Halloween...our last day for 2025

A goofy and fun way to end our year...another Halloween. Young people helped decorate and the dance party was epic. We counted eight countries represented among the young people.

I can't show you all the video because I can't edit all those faces! We sang. We danced.

It's one of the amazing things that Velos provides- some joy, some hope, some moments of regaining a childhood lost.

After two years of journey...in a small boat across the red sea..through Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria and Turkey- hitchhiking and by foot. Turned back many times...he persevered. Finally arriving ashore in Greece, arrested, eventually sent to a refugee camp and after time, to Athens. Velos is his sanctuary and community where he is respected and works for a new life.

Our oldest friend...from an Afghan refugee family, born and raised in Tehran, now a refugee himself. Left for Germany after our first year. Sent back to Greece. Starting barista school...dreams of owning his own coffee shop.

They taught us dances from their homelands. Some danced for the first time, having not been allowed to in their home countries.

Everyone paused their work and joined the celebration of just being together.

Learning English, Greek, and everything he can. He's practicing his reading skills with The Hobbit and To Kill a Mockingbird. He sings in French and English, too. His current favorite is Lean on Me and he throws his considerable heart into it.

Some young people have been granted a work permit and have found jobs, many at fast food shops or in the construction industry.

Housing is not easy to come by. Rents are going up, especially as central Athens apartments are often renovated into sterile AirBnBs. Velos helps with leads on those things and some support comes from other NGOs.

Many young people use the washer and dryer at Velos to keep their few changes of clothing clean and presentable. The food at Velos is often their only meal of the day.

One young man lives in a squat with 17 others. He wakes in the middle of the night for his turn to cook and keeps all his possessions in a backpack he keeps with him at all times.

So the afternoon at Velos with people they trust and care for is more than a fleeting moment. It's more than the sum of it's parts- social workers, legal support, tackling the challenges of living in Athens, help navigating medical care, English lessons, tutoring, scholarships, food, community...a sanctuary on the 7th floor in Exarchia.