Improve refugees' life conditions in Greece

These past three months have been jam-packed full of events, campaigns and sports at YSR! Thanks to your generosity, we've been able to keep our gym spaces alive and active, helping thousands of refugees train together, make friends, and interact with their host communities in fun, engaging ways.

MARCH

We kicked off the month of March by celebrating with all our sisters - not just Interational Women's Day, but Sister Month! We designated the whole month of March to women's empowerment and held a bunch of women-exclusive activities and sport sessions above and beyond the daily women's time we have at our gyms. There were picnics, self-defence classes, and a whole campaign we called the "Fitness Marathon", championed by our team in Athens. Fitness teachers, coaches and influencers from across the world teamed up with YSR to run special classes that helped to keep our women's sports alive.

Also in March, we celebrated the Islamic month of Ramadan with special 'iftars', the traditional breaking of the fast in Muslim cultures. Each of our projects - Lesvos, Athens, Ioannina and Paris held at least one iftar meal for the local community with free food, laughter and opportunities for cultural learning. We also celebrated the Persian New Year, Nowruz, which happened to fall during Ramadan this year, so it was a double celebration!

APRIL

In April, we joined sports NGOs from all over Europe to celebrate two big events: #NoElevatorsDay and #MoveWeek. These events, run by an organisation called NowWeMove raise not just a whisper but a shout for the power of exercise to keep you physically and mentally fit! We had an amazing outdoor bouldering day on Lesvos, city runs in Athens and Paris, and a beautiful and picturesque hike up the Zagori steps in Ioannina. Plus, for Move Week, team Athens joined us on Lesvos for an epic volleyball contest between the two teams. In the end, the YSR teams both failed though and our refugee community won. As it should be!

MAY

May was a full month, but the highlight for sure was the Coast to Coast for Coaches run on Lesvos. The team on Lesvos prepared for weeks ahead of time, recruiting runners and organizing logistics to run 320km, an entire loop around the island of Lesvos! Almost 50 runners participated on Lesvos, and over 100 other runners joined us in solidarity from their home countries. It was a real show of endurance and of community spirit - lots of blisters to take care of! The funds raised will go towards our coach program and paying staff salaries.

Thanks to all of you who continue to support YSR and our mission to use sport for the empowerment of those who need it most. Please keep standing in solidarity with YSR and our community! <3