through his work, Youssef has reflected on his refugee background and how it intersects with his Finnish identity. As Refugee of the Year, he hopes to build bridges between people and bring Finnish and Arab cultures closer together.

“I believe that is my role here: to take care of the Finland that welcomed me and, at the same time, to share the culture and experiences I come from.”

Yet, Youssef says, reconciling different cultures and identities is not always straightforward.

“I consider myself partly Finnish. I sing old Finnish songs, sit on restaurant terraces, and enjoy the summer. Yet not everyone sees me as Finnish, and at the same time I miss the Syria of my childhood and my friends there. But amid these contradictions, I have achieved my dream.”

As the Refugee of the Year, Youssef is particularly eager to engage with young people and serve as an example of the opportunities life can offer. He also hopes to share his story not only in Finland but internationally.

“I hope I can help save young people from difficult circumstances, just as I was given a chance to build a new life. If even one young person finds a new direction through my story, that is a great victory. Young people are the ones who will build our future.”

Over the coming year, Youssef also hopes to contribute positively to the public conversation in Finland by highlighting optimism and appreciation for life. He emphasizes the common humanity people share and the importance of small everyday gestures.

“It doesn’t matter where you come from or whether you are rich or poor—we all live in the same city and walk on the same streets. I believe that even a small gesture, such as looking one another in the eye and saying hello, can create meaningful change over time. Above all, we can be grateful for the simple fact that we wake up each day in safety,” he summarizes.

Further information and interview requests:

Marjukka Koskenkorva, Special Advisor on Communications, Finnish Refugee Council
marjukka.koskenkorva@pakolaisapu.fi, tel. +35845 133 3803

Photos: Julius Töyrylä