{"id":438,"date":"2016-07-01T09:38:55","date_gmt":"2016-07-01T09:38:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting\/?p=438"},"modified":"2020-07-02T19:52:26","modified_gmt":"2020-07-02T19:52:26","slug":"yoga-therapy-and-a-welcoming-network","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/2016\/07\/01\/yoga-therapy-and-a-welcoming-network\/","title":{"rendered":"Yoga, therapy and a welcoming network"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Amanda Blanco <\/em><\/p>\n

Tucked away on a side street off Victoria Square in Athens is a house whose door is always open. It is the home of Melissa Network, an organization for the empowerment of migrant women and children.<\/p>\n

A\u00a0marble staircase, lined with children\u2019s artwork, leads visitors to an open landing. Whitewashed arches reveal\u00a0a reception area for visitors, a living room, and a garden patio.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"IMG_0639\"

The\u00a0living room, where members eat lunch and socialize.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"IMG_0588\"

The veranda\u00a0offers a space of peaceful meditation and lively conversation.<\/p><\/div>\n

Young women wearing\u00a0Converse sneakers and chiffon headscarves sit on wicker chairs, chatting and eating lunch before beginning Greek language classes.\u00a0\u00a0Just a few months earlier, some lived in an informal refugee \u00a0camp on\u00a0Victoria Square. Now they\u00a0live in settlements\u00a0with their families just\u00a0outside of Athens. The daytrip to Melissa’s\u00a0house offers the women an opportunity to independently navigate a\u00a0city they may someday come to accept as home.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_0561\"

Migrant children’s crafts sit next to Gloria Steinem’s autobiography,\u00a0My Life on the Road. <\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

\"IMG_0585\"

The children’s playroom<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cBring migrant women together and they will just keep giving birth to new ideas,\u201d says Nadina Christopoulou. She sits on the sunny brick veranda, passing around a plate of homemade sweet-orange cake. An anthropologist with a doctorate in social memory from Cambridge University, \u00a0she is also one of Melissa\u2019s co-founders.<\/p>\n

Several years ago, Christopoulou realized that while there were many independent groups for migrant women around Athens, there was no bridge between them. After Greece experienced its economic and refugee crises, the need for unification\u00a0became more urgent than ever.\u00a0Along with five female leaders of the migrant community, Christopoulou and her team forged a network that now includes migrants from 45 countries.<\/p>\n

Melissa Network offers women\u00a0a chance to\u00a0share skills, social connections and life experiences. Alson with Greek language courses, Melissa offers yoga classes, art and music therapy, and weekly consultations\u00a0with psychiatrists.<\/p>\n

Christopoulou\u2019s fellow volunteer and close friend Mable Mosana explains: \u00a0\u201cEveryone is welcome in this place.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"IMG_0637\"

A language classroom at Melissa Network<\/p><\/div>\n

\"IMG_0649\"

Instruments used in music therapy classes. A pillow with Frida Kahlo’s portrait decorates the couch.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Amanda Blanco Tucked away on a side street off Victoria Square in Athens is a house whose door is always open. It is the home of Melissa Network, an organization for the empowerment of migrant women and children. A\u00a0marble staircase, lined with children\u2019s artwork, leads visitors to an open landing. Whitewashed arches reveal\u00a0a reception<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":43,"featured_media":465,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-438","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","post-preview"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/IMG_0636.jpg?fit=4952%2C2971&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7wyBy-74","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":573,"url":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/2016\/07\/19\/island-hospitality-refugee-style\/","url_meta":{"origin":438,"position":0},"title":"Island hospitality, refugee style","author":"amark","date":"July 19, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"By Alexandra Markovich The office of the mayor of Mytilene, the capital of Lesbos island, overlooks the Aegean Sea. Huge windows open onto the city\u2019s port, where discarded boats that once carried refugees to the island are still docked. Less than 10\u00a0miles separate the island from Turkey\u2019s coast. Marios Andriotis-Konstantios,\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/Statue-of-Liberty.jpg?fit=1200%2C1114&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/Statue-of-Liberty.jpg?fit=1200%2C1114&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/Statue-of-Liberty.jpg?fit=1200%2C1114&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/Statue-of-Liberty.jpg?fit=1200%2C1114&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/Statue-of-Liberty.jpg?fit=1200%2C1114&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":370,"url":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/2016\/07\/06\/the-muslim-matriarch\/","url_meta":{"origin":438,"position":1},"title":"The Muslim Matriarch","author":"amark","date":"July 6, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"By Alexandra Markovich Just after the sun sets, Anna Stamou covers her dining room table with platefuls of food to break the Ramadan fast. She pulls a stew of Egyptian sausages from the oven and sets it on the table, followed by a bowl of Egyptian salad. Then, spanakopita, a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Religion"","block_context":{"text":"Religion","link":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/category\/religion\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Anna Stamou sits in her living room in Athens on June 29. She is the Marketing Director of the Muslim Association of Greece, and one of a small population of Muslims in Athens.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/P1140778-600x455.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/P1140778-600x455.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/P1140778-600x455.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":318,"url":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/2016\/07\/04\/st-pauls-day-at-the-areopagus\/","url_meta":{"origin":438,"position":2},"title":"St. Paul’s Day at the Areopagus","author":"hwb","date":"July 4, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"By Harrison Blackman and Amanda Blanco The Book of Acts describes how the Apostle Paul traveled to Athens in the first century A.D. and visited\u00a0town leaders on a large outcropping \u00a0below the Acropolis, at a spot known as Areopagus Hill. Acts 17:23 quotes Paul as saying; \u201cFor as I walked\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Religion"","block_context":{"text":"Religion","link":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/category\/religion\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/IMG_5935.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/IMG_5935.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/IMG_5935.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/IMG_5935.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/IMG_5935.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":819,"url":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/2016\/08\/03\/the-classroom-cure\/","url_meta":{"origin":438,"position":3},"title":"The Classroom Cure","author":"Joe Stephens","date":"August 3, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Greece\u2019s child refugees are at risk of becoming a \u2018lost generation.\u2019 Is education the answer? By Hayley Roth and Iris Samuels \u00a0ATHENS, Greece -- Two young boys with skinny frames, buzzed hair and bright t-shirts jostled beneath the hot Greek sun. 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Then there is Ritsona, a refugee camp an hour north of Athens. Worlds apart, its scene is vibrant, nonetheless. Home to 600 migrants, mostly from Syria and Iraq, Ritsona\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/DSC_0164.jpg?fit=1200%2C798&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/DSC_0164.jpg?fit=1200%2C798&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/DSC_0164.jpg?fit=1200%2C798&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/DSC_0164.jpg?fit=1200%2C798&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/DSC_0164.jpg?fit=1200%2C798&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":631,"url":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/2016\/07\/21\/paradise-lost\/","url_meta":{"origin":438,"position":5},"title":"Paradise lost","author":"hwb","date":"July 21, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"By Harrison Blackman Four months have passed since the European Union outlawed undocumented migration from Turkey, effectively trapping new arrivals\u00a0from Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan in camps in Greece. As of July, United Nations statistics show that the agreement has cut arrivals by sea from the peak\u00a0of 210,000 people a month\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Lesbos"","block_context":{"text":"Lesbos","link":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/category\/lesbos\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/IMG_6303.jpg?fit=859%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/IMG_6303.jpg?fit=859%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/IMG_6303.jpg?fit=859%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/07\/IMG_6303.jpg?fit=859%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/438","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/43"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=438"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/438\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":778,"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/438\/revisions\/778"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/465"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=438"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=438"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=438"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}