Date and time: Fri 1 Nov 2024 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
**Venue updated** Sociology Seminar Room, Department of Sociology, University of Cambridge, Free School Lane, Cambridge CB2 3RQ (map).
Tickets (free): https://app.tickettailor.com/events/globalracismsinstitute/1433883
Gaza has long been home to a resilient and skilled tech community. Before October 2023, thousands of Gazans earned income online in areas like coding, graphic design, translation, cloud computing, and more, showcasing the region’s vast talent pool. Gaza Sky Geeks (GSG) played a key role in this, running co-working spaces and tech training programs across Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem, with women making up over 50% of participants.
However, the ongoing bombardment since October has devastated Gaza’s infrastructure, destroying schools, hospitals, and tech hubs, and upending normal life. This has also impacted Palestinians in the West Bank, where road closures, cancelled permits, and violence have disrupted daily life and business operations.
Despite the destruction and loss of over 41,600 lives, some Gazans continue working as freelancers, embodying the resilience of the Palestinian tech sector, which has thrived in both Gaza and the occupied West Bank despite ongoing challenges.
A call for action
As part of the event, Gaza Sky Geeks has called for collaboration and support in these difficult times. This call is addressed to:
- Members of the international tech community to help Palestinians improve their technical and employability skills to increase their chances of finding work
- Employers and universities who can offer outsourcing work and remote internships to the talent pool of Gaza Sky Geeks
- Business Advisors who can help Palestinian tech companies access new international markets & customers
- Universities that can offer scholarships to Palestinians
- Humanitarian Legal advisors who can advise Gazans who have relocated to Egypt but now need help to relocate to other countries
- Psycho-social support experts to support Gazans recover from their extreme levels of trauma.
- Corporates, Foundations and Governments who can provide financial support for GSG’s programmes in Gaza and the West Bank.
Speakers
Dr Wesam Amer, Visiting Researcher (Department of Sociology, Homerton and Jesus Colleges)
Haneen Bader, Community and Mentorship Officer (Gaza Sky Geeks)
Alan El-Kadhi, Program Director (Gaza Sky Geeks)
About Gaza Sky Geeks
Since 2011, Gaza Sky Geeks has provided freelancers, founders, and coders with the technical training and support they need to earn an income online and remotely. It remains one of Palestine’s most important bridge builders between a young skilled workforce and a global digital marketplace.
Hosted by
Cambridge Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Cambridge 4 Palestine, CU Palestine Solidarity Society, Decolonise Sociology
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Decolonise Sociology @ Cambridge 