"The smugglers pushed us into a wooden boat like animals. The capacity was 50 people, but there were 150 crammed inside. Half an hour into our journey, the smugglers stopped the boat, and told us: “Now, no Libyans will attack you, but one of you must drive the boat.”

The boat was crammed with people. The elderly started to scream and cry: “Will you send us to our deaths?” The children begged them: “Please, we want to go back.”

The smugglers told them: “If you want to go back to Libya, we will shoot you now. We will drown you. There are two options – death, or go to Italy. It is up to you."

Ali was only 16-years-old when war broke out in his home country, Syria. He was living a quiet life in a village called Al-Harrah, near Daraa, with his two younger sisters, two brothers and his father, who had his own business selling medical equipment. He hoped to go to university to become a doctor or an engineer however, President Bashar Hafez al-Assad and his brutal regime soon scuppered his plans for the future.

Suddenly Ali and his family, as well as many others in their hometown, became the enemies of the government for resisting the system.

Missiles and rockets were dropped in the neighbourhood, causing devastating carnage and destroying their childhood memories and family home. One bomb fell beside their father, killing him instantly and from that moment on, Ali’s life changed forever.

Struggling to fend for himself and his younger siblings with no money or any place to sleep, he knew he had to leave and build a life for himself in another country, in order to provide for his remaining family.

Filled with dread and reluctance, he boarded a boat which promised to take him to Italy and watched as the waves lapped by, uncertain about what the journey would bring and whether he would even make it to safer shores…

Since the Calais Refugee Camp was dismantled three months ago and 10,000 refugees and migrants moved to 164 reception centres across France, not a great deal has since been reported on how these people are rebuilding their lives, particularly those who moved to London.

Park Theatre, in Clifton Terrace, is exploring the stories of young Syrians who left the war-torn country and faced danger as they travelled thousands of miles to forge a new start.

On January 22, there will be an evening of music and storytelling and the chance for the audience to learn more about the ancient culture of the city through Syrian eyes. There will also be Syrian volunteers on hand to answer questions about their country.

The stories have been sourced from true first-hand accounts and interviews, and will be voiced by young Syrians living in London. The three main focuses will be on Ali, who fled Syria as a child and crossed the Mediterranean before seeking asylum in the UK, Massa, a young woman filled with nostalgia for her childhood in Damascus and Firas, a translator who dreams of opening an Arabic Language café.

Firas moved to London in October 2010 as a student on a Masters Degree scholarship. After studying Islamic history for two years, he applied for asylum, which was quick and easy, and from then on real life started to begin for him.

His favourite spots in the city are Shoreditch and Old Street, as he always meets some interesting people.

He also likes the weather in the UK, as it is never very cold or very hot - the opposite of the conditions in his home village in Syria.

Firas likes to find restaurants that remind him of home but also likes to explore other cultures and foods from other countries, such as Iran. He also has plans to open an Arabic language café that incorporates aspects of his Syrian heritage, as well as other Middle Eastern food.

For Firas, being a Londoner means not belonging to anywhere, but at the same time belonging to just one place. However, he doesn’t know if he would describe himself as a person from London, as he has an identity problem. He still thinks of himself as a Syrian and still has a Syrian passport, but he knows now that he will never be able to return to the place he still thinks of as home.

Voices Of Syria, Park Theatre, Clifton Terrace, Finsbury Park, N4 3JP, Sunday, January 22, 5pm, details: 020 7870 6876, parktheatre.co.uk