A Marketplace and Skills Exchange hub to assist the integration of Refugees in Berlin, First Prize

Place and Displacement was an inaugural competition hosted by Ideation Worldwide (IDeA) which aimed to create a discourse on refugee livelihoods. The competition embodied the dignity and resilience of refugees working to protect their autonomy, creativity and capability in difficult conditions. Place and Displacement challenged young minds around the world to formulate an interdisciplinary  proposal for driving innovation in marketplaces in refugee settlements

On February 27th and 28th, the jury team met at Yale University and UN Habitat office New York, for an all-day discussion to decide on the winning team. The meeting of experts in their fields from around the world, presented with 25 of the best ideas from the younger generation, constituted a nucleus for ideas that can challenge the fundamental principles of traditional architecture and humanitarianism

Our winning proposal 

A Digital Marketplace and Skills Exchange Hub to assist the integration of Refugees in Berlin Moving beyond provisional accommodation and basic protection, the Platform seeks to build on refugees talent and capacity to create livelihood opportunities and self-sufficiency, while offering protection to the most vulnerable. Combining digital means and physical infrastructure, it endeavours to overcome the barriers faced when trying to integrate local economies and communities, re-positioning the idea of refugees as an agent of positive change both in new societies and back their communities.

We see the platform as a generator of change, a building block to a new form of organisation, empowered by a participatory environment as well as a springboard for entrepreneurship and further education.
The clear aspiration is that of a sustainable integration of refugee communities with their local host community, and providing a far reaching ambition to reposition the idea of a refugee as an Agent of positive change, both in new societies and back to their affected communities. We have put special attention to the needs of children who are growing up in these circumstances, the successful integration of their community is a pillar to their own development, and the future development of dignified and resourceful communities.

The framework begins by identifying the three fundamental elements necessary for markets to thrive: Development, Connectivity and Exchange. Our proposal addressed these in the form of: The Hub, The Digital Platform and The Nomadic Market Unit. We believe that this multi-platform approach is necessary for the success of any economic intervention for the refugees.

More info: https://www.ideation.world/competition-results