Hack the Camp Teams Present their Innovative Solutions to Refugee Challenges

Five months after the final competition, teams “RefuGR”, “Refergon,” Co-Producing the Camp, and EterArt presented progress on their projects on Thursday, June 1st 2017 at a special event for hackathon participants, mentors, press and select guests in Impact Hub Athens. Ambassador Pyatt noted “for me, for the U.S. Embassy, this is part of an ongoing commitment to do as much as we possibly can to help Greece manage the consequences of the refugee and migration crisis, to support those in Greece who are doing the work, and to make a real difference in human lives.”

During the five months that followed the Hack the Camp final, through the support provided by Impact Hub Athens, the winning teams have been able to further develop their ideas into products and services that address refugee challenges in Greece. The event closed with a performance by the music ensemble and choir of El Sistema Greece, directed by the world renowned Gerald Wirth, director of the Vienna Boys Choir. El Sistema Greece is an Impact Hub Athens initiative that aims to open the doors to young refugees in the Greek society and culture through music.

Hack the Camp (https://www.facebook.com/events/1473976499283402) was a creative marathon held in October and December 2016, and was organized by the U.S. EMBASSY ATHENS, Impact Hub Athens, and the Στέγη Ιδρύματος Ωνάση / Οnassis Cultural Centre Athens in collaboration with two international organizations with extensive experience in organizing humanitarian hackathons: Creative Associates from the U.S. and International Alert from Great Britain.