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Introducing Startland: Vancouver's Tech Community Fundraising for Refugees

Noticed a unicorn standing in front of a rainbow, both online or around Vancouver? That the logo for us, Startland: a grassroots organization in the start-up community.

StartlandGraphic

Noticed a unicorn standing in front of a rainbow, both online or around Vancouver? That the logo for us, Startland: a grassroots organization in the start-up community. We launched in November 2015 with the goal of helping refugees arriving in Vancouver by providing them with tools, technology and support to find new careers in the Vancouver tech sector.

The world is facing the largest humanitarian crisis of the last 60 years. More than 4.6 million Syrians are refugees; 6.6 million are displaced. Each day, around 5000 more people, mainly women and children, flee their homes in the region. And, of course, people across the globe are made refugees every day.

Nearly 3,000 Syrian refugees will be welcomed to B.C. this spring, while 22,000 others will be placed throughout Canada. Our purpose at Startland is simple: we don’t just want these Vancouverites to survive in their new home; we want them to thrive.

With this in mind, we’ve been working with Vancouver’s tech and startup community. Many companies have already generously donated cash or in-kind support which helps us reach our goals of: coding and web development training for 60 people, workspace for 50 people, laptops for 110 people, and phones for 110 people.

Our hope is that by supporting refugees to enter the tech industry, they can build rewarding careers that feed their lives here. Many refugees will already be highly skilled, and just require some new connections to begin their careers in Vancouver. And, with a shortage of young workers with tech expertise in the industry right now, the more talented and dedicated people we can involve in the industry, the better.

Last week we launched a fundraising campaign, encouraging Vancouver residents to help us reach our goals. Any donation you can spare is most gratefully received – and, since all donations are processed via ISS of BC, you’ll also receive a tax receipt.

You can reach us on our Facebook Page or by filling out our Supporters Form.

A huge Thank You to Vancouver Is Awesome for being a media sponsor for Startland. We’ll be posting twice monthly updates about our work, and outreach. Stay tuned for more…