Coding Boot Camps for Refugees

Abstract

In 2015, over one million asylum seekers arrived in Europe. With governments and traditional institutions gridlocked in providing refugee support, new actors began to emerge. Several organizations offering coding programs to refugees launched across the globe as way to address and aid in their displacement. European-based boot camps aimed for digital integration, working with refugees to kickstart their new life within the continent. Boot camps based in the Middle East worked with refugees, internally displaced people, and vulnerable youth to provide the skills needed to access digital economy. Regardless of geographical distinction, these boot camps utilized a code education to empower and improve an individual's livelihood to much success. The research presented was conducted over a period from early 2018 to January 2019.