Many different backgrounds and families come together to make up a community. And in Greece, communities are now welcoming more refugees as members of the community than ever before. Our partners in Greece, Communitere, are setting out to bring those from different backgrounds together. One of the best ways to bring people together is through activities and learning - getting out and doing something. Many refugees and locals had have some experience with sewing. So today we're stitching together not only clothes, but friendships as well! Everyone - not matter what their situation – was welcome to Communitere's sewing workshop. Kids were invited. Communitere provided transportation and translation. And beginners? No problem! Communitere purchased four sewing machines, and then everyone got to work! Participants learned how to make cylindrical scarfs, aprons and bags. The exercises helped refugees and locals alike with limited experience to improve their skills. The … [Read more...] about Stitching a Community Together

Communitere’s Winter Workshop brings young migrants and refugees together with locals. They offer a series of creative sessions that provide new skill sets, but more importantly bring the two communities under the same roof - and working on the same projects. Communitere's workshops take on traditional arts and crafts. But the underlying theme was skill-learning - how can we take this opportunity to not only get to know one another and get crafty, but learn some new skills, too? On Day 27, we wanted to teach a fun new way to combine technology and something a lot of people are very familiar with, sewing. LED embroidery was the name of the game - and the participants loved it! There was a chorus of “Your workshop is really fun!” and “Didn’t believe that I could make it!” coming from the participants as they got to work. Refugees and the local community were excited and empowered, ready to take what they learned and apply it to ventures they may already pursuing. A … [Read more...] about LED-ing the Way

3D printing is new to Thessaloniki, which means the market is wide open for skilled 3D printer operators. Our friends at Communitere saw an opportunity. Why not help refugees learn how to offer this skill, and connect them to the local community who may be looking for it? That's what Day 25 is all about. Thanks to a donation by Fablabs, we were able to teach participants how to print in 3D! The projects covered a range of skills - from the practical like printing a broken part of a car seat to the more fun and decorative like making Christmas snowflakes. This workshop opened a door to a new technology, that could very well help refugees not only survive but grow in their new communities. It was an opportunity to lift refugees in Thessaloniki up in a way they haven't before, paving a pathway to the future. … [Read more...] about In 3D

Yesterday we visited the Thessaloniki International Fair with Communitere, our partners in Greece. Today, we're taking a look at even more exciting things happening at the fair - from sculptures to games to craft-making, there was something for everyone. Communitere wanted to use the festival as a platform for cohesion - to get refugees and locals interacting and making connections over their mutual interest in technology and learning. So we set about to help them do exactly that! On Day 24, we gathered refugee and local children and adults to take a moment to get to know their neighbors - and to get their hands dirty. For the kids, we held birdhouse-making workshops at the fesetival. For the adults, we had sculpture-making lessons and group visits to view the art. All the creative activities were centered around one thing - using recycled materials and turning them into art - bird houses and sculptures included! The festival was all about taking something and reusing … [Read more...] about Upcycling and Uplifting

This year marked the 82nd Thessaloniki International Fair! It's a time for this Northern Greek community to come together to explore advances in science, technology, and the arts. But few people realize the enormous cultural gifts that refugees in Thessaloniki can bring to the table. That's why our partners Communitere wanted to use the festival as an opportunity for refugees to have their voices heard - in a creative way. So on Day 22, we brought together refugees and migrants that live in and around Thessaloniki with a Greek Architecture firm to design and built the chill-out space for the festival! Greeks, Syrians, Nigerians, and Spanish refugees worked together, bringing their unique creative perspectives, overcoming language and cultural barriers. Together, they designed a number of modular installations, reusing and upcycling available material. As participants were working together, solving the practical problems of design and construction, they got to know, … [Read more...] about Unlocking Creativity

Working out is important, no matter where you are. It keeps your body and mind healthy. It helps keeps stress levels down, which can be especially important for refugees. In Greece, many of the refugees play football during the warmer months to stay active. But as temperatures decrease, so do the activates that are available. Communitere has a solution to solve these months without sports - a gym! In Nea Kavala refugee camp, there are many adults that don’t have tons to do. “There is the possibility of running gym sessions to create a regular gym group," said Giorgos, one of Communitere's leaders. "With the gym, we hope to create more of a community atmosphere within the camp, which could help relax tensions between ethnic and language groups.” So on Day 22, the team at Communitere designed some outdoor gym equipment! They built a pull-up bar, a double sit-up bench, a weights bench and a pull-down weighted box, as well as some hand weights. The whole project only took 2 … [Read more...] about Working Out

In 2018, almost everything is accessible through a phone or computer. The world is at our fingertips. But if you don’t have the right tools, the opposite is true. Refugees who have fled to Greece often lack that digital access, which cuts them off from opportunities and information. Communitere, our partner in Greece, has lots of used computers – they're just missing a few parts here and there that could get them up and running again. This sounded pretty doable to us. So today, we're helping fix four laptops that will help get refugees plugged in again. The first was a laptop screen repair for young Syrian refugee seeking reunification with his family in Germany. “I am still speechless...I really don't know how to express how thankful I am," he said. "Thank you so much for fixing it - it's actually better than before.” Next we repaired laptops for teachers in the nearby Nea Kavala refugee camp. “We're all testing out the laptops and tablets tonight and they are AMAZING!" … [Read more...] about The “IT” Factor

Team sports have bonded friends and strangers for ages. Today, we're moving to seeing how this old tradition is playing out in Greece,the birthplace of the Olympics, but in a very modern setting. Our friends at Communitere are using sports to unify a refugee community with their neighbors. Using the world’s favorite sport - football! Football (soccer in the U.S.) is beloved by so many communities across the globe. But when a refugee is living in a new camp, there is not always space or resources to play. Today on Day 20, we're bringing football back to the refugee community in Greece - by hosting a football tournament! We set up at the center pitch in the YMCA. And over 80 attendees showed up ready to play. “The reaction was 100% positive. You could see the happiness in their faces of belonging to a team," said a teammate from Communitere. "Football has this power, making people that do not know each other play together and become friends in order to achieve a … [Read more...] about Breaking down Barriers