Michael Leonetti
Elpída Home for Refugees
Thessaloniki, Greece
Hi all! My name is Michael, and I am a rising junior at NYU double-majoring in Global Liberal Studies (Politics, Rights and Development) and Spanish & Latin American Literature and Culture, with a minor in Social & Public Policy from Wagner. This year, I was honored to be included among the 2017 Gallatin Human Rights Fellows. This is the first blog of a series that I will write over the next few months.
Broadly speaking, my project focuses on the rights of asylum seekers in Greece and their ability to realize those rights using their own agency. I see this topic as part of a broader effort to create a new narrative of humanitarian relief; specifically, that refugees and asylum seekers are ‘agents’ rather than ‘patients’ or ‘victims.’
I will spend the summer at the Elpída Home for Refugees in Thessaloniki as both a volunteer and researcher. This organization is a public-private project (funded by both philanthropists and the Greek government) initiated by Frank Giustra of the Radcliffe Foundation and Amed Khan. The two opened Elpída after witnessing the substandard living conditions of Greece’s many refugee camps. One of the failures of existing relief, in their eyes, was that it ignored the opinions, capabilities, and individuality of those receiving aid.
Elpída’s mission is to maintain a humane living environment for families seeking refuge by prioritizing the individuality and agency of every resident. Unlike many asylum seekers in Greece, Elpída residents enjoy their rights to autonomy in many forms: they manage their own living spaces, control resource distribution points such as the food market, and are involved in decisions about the camp’s day-to-day functions.
This summer, I hope to profile the camp as an example of refugee agency in action. I will seek to answer the following questions:
- What does refugee agency look like at Elpída? How do the residents contribute, and what leadership positions do they hold? How does their involvement contribute to the standard of living (including access to essential resources, meaningful occupation, and empowerment within the camp and surrounding community) enjoyed in the camp?
- Are there structures at Elpída, such as democratic bodies or camp dispute resolution systems, that allow the residents to make decisions and administer justice internally?
- How does this structure of a refugee camp allow asylum seekers to enjoy their human rights?
These questions will guide me over the next several months. I hope to illustrate my research with conversations with many of Elpída’s residents and leaders, in addition to personal experiences and observations.
Thank you for reading! I look forward to posting the next entry from Thessaloniki.