Building a happier and healthier community through the power of sport and solidarity where our community is in the lead.
Yoga and Sport With Refugees (YSR) was born in October 2017 on the island of Lesvos, Greece, in response to the massive need for healthy safe spaces, the sense of community and a place to work on mental and physical health.
In September 2020, we expanded to Athens. Through cooperation with Habibi Works and KOIZ Centre for Postcolonial Studies, we started Habibi and Sport with Refugees in Ioannina in 2021. Our model is unique with over 70 of our past and current coaches coming from a refugee background.
The refugee crisis began in 2015. Initially Europe opened its borders to thousands fleeing Syria, Afghanistan and countries in Africa. Then, the borders closed and thousands of people were abandoned and isolated in southern Europe.
Through sport, we bring people together and foster hope. Sports can break ethnic and religious barriers, thus creating a safe meeting space for cooperation between cultures where everyone participates and becomes a family. We work together to build people’s skills by promoting an environment conducive to continuous learning throughout our organization. Our teams are intentionally diverse – comprised of volunteers from the international, Greek, and refugee community alike – so that we can learn from each other and become truly #StrongerTogether!
Community
Sports connects and builds bridges between people from different backgrounds that may never have connected in another environment. Our organization is a united and supportive family. We will never give up on each other, no matter what happens or where we go.
Mental and Physical Well-Being
Through sport we build a resilient body, improve our physical and mental wellbeing, sweat, laugh and move together. We create positive moments, release endorphins and work toward mutual goals.
Integration
Locals , volunteers and internationally displaced people from all over the world come together to do sport. Practicing inclusively together, we bridge cultural gaps and gain mutual understanding and respect.
Empowerment and Skill-Building
We focus on creating leadership opportunities by facilitating spaces where internationally displaced people can become coaches and we assist our teams in their skills development, providing the framework for a compassionate and safe learning community.
Positivity and Perception
By highlighting the resilience, courage and diversity of our community, we strive to shed a light on the strength of displaced people. Sharing to the world what people on the move can accomplish despite their harsh living conditions.
Yoga and Sport with Refugees is open to everyone who wants to do sport and find a sense of belonging. We welcome people from all nationalities, ethnicities, religions and cultures. At YSR, diverse people find common ground through yoga, sport and personal relationships. Our community and programs integrate and blend the best that each participant has to offer with the talents of other individuals.
-Estelle Jean, Founder and MD
“For me, sport is an expression of emotions. It allows me to focus on my mind… keeping me from overthinking… Sports has helped me to control my emotions and feel more confident in society as a woman as well as to improve and protect myself. Since I started doing sports four years ago, I have achieved more self-knowledge and awareness”.
-Mohadese, Former Yoga Teacher in Lesbos and Athens
