Zakaria Hersi is an award-winning tech entrepreneur and engineer of social change whose current enterprise aims to foster a better understanding of the benefits of a multicultural environment within Sweden’s tech startup community.
His company – Orten.io – is a platform that, through events and immersive workshops and training of talented women and minorities from low-income areas, works to inspire greater inclusiveness and cooperation to support tech entrepreneurship.
Zakaria Hersi has been recognized in both Sweden and Africa as a talented innovator. He started Orten.io in 2016 after nine years of entrepreneurial successes, as well as significant job-hunting frustrations in Sweden and in eastern Africa. Zakaria was seven when his family moved to Sweden from his native Somalia.
Projects
- Gather FestivalMOTIVATION LABS The Motivation Lab is where ideas becomes innovations. The objective is to help entrepreneurs and idea-driven people to take their first steps towards making their idea become reality. Earlier this year, we opened up our site for applications and we are humbled by the overwhelming interest and the quality of the work submitted. All entrants selected to participate in the lab have now been notified and we look so much forward to meeting you all. The selected ideas range from soci
- The Global Village - Järva Film FestivalPhoto credit: Julia Dansarie Film as a cultural expression is an effective way of creating meetings that bridge differences and create community. Therefore we organize Järva Film Festival for the third consecutive year. The film festival communicates multicultural Sweden on a concrete example, bringing together young people and adults from different cultures, generations and suburbs and inner cities. This year we will also keep an education in film production and together with the young people produce their own films. We want to show that the suburb is more than the negative that is transmitted in mass media. In Järva, minority groups live from all corners of the world who carry amazing stories and creativity. However, due to socio-economic vulnerability, rarely have access to platforms in the area that enhance their multi-identity, voice and creative aspects. Not belonging - an identity crisis - is a fact in the suburb. By creating own films, we contribute to the exploration of our own cultural norms, expectations, values, identities and community. We also explore our relationship with the majority society, the prevailing injustices and opportunities. Being able to express themselves through films is fundamental to developing an understanding and critical attitude towards the media that surround us in everyday life.
- Politikerveckan Järva 2017 The purpose of the Political Week Järva is to reduce the distance between politicians and residents, create better conditions for residents to engage in politics, and put local residents' questions on the political agenda. Political week Järva gives the parties the opportunity to express their solutions to exclusion, education, security and labor market integration to the most affected groups. During the week you can share part-time parties, lectures and seminars between politicians and local actors. In addition to the party leaders, we have invited representatives from other political levels: district, municipality, county council and parliament. Organizations, thinkers, study associations, youth federations, student associations, companies and authorities are welcome to do exhibitions, inform visitors and participate in the conversation.
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Projects credited in
- Championing Diversity: this Black History Month, meet 100 creatives inspiring changeWe asked 11 of our creative heroes to each nominate 10 leading black change makers and creators who are shaping the current climate with raw talent, big ideas and crazy hard work. There is still a huge disparity of BAME individuals in the creative industry. Currently only 13% of the creative industry workforce identify as coming from Black and Minority Ethnic backgrounds. In addition, only 8% of senior positions have BAME representation. Spotlighting this subject is as important as ever. True d138
Skills
- Business