The Yazidi Community in Serres, Greece Project

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The Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS) invaded the Sinjar region of northern Iraq in 2014, killing men, women, and children, raping, selling, and holding as sexual slaves women and young girls, torturing young boys in an attempt to force them to convert. Many Yazidi families arrived in Serres with limited education and broken families, and parents are struggling to understand and cope with the behavior of their severely traumatized children. Women face a precarious existence due to their lack of independence and financial independence. Psychosocial support and life skills education is needed to help heal the members of the Yazidi community in Serres, Greece.

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Lifting Hands International (LHI) and CircusAid Collaboration

Lifting Hands International (LHI) Refugee Center in Northern Greece is located 100 meters from the Serres Refugee Camp that is the current home for more than 1000 Yazidi survivors of Genocide. CircusAid and LHI have common goals of restoring human dignity through diverse programming that teaches the Yazidi community 'life skills' such as trust, reciprocity, communication, teamwork, self awareness, self confidence and positive risk taking. After a successful pilot project in 2019, CircusAid has been welcomed back for a month-long residency that will include 6 weeks of daily circus workshops and training the Lifting Hands volunteers in the methodology we use to promote social, emotional, physical, and cognitive health.

For more information about our Serres project partner LHI

"With over 62 000 refugees and migrants stranded in Greece, the need is imminent for effective health care reform that addresses the health needs of migrant populations." -World Health Organization11.23.2018

CircusAid Workshop Activities

CLOWNING AND THEATRE GAMES encourage verbal and non-verbal communication, reciprocation, eye contact, and planning behaviors through activities such as running, jumping, crawling, and balancing.

ACRO-BALANCE AND YOGA activities promote physical, cognitive, and social health by normalizing reactions to touch, building core strength and body awareness, and combining body parts to make a shape.

BALANCED-BASED ACTIVITIES strengthen the vestibular system, promote body awareness and trust, and provide the opportunity for increased challenges.

MANIPULATION: JUGGLING, HULA HOOP, PLATE SPINNING, and POI activities focus on gross and fine motor control to improve coordination, sense of timing, and rhythm. Perseverance and problem-solving are encouraged while participants engage in bimanual hand use and crossing the midline to manipulate, grasp and reach objects.

PERFORMANCE - INFORMAL AND STRUCTURED performance provides goal-setting opportunities for the participants, enabling them to see achievable results from their work while appreciating the accomplishments of others. Performance opportunities promote:

*Motivation for Engagement
*Spontaneity and Improvisation
*Creativity, Collaboration, and Exploration