Refugee Week Greece – Community Day: “The activation and participation of many and diverse community members can bring about the change we want to see.”

For the first time this year, the ACCMR Interculturality working group participated in the Refugee Week Greece festival with an event that brought together the neighborhood and the diverse communities of our city!

In collaboration with the festival—a landmark event for Athens and other cities in Greece, held for the third consecutive year in Athens on the occasion of the World Refugee Day— the ACCMR Interculturality team, with the participation of 32 organizations, including communities, civil society organizations, international organizations, and central and local authorities, organized a grand celebration inspired by this year’s festival theme, “Our Home.”

What does Home mean to each of us? Where did our personal experiences meet those we share? Did the public space become a home we shared?

On the occasion of an invitation to an afternoon picnic at the Park for Children and Sports – KAPAPS on June 20th, various activities took place for older and younger residents of the City centred around the concept of home and the need to reclaim, expand, and upgrade public spaces as a point of meeting and communication among all residents of our city.

The program included over 30 activities, such as children’s activities, workshops, exhibitions, sports, and music. Workshops on storytelling, recording, creative writing, and crafts, as well as lessons on wrapping dolmades and knitting, photography and painting exhibitions, hip-hop, graffiti, skateboarding, and sports activities like wrestling, parkour, and boxing were among the highlights of the event.

Great Participation from Residents and Communities

It is estimated that 600 people participated in the event from start to finish, including neighborhood residents, refugees residing in the Temporary Accommodation Facilities of Ritsona and Schisto, and unaccompanied minors living in urban hosting structures.

Additionally, the neighborhood and its residents took part in the event with the contribution of the Ano Ampelokipi Cultural Association, Myrtillo Cafe, and the Children’s and Baby Library of the Municipality of Athens.

Impressions from the Event

“I liked that all the organizations participated together, giving both the organizations a chance to get to know each other and the public to learn about the work and interest of everyone towards the refugee population.”

“A big part of making the day interesting was that all the teams together represented art and sports to a great extent, and through this, everyone had fun.”

“The collective action, the different activities, the inclusion of children and adults, and the activation of various communities in the city were very important elements.”

“A specific purpose, a specific action, and the activation and participation of many and diverse community members can bring the change we want to see in our communities.”

Participants in the Event

Libraries of the Organization of Culture, Sports, and Youth of the Municipality of Athens (OPANDA), French Institute, International Organization for Migration (IOM) as part of the HELIOS program, Network for Children’s Rights, Hellenic Olympic Committee, Hellenic Wrestling Federation, Hellenic Migrants’ Forum, Hellenic Refugee Forum, Club of Ukrainian Women in Greece, Migrants’ Integration Center of the Municipality of Athens, METAdrasi, Myrtillo Cafe, Polyphonic Song Group of Natalia Lambadaki, Organization Earth, KOINSEP Isis, KOINSEP Pigi, Ano Ampelokipi Cultural Association, MSc “Global Health – Disaster Medicine” of the Medical School of EKPA, UNHCR, Ministry of Migration and Asylum (Directorate of Social Integration), Athens Comics Library, ACCMR – Athens Coordination Center for Migrant and Refugee issues, Connect by Music AMKE, Diversity United, Free Movement Skateboard, Hip Hop 4 Hope, London Metropolitan University (UK), LUZ Visual Studies, PRAKSIS, Refugee Week Greece, SolidarityNow, Yoga and Sports with Refugees.

A Few Words About Refugee Week Greece 2024

Refugee Week Greece is a global movement with festivals taking place in the UK, Hong Kong, Malta, Taiwan, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, Jordan, and other countries, totaling 17.

The festival in Greece is co-organized by Counterpoints Greece and We Are Community and is held under the auspices of the Municipality of Athens.

The festival was supported by the Organization of Culture, Sports, and Youth of the Municipality of Athens and the members of the Steering Committee: International Organization for Migration, Greek Council for Refugees, Network for Children’s Rights, Hellenic Refugee Forum (GFR), Athens Coordination Center for Migrant and Refugee Issues (ACCMR), UNHCR, Choose Love, Comicdom, Counterpoints Arts, Melissa Network, SolidarityNow, UNICEF, We Are Community, as well as the MSc “Global Health – Disaster Medicine” of the Medical School of EKPA.

Communication Support: Athens 984

Watch the video created by the City of Athens: https://fb.watch/tYjHkDMRuj/

Main Photo: © RefugeeWeekFestival | Artwork from the Community Celebration event created by the volunteers of the Refugee Week Greece Festival, postgraduate students in Architecture at London Metropolitan University: Arun Kowcn, Daria Serhiienko, Josh Trainor, Nok Yi Leung, Lorine