Fundacja ReFOCUS Media Labs

ReFOCUS Media Labs was founded in on the Greek island of Lesvos by journalist Douglas Herman and humanitarian Sonia Nandzik, who met at the Serbian-Hungarian border in 2016 while assisting refugees. Witnessing the lack of educational and creative opportunities for asylum seekers, they launched a photography workshop at One Happy Family Community Center, which evolved into the island’s first real media school. Today, ReFOCUS is a growing international network of media labs dedicated to equipping refugees and displaced people with marketable media skills and platforms to tell their own stories. Through training in photography, filmmaking, journalism, graphic design and podcasting, students gain professional experience, confidence, and portfolios that open doors to real careers. ReFOCUS also serves as a vital space for psychosocial support, cultural exchange, gender equality and inclusion. Its programs have fostered resilience, community and self-expression among thousands of participants from diverse backgrounds. Since 2019, ReFOCUS has expanded to Athens and Krakow. The Athens lab, opened in 2022, provides a fully equipped media space near Victoria Square, serving students and artists from across the world. The Krakow lab was launched in response to the war in Ukraine and employs displaced Ukrainian media professionals to lead immersive trainings for fellow refugees. ReFOCUS students have exhibited photography, produced short films, and created professional documentaries and multimedia installations presented at festivals and events in Greece, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Australia and the U.S. What began as an all-volunteer initiative now provides paid opportunities for graduates and continues to activate new communities of creators through media and storytelling.