From new roles to new partnerships, Q2 was a period of deep work and visible progress.
It wasn’t just about hosting events or publishing updates.
It was about creating opportunities, removing barriers, and building systems that support BIPOC freelancers from developing countries.
Here’s a breakdown of what happened, why it mattered, and what comes next.
We Hired a Content Marketer
At the start of the quarter, we welcomed Deborah Oyewole as our new Content Marketer.
She’s a graduate of our 2022 Tech SEO cohort with Aleyda and brings a strong background in content strategy and SEO.
She will lead our content efforts and help us expand our platforms, enabling us to share our work more effectively.
We Distributed 50 DataCamp Licenses
In partnership with DataCamp, we distributed 50 free licenses to members of our community. Five were reserved for the participants from our dev cohort.
These licenses give our members access to training in Python, SQL, machine learning, and other practical data skills.
We Helped Two Cohort Graduates Get Paid Roles.
Big congratulations to Minnie Mururi and Chidinma Itsukor, both of whom secured paid roles with support from the FCDC.
We previously helped Chidinma get an internship role earlier this year, and now we’ve been able to get her and Minnie full-time roles as Technical SEO Specialists for a US Company.
Learning is valuable, but it’s paid work that truly transforms lives.
Our main focus is creating income opportunities for People of Color, and every time a former cohort member secures a paid role, we move closer to that goal.
Five FCDC Members Received Free Tickets to BrightonSEO.
Five FCDC members received free tickets to BrightonSEO, one of the world’s leading search marketing conferences.
Congratulations to Dess Lan, Idongesit Inuk, John Iwuozor, Precious Ojukwu, and Stephen Akadiri.
Two FCDC members attended BrightonSEO on fully sponsored trips. Semrush covered Didi Inuk’s expenses, and Jo Turnbull covered expenses for Precious Ojukwu.
We Attended Search Africon and Held a Lagos Meetup.
We supported Search Africon by providing 44 free in-person tickets to FCDC members. We also served as the official community partner for the event.
Right after the event, we held a meetup and dinner in collaboration with B-Digital.
Huge thank you to our Meetup Sponsor, The SEO Community, for making our Lagos meetup a huge success.
We Held Our First London SEO Meetup: Sip & Search
We hosted our first Sip & Search SEO meetup in London, sponsored by Moz.
This free event gave search professionals a relaxed space to network over West African food and drinks, while discussing the latest SEO trends and challenges.
It blended casual conversation with expert panel insights on topics like AI in search featuring Andy Chadwick, Tasha Antwi, and James Hayward-Browne.
The event reflected our goal of building inclusive, community-led spaces where emerging and established voices in SEO can connect and learn together.
The FCDC Turned 3
We also celebrated our third birthday at the Sip & Search meetup in London.
It was a chance to reflect on how far we’ve come since launching officially in 2022.
Over the past three years, we’ve grown a global community, launched our Content Program, supported members with training and paid work, and created spaces for connection and learning.
Turning three is a reminder of what is possible when we build with purpose and keep showing up for each other.
We Selected 8 Writers for The FCDC Content Program
We selected 8 writers to join the FCDC Content Program. This is a space where BIPOC marketers can gain visibility, develop their voice, and get paid for their work.
Each writer will be paired with an editor and receive £300 for every published article. The program exists to close the authorship gap and help our community lead the conversations that shape the industry.
Thank you to our editors and partners for making this possible.
We Partnered With Advanced Web Ranking to Launch Our First Tool Jam
We teamed up with Advanced Web Ranking to launch the first FCDC Tool Jam.
We had some great applications and have now selected seven finalists to create case studies based on the current problems SEOs face.
The Tool Jam gives freelancers a chance to build skills and create portfolio-ready work.
The top 3 submissions have the chance to win from a £1,000 cash prize pot.
Thank You to Our Tool Jam Mentors
Each finalist was matched with a mentor to help shape their projects and guide their case studies.
Their support makes this first Tool Jam a valuable learning and growth experience for everyone involved.
Thank You to dslx and Our Volunteer Content Program Editors for Supporting Our Writers
DSLX is one of our annual partners at The FCDC, and their support helps us keep the Content Program running.
This year, they also provided editors for four of our writers, helping us deliver high-quality articles and meaningful mentorship.
We’re grateful for their continued partnership and belief in our mission.
What to Expect in Q3
Selecting the 5 finalists for the FCDC Dev Cohort with Colin Gray and getting them set up for success
Selecting our top three winners from the FCDC Tool Jam with AWR
Pairing and onboarding FCDC Members with Mentors for our Digital Marketing Mentorship program
Bringing back the FCDC Expert Series, hands-on sessions with industry pros
Everything we did in Q2 was made possible by support from volunteers, partners, mentors, and donors.
If you’re someone who believes in global equity, in upskilling people who don’t have access, in creating fair opportunities regardless of geography, we invite you to support this work.
You can also support us by sharing our Q2 impact report with your network.
To sponsor a program or become a partner, reach out to chima@freelancecoalition.org
Jadesola Kareem
Passionate about content and diversity, Jadesola is a content writer. In her free time, with a cup of coffee in hand, she binges on reality shows.
