On April 27th we will be running in the Bergen Marathon and 5k to raise money for Yoga and Sport with Refugees! We are a group of students who met through our Erasmus Masters programm where we study migration and intercultural relations. Together we come from Mexico, Turkey, Chile, the UK, and Germany. Join us in raising money for Yoga and Sports with Refugees this April.
More than 50 000 refugees and asylum seekers currently live in Greece, living in sometimes difficult conditions and uncertainty. After having lived through difficult experiences during their migratory trajectory, they benefit from very few support or social follow-up, activities to distract, or possibilities to rebuild themselves physically, psychologically or integrate into society.
Under these conditions, sports can address the need for community building, skills acquisition and physical and mental health. This project also tackles the issue of refugee integration at many levels : giving the means to regain their self-confidence, creating a strong and inclusive community and offering professional opportunities for our coaches. This is why an established project like ours is essential : offer a sustainable solution to an on-going crisis.
Our project relies on a participatory and inclusive model where refugees are encouraged to take the lead. In 2022, we had 106 coaches with a refugee background to host sports classes. Our long-term vision contributes to the integration of underprivileged people, providing them the means to do so in Europe and professional opportunities. We are committed to confront systemic bias, discrimination and injustice towards refugees by focusing on the root causes of the problem.
