Building a Creative Space With The Young People of Ritsona Refugee Camp
Lighthouse Relief’s Youth Engagement Space (YES) is a creative haven for youth aged 16 to 25 in Ritsona refugee camp in central Greece. Lighthouse’s youth programming in Ritsona began over a year ago with The Tree of Hope project, thanks to the will and drive of several people.
By Daphne Morgen
“I vividly remember the first time I walked into the Youth Engagement Space. I remember the first time I met Daphne. She shared her vision for the programme, and I remember my mind exploring the possibilities of what we could create, and how to best engage with the young people in Ritsona refugee camp. Today, the YES has become everything I hoped it could be.” — Hannah Brumbaum, Former YES Facilitator.
Hannah joined the Youth Engagement Space (YES) in the pilot phases in February 2017, just as it began to gain momentum.
In the beginning, we invited LHR volunteers to conduct workshops, if they had a particular skill they could share, and began to identify residents within the camp who were artists themselves and encouraged them to do the same.
The first workshop we ever hosted was photography 101. In the weeks that followed, the youth used their phones and borrowed staff cameras to learn the basic elements of photography, walking around camp, documenting images and moments of life in Ritsona. These pieces of art decorated the bare walls of the isobox, and led to the first of many showcases celebrating the talented young people of Ritsona.
Everyday, the number of attendees grew. We established a contract referred to as the “Terms of Engagement’, outlining respectful and appropriate behaviour within the space, that could be changed and amended as needed.
And at the forefront of my mind while of building this programme was the need to involve young people at each stage: What colour did we want to paint the walls? What activities did they want to have? What were their hobbies and interests? What did they want to learn more about? Every element of the space was a conversation.
As activities and discussions flourished, we began to see a community forming; young people began to feel comfortable with us and closer to one another. Together, they painted murals that decorated the camp’s ISObox containers, or sat at the table intent in hushed conversations as they doodled.
“I never had the chance to go to school for five consecutive years. That’s why I was having trouble making friends. But when we arrived to Ritsona, I joined the Youth Engagement Space. This period helped me a lot in self-discovery and attending the space allowed me to make friends among the other teenagers. We worked on several small projects at the beginning. I did not know I could draw nor that I love to write until we started the magazine. The space made me and my wonderful friends realize that we can create something from nothing” — Malak Othman, aged 18, from Syria currently living in Germany
The purchase of our first kettle symbolized the evolution from an empty isobox to a community space. After shaking their hands and welcoming them into the YES we asked “Biddak chai? / Would you like some tea?” This was everything we wished for the space and these young people: care, comfort, respect.
Gradually, we began to hear about more personal issues, as they began to open up about family, asylum procedures, smuggling, daily issues in camp and overall loneliness and frustration. We encouraged them to chanel these feelings into creative projects. The result was a poem about their mother, a picture of a broken heart, or an article on the injustice of war.
Over time, the youth spoke with us about how they wanted to share their ideas with the world. After hours of brainstorming and many litres of tea, the seed was planted in the form of a magazine — and from there The Ritsona Kingdom Journal was born.
“The Youth Engagement Space was our favourite place as young people in Ritsona. It made us dream. Instead of being trapped with all the frustrations we had from being stuck in Greece, it allowed us to talk and choose our way. The thought of the magazine was wonderful and amazing. It was a representation of all of us and we were going to deliver our message to the world. When the first issue of the magazine was ready, we were confident that we could do a lot. Thanks to everyone who helped us in the process of making it.” — Musstafa Musstafa, aged 23, from Syria currently living in Germany
Daphne Morgen currently works with Lighthouse Relief as Programme Manager for the Storytelling Without Borders project. Over a year ago, Daphne was the drive and inspiration behind a pilot youth programme in Ritsona refugee camp, going on to manage the new Youth Engagement Space. She holds an MA in Human Security and Peacebuilding and has 10+ years of experience in social service work and arts-based programming, primarily with young people.
