The number of people in need of international protection continues to rise. According to the European Commission, there are currently 120 million people displaced around the world. Although three quarters of refugees hail from five countries (Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, Sudan and Ukraine), refugees and asylum seekers must not be treated as one entity and cultural nuances must be integrated into any community building activities. The same approach applies to gender! Women and children’s spaces aim to offer a gendered lens to issues arising from displacement by addressing gender-specific protection concerns.

“No matter how many years you live here, you will remain a foreigner”
Fatema, visitor to the Victoria Community Centre*

In Greece, racial profiling has become an entrenched issue that deeply impacts the lives of people on the move.
For refugees and asylum seekers, a simple walk in Athens can quickly turn into a distressing encounter with law enforcement.

Illegal pushbacks from Kos have allegedly not stopped happening. According to community testimonies, these practices have become a common experience for asylum seekers attempting to reach the Greek Islands. Citing violence, humiliation, and trauma, many of our community members recount the suffering they faced while merely searching for safety.

Community spaces are important for numerous reasons – they provide a sense of belonging, social support, physical health, diversity and inclusion and a recreational space to play, meet and socialise with others. So what makes the community spaces in Glocal Roots so special?

While welcoming in thousands of tourists every year, Kos presents its displaced arrivals with a very different, hidden reality. A large number of individuals are forced into homelessness while trying to start their new life in Greece, with devastating consequences.