Maryam Rezaei
Chrissoula Manolakaki
Panos Chreppas
Stamatis Tsagias
Asimeni TountaDamianos Vavanos
As long as I remember myself, I have been going against the wind. Wanting to be different from the crowd was always my way of life. My family and friends would keep telling me that going against the wind will eventually break you..! Because that is what we are taught to do from the day we enter this world; to blend in and follow the crowd. Growing up was tough as I have mentioned quite a few times, with many extreme ups and downs, but would I go back and do it all over again? You bet! Today I met a lovely smiling “humble” entrepreneur who has also wanted to be different from the norm all his life… Damianos Vavanos! He always saw more to life than the people of his environment, challenged himself to be more and traveled far to find his cause…! He is the kind of entrepreneur who pulls up his sleeves and gets his hands dirty getting the job done no-matter what. He speaks extremely fast since he has much to say, not afraid to mock himself, super energetic, funny as can be, easy going and practical!
Computer science was what triggered his passion and therefore studied at the University of Reading in London, even though he is experience oriented, a man of many talents. But as I stressed before about his restless heart he followed a different road than the corporate world, as it would have been a more “normal” way! Before he started his entrepreneurial career, Damianos worked as a truck driver for a transportation company, wood worker, marketing consultant and many more amazing spherical experiences! Because that is what life is; an experience! The more we dive in, the more we get connected to people, to our environment and find our true self; our cause!
Working remotely at his marketing consultancy initiative, he was summoned by the founder of Solidarity Mission, a full of cause NGO, to come to Greece and open a coding school. Damianos had cause deep in his heart but it wasn’t till he came to Greece through Solidarity Mission, to realize that his cause was making a social impact and help create a viable solution for the refugee crisis! It was through serendipity that he met his two other future Co-founders, Chris Owen and Michael Thomas! In 2014, and always believing in a free educational system, together they founded Social Hackers Academy! An NGO that provides free future-proof education in the most wanted skills in Software Engineering and IT to refugees and vulnerable groups helping them find a job! They have so many success stories of refugees who are working at companies already!
It is truly honorable to be able to help people in need… but helping them to retain their dignity by teaching them new skills to stand on their own feet is absolutely mind blowing! It’s because of people like Damianos Vavanos that we can have HOPE… teaching us that we need to show up and make a change! Please help them through their crowdfunding, by becoming mentors and teaching… just get in touch with them and I promise it will be worth your while!
https://socialhackersacademy.org
