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 days to complete!
“We now have a fully functioning gym in our Open Community Space.It looks like proper gym equipment and the refugees know how to use it. Many people from different groups have been impacted already: young men, older men, women and children,” said Giorgos.
We can all relate to the importance of keeping fit, mind and body. Now, that opportunity is available to refugees at Nea Kavala, too!
