Build a Refugee Social Innovation Lab in Cyprus

Dear friends!

It has been a while since you last received an update about this project, and we owe you an explanation.

Frankly, we had hoped to give you exciting news and updates already a while ago, but until recently COVID restrictions in Cyprus did not allow us to make much progress with making our dream, a Social innovation Lab for refugees and migrants, a reality. All of your donations are still sitting and waiting in our bank account. So we kept putting off writing a project report, because beyond planning we were not able to search for a space, negotiate a lease, start buying materials and furniture and getting the space up and running. However, since it doesn't seem like much will change in the next couple of weeks, we decided to at least get in touch with all of you and make sure we have not forgotten about this project, or about you.

To be honest, perhaps not being able to move forward with it as quickly as we had hoped also has its advantages. Over the last few weeks many other project ideas and future plans have been connected to the space, and we now have a much better idea of what we want to achieve. So instead of beautiful photos of our new, fully functional Social Innovation Lab, we will try to describe our plans with you in a bit more detail, so you can at least get a better idea of what we are going to do as soon as we can.

Close your eyes. Well, actually, don’t - you won’t be able to read this! But imagine with me for a minute: you are walking through the Old Town in Nicosia, Cyprus. Everywhere there are shops, restaurants and cafes. In between all the hussle, there is a window that draws your attention: “CONSTELLATION”. Looking through the large window you can see people inside: two people sitting together at a table hunched over a laptop, another three standing at the side wall in front of a large white board writing new ideas, and on the other side you see a lady in colourful clothes working on a sewing machine. Behind her on the wall is a display of clothes she has made and is selling directly to her customers. You get curious and walk inside, where you are greeted by our Fellow Ibrahim. He normally organises the jam sessions and the djembe workshops, but he also helps out as the part-time supervisor of Constellation. The space is all but a quiet work space - in fact it is vibrating with enthusiasm and passion. You overhear a conversation between a guest who has come to discuss a new recycling project with Filip, and Hrishabh is talking to one of our partners about the potential of finding a larger space due to the high demand of people interested in joining Constellation.

You can open your eyes again now. Constellation will be a “makerspace” (have a look here for somewhat of an explanation: https://www.makerspaces.com/what-is-a-makerspace/), but not in the traditional sense of that already modern concept. We want to link our Fellows with local experts, students and professionals who want to co-create new projects and work together on their existing ones. It will be a casual space where people can come to work, meet, talk and learn. Everyone who is part of it can contribute by organising workshops, seminars, events and coming up with new and bright ideas how to improve the space. Granted, we will start very small, but we dream big. And we CAN DREAM, thanks to YOU. Because without you, we wouldn’t be making all these plans. So THANK YOU for your loyalty, your friendship and your generous contributions. Please keep them coming :-) If you have any questions or suggestions for this or any other projects we are working on, please get in touch with us through email, facebook, instagram, phone or pigeon.

Yours truly,

The Project Phoenix Team

P.S.: Our project was featured in the Cyprus Mail! Have a look in the link below

Links:

• Constellation featured in the Cyprus Mail