SOMA Fall Program 2025
Building Strength, Confidence, and Community Through Muay Thai
From September to December 2025, SOMA brought together 20 migrant women from Afghanistan, Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Gambia, Guinea Conakry, Mali, Peru and Somalia in Ciutat Vella, Barcelona, for a transformative 3-month journey combining Muay Thai training, skills development, and community building. Through structured martial arts practice, individualised mentoring, and a supportive network, participants discovered new strengths, built lasting connections, and took meaningful steps toward their personal and professional goals.
The barriers:
Participants navigated irregular administrative status, asylum seeking processes, and international protection needs, as well as complex living arrangements, care taking responsibilities, language courses, studies and/or side jobs.
The stakes:
Addressing multifaceted barriers: social and physical isolation, limited networks, digital divides, and linguistic obstacles.
01 Physical Training
02 Skills & Employability
03 Mentoring & Support
The SOMA Fall 2025 Program provided comprehensive support through three interconnected components:
Physical Training & Values Development
Eight weekly Muay Thai sessions (2 hours each) led by professional coach Erin Stuckenbruck. Beyond physical techniques, classes fostered values including gender equality, inclusion, non-discrimination, teamwork, and resilience. Through immersive language practice, collaborative exercises, and shared responsibilities, participants developed communication skills, independence, and leadership capabilities.
Skills & Employability Workshops
Specialised training sessions focused on practical employment skills:
• CV development and active job search strategies (2 hours)
Individual Mentoring & Community Support
Personalised one-on-one mentoring sessions to establish and work toward individual goals related to employment and job searching.. Bi-monthly social gatherings and a dedicated WhatsApp group created a safe space for mutual support, connection, and collective care.
Measurable Impact
The Fall 2025 program achieved significant, measurable improvements in participant wellbeing:
Overall Wellbeing Transformation
Using the WHO-5 Well-Being Index, participants showed remarkable progress. Average wellbeing scores increased from 61% to 76%—a 15-percentage-point improvement that exceeded our 10-point target. Even more striking, the proportion of participants experiencing poor wellbeing dropped dramatically from 38% to just 10%.
Specific Wellbeing Outcomes
Participants rated the program's impact on key areas:
• Stress reduction: 92%
• Self-confidence: 90%
• Social connections: 92%
• Overall satisfaction: 98%
Community Endorsement
100% of participants would recommend the program to other women.
In Their Own Words
Safe Space & Sisterhood
"Que es un grupo de solo mujeres; que ha sido un espacio seguro donde entrenar y relacionarnos entre realidades distintas y me ha permitido hacer amigas y entrenar en el respeto de mi espacio personal."
— Participant of the Fall Program (12/2025)
Holistic Support
"Me agrada mucho el acompañamiento, la paciencia y empeño con el que preparan las clases y también el interés en la inclusión apoyándonos en nuestras necesidades de conexión con estudio y oportunidades de empleo."
— Participant of the Fall Program (12/2025)
New Skills, New Confidence
"Before I came here I never did Muay Thai. Now I know everything that I learned here. It was very good for me and for my body."
— Participant of the Fall Program (12/2025)
Building Confidence
"To interact with people and reducing stress and to have self confidence."
— Participant of the Fall Program (12/2025)
Excellence in Teaching
"Todo fue excelente. Las felicito por el trato que nos dieron y la paciencia de enseñarnos."
— Participant of the Fall Program (12/2025)
Quality Time & Learning
"El tiempo de calidad y lo aprendido, un espacio donde estar y relajarse. Las chicas todas y cada una especial."
— Participant of the Fall Program (12/2025)
Complete Wellbeing
"Mejorar mi resistencia física, claridad mental, sensación de bienestar, conocer chicas guay."
— Participant of the Fall Program (12/2025)
Funding & Partnership
The SOMA Fall 2025 Program was made possible through the generous support of the Impulsem Fund from the Barcelona City Council.
This funding enabled us to provide completely free access to all participants, removing financial barriers and ensuring that no woman was turned away due to inability to pay. All equipment, training, workshops, and mentoring were provided at zero cost to participants.
We are also grateful to our project partner, Ruckus Athletics for providing their studio space and equipment with us for our Pilot and Fall Programs.
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Pilot Project: Social Muay Thai Program
In June 2025, SOMA Association launched its first pilot program for migrant and refugee women in Barcelona. Over six weeks, participants joined free Muay Thai classes designed as a safe and welcoming space to build confidence, reduce stress, and form meaningful connections.
The program was delivered in partnership with Ruckus Athletics S.L., blending professional martial arts training with a trauma-informed, socially inclusive approach. Alongside training, participants also took part in community activities such as: a screening of interviews from a women’s Muay Thai sparring event, watching a live Muay Thai fight together, a summer party, and participating in cultural events in Catalunya.
Why It Matters
Refugee and migrant women in Barcelona often face barriers to accessing sports and building social networks, both crucial for wellbeing and social cohesion. This pilot broke those barriers by physical training, games and social events, all purposefully designed to accommodate language and cultural differences, and by creating an environment where women of different ages and backgrounds could grow together through movement and community.
Reach & Participation
The program brought together 32 participants from 16 countries, aged 18–50. Referrals came through a strong NGO network, including Fundación Áurea, Helia, CEAR, and BarcelonActua, showing the trust and collaboration already forming around this initiative.
Participant Voices
The most powerful feedback came directly from the women themselves:
“For me, Muay Thai was really enjoyable. I made new friends, learned new things, and I want the program to be held again.”
“The training staff were so kind, engaging, and supportive. I’ve already recommended the program to others.”
“Las clases eran muy dinámicas. El equipo eran solo mujeres, muy interesadas en que aprendiéramos, con actividades diferentes y música bien seleccionada.”
Other participants highlighted the supportive environment, the chance to learn something new, and the friendships formed. Many emphasized their desire for the program to continue and grow.
Key Learnings
The overwhelming interest from both NGOs and migrant women confirmed the urgent need for inclusive, women-centered sports programs. Our outreach efforts and program implementation highlighted two critical factors for success: collaboration with local partners and multilingual accessibility. The Muay Thai curriculum proved effective across diverse experience levels, boosting confidence, social connection, and well-being. At the same time, the pilot emphasized the need for clear strategies to maintain consistent attendance over time.
What’s Next
The pilot validated both the community demand and the effectiveness of our approach. Building on these results, SOMA will scale its impact by launching longer and more frequent programs, introducing alumni and leadership pathways, and integrating employment support initiatives.
We are also committed to open access for all training materials, lesson plans, outreach strategies, and the SOMA Method—so that other martial arts gyms, NGOs, and migration organizations worldwide can adapt and replicate our model to benefit even more communities.