Hamza* began participating in the Keystone Project for the opportunity to exercise with other men. In addition to the exercise, the unique opportunity to build relationships among participants continued to compel him to come, and after completing the program, Hamza interviewed to become a coach and now leads his own sessions.
Sessions open with a time of sharing and learning before the workout class. Hamza encourages participants to share “even their griefs” with each other. This openness helps participants engage with and support one another.
“Everyone has faced different challenges in their lives,” Hamza says. “If one of us cannot walk through one of these challenges, a [fellow] participant can help him overcome this challenge. Because the men take risks to open up, after just three months together, we began to have a brotherly connection to each other.”
While it wouldn’t be obvious now, Hamza explains that the first gathering was difficult for him as a coach, “There was tension and stress… I was a new person to them. Because of this, we would always start by joking around, and I would open by giving a personal example.” Hamza discovered that his openness to share his own faults and challenges encouraged the group to join in.
Within the Keystone sessions there is a depth of solidarity relationally, emotionally, and physically amongst the men. This solidarity expresses the power of living “shoulder to shoulder” as they pursue health and community thriving.
*Name changed
