How We Build This! Equal opportunities for the future of work
The digital revolution is roaring — but only for some. This blog documents our journey to create equal opportunities for the future of work.
As you might tell from the title of this blog, we are big fans of Guy Raz and his podcast How I Built This! Being a young organization, it is really inspiring to listen to him speak with entrepreneurs from all sectors about how they started, the challenges they have come across and how they have overcome them.
So yeah, going forward this blog will be pretty much modeled on that concept — our ideas, challenges and solutions laid bare. We are a non-profit organization currently operating in Yemen, Turkey and Iraq and our mission is to equip talented youth in conflict affected areas with the skills they need to enter the digital economy as software developers and technology leaders in their communities. We work in countries with large humanitarian and development sectors, yet our approach is very different from the typical NGO.
We often find ourselves at the intersection of something our donors and partners can’t quite pin down. There is a lot of focus on providing basic needs for the many displaced people in the region. That makes sense. These types of organizations are essential for survival and without them, life would be even harder for a lot of people.
But for long term stability and the ability to provide those basic needs for yourself and your family, you need a job. To keep a sense of hope for a better future, you need opportunities. And more often than not, you need opportunities that enable you to work outside of the local economy. And while the digital revolution is roaring forward for those who have the means and opportunities to prepare themselves for the future of work, that conversation is hardly present for the people we work with.
As a result, the digital inequality gap continues to widen between those who have access to the right skills and networks to thrive and those who don’t, leading to a dangerous cyclical relationship between economic disenfranchisement and instability.
That’s where Re:Coded operates.
We don’t believe that opportunity is predetermined. Among the millions caught up in conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Yemen, there are countless young and motivated people who are hungry to learn and make the most of their talents. We want to give these talents the opportunity to join the digital economy which is less tied by borders and boundaries.
This blog is our journey and we want to share it with you. Or maybe we just want to pour our hearts out in the face of all the challenges we come across and hope you’ll learn from us or help us by sharing your experiences.
We’re an optimistic organization. We have a lot of hope in the people in our community and we have a lot of belief in the impact we can create. We’re a digital organization trying to create equal opportunities for all to join the digital revolution so for every challenge we meet, we try and see it as an opportunity to learn, to change, to stay agile and adaptable. To have faith in ourselves and in the solutions we find whether human or technological.
This blog is our journey.
