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Tech4SocialChange: Crowd-sourcing to bring migrants' experiences to the academics: Humanitarian challenges and opportunities, connectivity & communication

Abstract:

There are already numerous tools for sharing stories about the new life of migrants. Social networks are used daily with this very purpose. However, the main purpose of social networks in these cases is simply to raise awareness. Tech4SocialChange is not a social network. It is a system that takes a proactive approach to transform social challenges into concrete challenges to be solved by engineers. In this paper, the case studies of 'How to stop the attacks on women in refugee camps?' and 'How to measure the isolation of migrants in an automated way?' are presented by using the method of Tech4SocialChange for problem definition and solving. This method takes advantage of the academic world that sometimes wants to help but doesn't know how. We have researchers and professors that struggle to find interesting subjects for their work and/or classes; students that, on the other hand, may have a greater interest in working on real-world projects, instead of assignments with mere academic value, and, of course, traditional volunteers: people with a passion for solving social problems of this nature and willing to lend a helping hand. These are the intended users, for the prototype developed, to show this innovative process.