“RefugeeForce” is now Blue Road Academy —because it is not our story to tell…

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Formerly known as "RefugeeForce", today we are proud and excited to share our new name and brand with the world: Blue Road Academy.

Humble beginnings. What began as an evening volunteering project has blossomed into a global movement, paving the way for a new way of thinking and interacting with our community. We can be proud of what we have accomplished so far but we are just getting started. In this spirit, we have set ambitious goals over the coming years and believe that building a strong brand is an indispensable part of our journey.

Words matter. Since 2019, we have worked to create lasting social impact through our program for the people whom we serve. However, we recognize that many still face challenges due to a highly stigmatized landscape, discrimination in hiring practices, and misconceptions about talent. This is why we, like many organizations, also choose to remove the word ‘refugee’ from our brand and materials. We believe that it is not our role to broadly define our participants, but to amplify who they want to be and be as a partner in their future. 

“We embrace change and progress. Our programs and our organization are dedicated to incredibly resilient individuals who are faced with a complex transformation. We have always shared this burden with them. With this re-brand, we take an important step in our evolution in line with our mission. Change is not always easy, but we are fully up for this challenge.” 

- Co-Founder & Managing Director, Gaspar Rodriguez

Impact first. As Blue Road Academy, our mission remains unchanged - advancing the careers of our participants with technical training, professional development, and direct connections with top employers. To our participants, we offer an unparalleled environment for learning digital skills, technical leadership, and professional development. To our recruitment partners and customers, we continue to help them find motivated talent they would not have come across otherwise. 

We look forward to this new chapter so that we may best represent who we are and also our community of participants, alumni, partners, donors, customers, trainers, mentors, and friends.