On March 6, the Refugee LinkUp campaign went live - an idea by advertising agency 180 Amsterdam. With the hashtag #sharingmynetwork, 25 status holders shared the LinkedIn profile of a corporate participant for more than two weeks.

Please note: this article was translated using a translator app

From issue to brilliant idea

 One of the obstacles between refugees and work is the lack of a network - as the minister also wrote in her letter to Parliament of March 9. That missing network is certainly not the only one, but it is an important obstacle.

 180 Amsterdam has been a partner of Refugee Talent Hub for years. In addition to the regular activities, they also like to use their creativity for our mission. Free. A conversation about the lack of a relevant professional network for status holders gave 180 Amsterdam the brilliant idea to set up the Refugee LinkUp campaign.

Awareness

 Because besides the fact that it is a shame for these people that we leave their talent unused, it is also a huge missed opportunity for the Netherlands, especially given the current tightness on the labor market. And many people are simply not aware of this crucial hurdle for status holders.

 Didi Sutisna, strategy director at 180 Amsterdam: "As a child of political refugees, I know very well how difficult it is to start a new life, in a new country, without a network. When we discussed the idea of ​​encouraging people to By opening my own network for status holders, I immediately knew that this had to be done. Not only do you generate more awareness, but you tackle the problem 'where it matters'."

 And so we asked 25 people with a large LinkedIn network to share their profile with a status holder for two weeks. We organized a photo shoot and moments for messages about the campaign on all timelines. And a company page for Refugee LinkUp. Everything to ensure that as many people as possible see it on LinkedIn.

Enthusiastic responses

 We were already very enthusiastic in the weeks leading up to the launch of the campaign, but how would the rest of the Netherlands react? Fortunately, the warm, enthusiastic, encouraging messages poured in. Within four days we had over 500,000 impressions on LinkedIn; we had clearly struck a chord! We didn't dare hope that it would take off like this. The campaign received extra attention because JC Decaux also joined pro bono: three of 'our' couples were featured on digital billboards in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Leidschendam for a week.

 That's all nice, but the measurable results so far are also impressive. About 1.5 million views on #refugeelinkup, in addition half a million views on the billboards, a few thousand reposts, and many people who spontaneously approach us asking if they can do something, have given public awareness a considerable boost. And that was exactly the purpose of Refugee LinkUp.

 In addition, with two job commitments, many appointments for cups of coffee or job interviews and a huge expansion of the LinkedIn networks of the participating status holders, the campaign was an extra success for us. So successful, in fact, that we are going to do a small follow-up... Keep an eye on our socials!

Have you become enthusiastic? Here you can read how you can participate yourself – very easily. Or be inspired by Ruben Nieuwenhuis from Techgrounds :-)