72andSunny Amsterdam

Client: Hack Your Future
Product: Coding School for Refugees
Title: Behind the Source
Media: Digital designs hidden in the source code of websites
Country: Netherlands - Europe
Date Of Campaign: Feb 10, 2020

Background: Between 2014 and 2015, tens of thousands of refugees came to the Netherlands, mainly fleeing war in Syria and Eritrea. Even though many of them were given residency permits, today they are still struggling to find work. HackYourFuture, helps them to become web-developers through a 7-month program — empowering them by unlocking a career within big names of the tech industry. But even with a shortage of developers in the Netherlands, stereotypes and stigmas are still blinding many recruiters, preventing them to look outside of their usual pool of talent. The ambition of ‘Behind the Source’ is to address this very issue and to open recruiters’ eyes, one codeline at a time.

Idea: ‘Behind the Source’ is an awareness campaign launched by HackYourFuture (a coding school for refugees) that aims to reframe the conversation around refugees, and tackles the many misconceptions, stigmas and prejudices that shadow their potential when it comes to applying for a job. It consists of seven portraits that have been hidden in the source code of the online homepages of companies, such as eBay and Accenture, where HackYourFuture graduates now work. All people have to do is go on these websites — such as Ebay and Accenture — click ‘View Source’ in their browser to discover the portraits, hidden in the code, and read the exceptional journeys of those who went from refugees to employees.

Results: In the end, a potential of +24000 visitors went behind the source, reframing the conversation around refugees in the Netherlands, and beyond — even getting the initiative referenced by the UN Agency as best in class.13 new companies contacted HackYourFuture to hire graduates and sponsor the program, which eventually raised the number of graduates who successfully found a job to 120: 120 individuals who refused to let a label define their future.