Social Hackers Academy: Marketing Management

Social Hackers Academy is the first full-time coding school in Athens for refugees, migrants, and unemployed Greek people. Its team focuses on educating, integrating, and finding jobs for people who belong to socially vulnerable groups — graduates' employability is the main goal, achieved by delivering a comprehensive educational program in software engineering.

In 2019, I spent a full year serving as the Head of Marketing for Social Hackers Academy. During this time, I worked to enhance the school's success and expand its reach. My responsibilities centered on event marketing, community management, and social media management.

I focused on highlighting the authentic stories of the individuals within the organization and used digital communication to build a community that cared deeply about vulnerable groups. Every day, Viktorija and I found inspiration in our students' journeys; seeing them become part of a success story was my greatest motivation. Looking back, I can honestly say there was no greater happiness than being able to make others happy through my work.

During my tenure, I initiated several projects and managed our social media accounts from the ground up. Here are some of the key works I led during that year:

I remember a day in the office when my colleague Viktorija noticed it was International Mother Language Day. After a quick 5-minute brainstorming session, we came up with an Instagram story campaign. We realized the immense diversity among our students and team members.

We believed that no matter what your mother language is, we all smile the same way. By using video content for Instagram stories, we successfully showcased the organization's international environment and highlighted that programming is a universal language anyone can learn.

During my time there, we operated on the belief that a brand's impression comes from its people as much as its mission. To encourage potential volunteers, teachers, and students, we highlighted the real-life experiences of those already in the program.

I utilized Facebook and Instagram carousel features to share these stories, allowing followers to engage with the content by swiping through authentic student and teacher testimonials. This approach was vital in encouraging hesitant candidates to take the next step.

While some consider sharing quotes outdated, we found them highly effective when linked directly to our core values: education, technology, and social impact. I developed a content plan that included customized designs for carefully selected quotes. This served as a constant source of motivation for our students following us on social media and helped them connect with the experiences of successful tech leaders worldwide.

Social Hackers Academy managed a Meetup group called "Devs Alliance," which aimed to create a hub for students and developers in Athens to network with potential employers and partners.

In just six months of 2019, we grew the group from 150 to over 500 members. This was achieved through a series of tech-oriented events and professional talks. During this period, I supported my colleague Viktorija in marketing five successful events. Witnessing the effort put into these operations and seeing the attendees gain valuable networking opportunities was incredibly rewarding. It was a privilege to see our participants open doors to brighter prospects in the tech industry.