Lincoln Initiative Refugee Hackathon

A refugee is someone who has been persecuted or has well-founded fear of potential persecution based on race, nationality, religion, membership in a particular group or political opinion and is unable or unwilling to return to their country of origin. Unlike migrants in search of economic opportunities, who can often access extensive friend and family networks to navigate language or other cultural barriers, new refugee populations lack this type of community resource upon arrival in the U.S.

Congress passed the Refugee Act in 1980 and as you might imagine, far too much of the system remains stuck in the 20th century. Refugee processing, orientation, placement, and resettlement assistance are out-dated.

The topic of refugees has been trending lately, but it’s far from a new story. Since 1975, the United States has offered safe-haven to over 3 million refugees who faced persecution in conflict-ridden regions of the world. America has resettled more refugees than any other country and this should be celebrated as a reflection of our Nation's noblest humanitarian traditions.

We want to leverage the power of technology to refocus the national debate on exponentially improving our refugee system and ensuring this great American tradition continues.  

Why a Refugee Hackathon in Atlanta, Georgia? Refugee policies and procedures are determined in Washington D.C., but the challenge of addressing the unique needs of refugees after they arrive are passed on to local communities in every state. Georgia has the right mix of incredibly talented people, refugee success models and southern hospitality - with a small dash of controversy -  that could create a great recipe for empowering local change agents to amplify their impact within the communities they operate.

Schedule:

Friday, April 1

2-6:00pm        Refugee Resettlement Practitioner Pre-meeting

6-6:25pm        Hackathon Participants Arrive/Dinner

6:25-6:35pm   Introduction by Lincoln Network

6:35-7:35pm   Team Formation

7:25pm-Until   Hackathon

Saturday, April 2

All Day             Hackathon

Sunday, April 3

8am-1:00pm    Hackathon

1pm-3:00pm    Lunch/Presentation Prep

3pm-5:00pm    Presentations/Awards/Closing Remarks

5pm-6:00pm    Reception