Why does it matter?
By Ferdi van Heerden, ReDI cofounder
In 1992 I had the opportunity to experience the consequences of civil war first hand. Mozambique had been struggling under civil war for 20 years when the ceasefire agreement finally brought relief to the decimated community. The potholes in the streets were land mine craters. The burnt out skeletons on buses were the evidence of brutal ambush attacks on school children. In the midst of carnage and destruction, people were building a new life with the limited resources available to them.
Kids on the streets sold cans of soft drinks or cashews to the newly arriving tourists. This was before the internet, so the route to restitution and economic liberation was defined by the length of your arm and the physical strength of your body. Some individuals reverted to the skills they were taught by war, extracting money from tourists with the end of the AK47 in their hand. For the most part, however, people celebrated peace — and the massive investment that the Mozambique government had made in education was translating into a relatively accelerated road to recovery.
Fast forward 25 years and we have a civil war in Syria and the hope and ambitions for liberation are still determined by the length of your arm and the strength of your body. Physical labour is still the first way to earn money for the hundreds of thousands of refugees who arrive in Europe. It is striking for me that the internet and its digital economy that had created so much opportunity in other spheres of life had yet to connect refugees to their human potential. The educated software engineer reverting to selling the backed goods and pastries he remembers from his youth. The educated nurse spending her days cooking and cleaning as her skills go unrecognised and unrewarded.
It does not have to be like this. The digital economy allows us to transcend the confines of our physical situation. To connect and collaborate beyond our bedroom or refugee centre. The route to economic independence and integration becomes a matter of access and education. And today we can do better than in Mozambique 25 years ago.
When newcomers arrived in Germany during the summer of 2016 each and everyone of us had to ask the question: “What will my contribution be? How can I help?”
The tech community, by its very nature, has always been open to seek collaboration beyond national identities, language, or status. Your code is the password to gain access to not only earn money but to shape solutions and help others. By launching ReDI School of Digital Integration, we were able to establish a platform for reinvention and connection. People come together who are passionate about building things — and who can connect and collaborate no matter what passport they carry or what horrors their journey included.
In February, ReDI student Rami sat across from Mark Zuckerberg. What we saw though was not a refugee and a billionaire, but two passionate techies in the throws of give and take about their mutual passion, Virtual Reality.
In August, two architects, a linguist, a phycologist, two business students, and three ambitious young spirits open to learning and applying their skills to the digital economy showed Mercedes Benz what the future solutions for their retail spaces could look like. All that was needed was access and acknowledgement that the nine young people were more than the label “refugee.” Their talent, tenacity, and openness to stepping out of their comfort zones led to truly inspiring concepts and extraordinarily robust designs. The exhibition that was created not only impressed Sabine Scheunert, the Chief Digital Officer of Daimler, but also provided an opportunity for Dr. Thomas de Maizeire, the German minister of the interior, with examples of just how valuable the newcomers contribution to the German economy will be.
Access, opportunity, and the connection to Berlin’s vibrant tech community have been the keys to driving ReDI’s results. The faith that the volunteers have placed in their fellow techies, hackers, and coders have provided a new framework for developing skills and connecting newcomers to jobs.
Technology connects and IT empowered individuals can transcend the limitations of the expectations and social stigma placed upon them. As an individual, your dreams and hopes can reach beyond the length of your arms or the strength of your muscles. The dignity and passion inherent in each of us can blossom with curiosity and friendship.
