‘Hack the Camp’: An entrepreneurial public diplomacy and social intervention initiative to address the refugee crisis in Greece

Abstract

This article examines an entrepreneurial public diplomacy initiative led by U.S. Embassy in Athens in the form of a hackathon to address the refugee crisis in Greece. Drawing from the public diplomacy framework and principles of intercultural communication, the analysis focused on communication strategies used to bring together a diverse range of stakeholders to work on solutions for the refugees in Athens. Results show that when stakeholders commit to transparent communication and foster intercultural dialogue in a structured format, people from different backgrounds can work collaboratively on entrepreneurial initiatives. Also, by allowing refugees to be equal participants in the hackathon, the organizers empowered them to actively participate in creating solutions for their community, which helped to reinvent how the larger Athens community perceived them as well.