The Keystone Project consists of an initial 3-month long project cycle, in which a group of 15-25 male participants meet 2 times per week for 1.5-hour sessions. During the session, a coach leads the group of men through a 45-minute life-skill discussion followed by a 45-minute body weight workout.
After the initial 3-month cycle, there is an option to continue for a further 3 months. There are multiple groups in various locations. The participants are men who have undergone significant trauma and live in stressful community structures.
One of our participants is a 45-year-old diabetic man. He shared with us his excitement about participating in the Keystone project. As a refugee, he has been involved in many projects from many different organizations, but he told us, “This is the first time I have attended a project that offers useful cultural information... and a style of dialogue that builds knowledge about men and exercise, which encourages movement.”
The exercise during our sessions and the changes he made to his sleep habits as a result of what he learned in the Keystone sessions made him feel better physically and helped him manage his diabetes better. He even started doing the exercises we taught him at home with his family. He also took home some of the other lessons on communication and relationship skills and told us that he started focusing more on being caring and supportive toward his family and having dialogue with his children.
