I am a third year student in Social Geography at the University of Paris 1. For my first practical case study, I chose to look at migration issues in Athens and how they are impacted by government policies. This is what brought me to City Plaza. Little did I know, I would end up spending two months there as a volunteer.

Since it opened last year, City Plaza has been a unique example in Europe of an organisation which manages to provide accommodation to refugees without any help from NGOs or the state. In spite of this, it is under the daily threat of eviction.

At the hotel, each problem, conflict or threat is discussed in a meeting where Greek activists, international volunteers and residents gather together, allowing different points of view to be expressed. Discussion points range from the small details of community life to the organisation of different work shifts, the integration of the squat into the neighbourhood (in 2012 support for the Far Right Party increased a lot here) and even the organisation of big demonstrations, such as the “18M Movement”, a co-ordinated series of protests which took place in different cities in Europe on 18th of March, 2017.

City Plaza is an extraordinary place for meetings and debates, more than a simple surveying ground for political reflection. Abbas, 15, whose pictures are exhibited in the project, told me how living here had allowed him to open up to others, be less shy and to learn more and more every day. It is exactly what happened to me, and I hope that speaking of it will encourage more people to come and see what's going on in Athens.