Refugee children from Syria at a clinic in Ramtha, northern Jordan (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
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You also have to put this in the context of trauma. Arriving in the context of a refugee camp when you're uprooted from your country and family, and you don't speak the language, is quite difficult… Crowdsourcing helps generate ideas from refugees to deal with sets of challenges, and overcoming the language barrier is a major problem. It's a way to give a voice to the voiceless. This platform has generated more than 60 ideas that are really groundbreaking.What was the development process of Mindjet like within UN Innovation and Ideas groups?Delarue: We were looking for a platform that could be used in a very versatile way across staff, partners, and refugees. That's why we were looking at a platform that could move from web access into mobile, because most refugees have access to mobile phones now. We also wanted to have this ability for collaboration by capturing the rhythm of the crowd through the innovation of ideas online, which can occur through social media and other platforms.Matt Chapman: We typically work with corporate organizations, and they have an infrastructure to be able to access and connect with the SpigitEngage tool. So, we had to test this, making sure the way we configured and created a data solution for them was very much in mind with the need to be lean and have a sense for a quick way of being able to work with something that is data intensive.How has this platform evolved into its current UN form?
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"It's totally transparent, and this is benefitting our bureaucratic organization in a positive way. It gives a voice to the lower-ranked staff, which is important."
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