2nd Focus Group Discussion – Refugee Mothers and Integration in Greece.

The HELIOS+ Center of YMCA Thessaloniki, in collaboration with Irida Women’s Center, organized another focus group discussion. This time, the group consisted of refugee mothers, and the discussion revolved around their thoughts, concerns, and the exchange of experiences within the framework of their integration process.

The Center’s team transformed one of its spaces into a safe and welcoming environment, offering the mothers the opportunity to share their feelings, the everyday challenges they face in integrating themselves and their children, their worries, as well as their personal experiences.

Through this process, significant outcomes were achieved, such as:

  • A deeper understanding of the mothers’ life experiences.
  • The identification of practical needs and emotional challenges.
  • The formulation of specific proposals and ideas for the design of programs, services, or interventions that better respond to their needs.
  • The empowerment of the mothers themselves, who participated actively in shaping support strategies.

This second discussion, within the framework of the HELIOS+ program, represented yet another step towards participatory integration and the creation of opportunities for beneficiaries’ voices not only to be heard but also to meaningfully contribute to the shaping of integration strategies.

The Helios+ project is implemented in cooperation with IOM Greece and funded by ESPA through ΕΥΣΥΔ – ΜΕΥ of Ministry of Migration and Asylum and with the co-financing of the European Union.