Our Solution
"How do you Google?" was asked in earnest by a 15-year-old Syrian refugee boy. He held out his mom's mobile phone. No one in his family had ever performed a search despite spending copious amounts of time on Facebook and WhatsApp.
This was the moment that sparked Hello Future into existence.
Basic digital literacy, the ability to find, share, and create content online, transforms a toy into a tool. One that can help refugees continue their education, build in-demand skills, and connect with other aspiring peers.
Since our inception in 2016, we've developed an innovative digital basics course (Hello Future 101) with great success implementing it in refugee camps through local instructors. In 2019-20, we added unique opportunities for mentorship and competition for refugee youth and virtual learning programs where U.S. teens can learn and interact with their refugee peers.
Refugees are ordinary people living in extraordinary circumstances. The majority of refugees worldwide are stuck in limbo with limited economic or educational opportunities. Their talents and potential are just waiting to be realized.
Globally, only 3% of refugees can access a university education. In addition to barriers to admission and the cost to attend universities, refugee families often cannot afford to lose a potential wage earner for the 4-6 years higher education requires.
We must harness the immense human potential within these aspiring students. Refugee youth need another option for education and skills training, one that is less of a time commitment than a traditional university education and designed to give them the most indispensable tools so they may succeed in creating a livelihood for themselves and their families.
With these goals in mind, we have created three additional courses, building upon our existing program and culminating in a Small Business Incubator for Refugees (launching Fall 2021). Small business is the backbone of any economy. In the U.S., 44% of economic activity is generated by small businesses. Refugees in both camps and urban settings engage in significant economic activity already -- sometimes formally, often informally. A successful small business can lift a refugee family out of poverty and towards self-reliance, while also anchoring and benefiting the community as a whole.
As we continue our foundational course, Digital Skills and Problem Solving, we will add Leadership and Social Innovation; Financial Literacy; Storytelling; and Advocacy. Students who have successfully completed the four foundational courses will be eligible to enter our Small Business Incubator. In this four-month program, students will learn the core teachings of a traditional MBA program, have access to mentorship to test their business ideas or update an existing family business, and receive a seed capital grant.
