Event Details
Youth Culture and TD were pleased to collaborate on HACK To Tomorrow, a low barrier, beginner hackathon that was meant to promote inclusive design thinking and inspire youth to pursue innovation. On Saturday, March 13th, 2021, 10 teams of future change-makers and innovators worked away on amazing projects based on the theme they were given that day. To check out the theme for HACK To Tomorrow, click here! After finding out the event theme, teams worked together to create an innovative hackathon project that was accessible and inclusive to everyone. Throughout the day, teams attended informative workshops that taught them new skills and met with industry mentors who guided them through the design process. At the end of the day, every team created an amazing project and you can check out our hackathon project winners below! For more information about this event, check out the main HACK To Tomorrow event page here and for more events like this one, check out Youth Culture’s Instagram here!
Workshops
Accessibility and Design with Maayan Ziv
Activist, photographer, and CEO, and founder of AccessNow, Maayan Ziv facilitated a workshop on accessibility and inclusive design during the HACK To Tomorrow beginner hackathon. Teams used what they learned during this workshop to aid them during their design process. Accessibility and inclusivity were a large part of this event and we wanted teams to really think about those things in relation to their hackathon projects. Maayan shared her experiences and gave advice to teams on how to create a product that everyone can use and overall gave insight into how we can all take steps to create a more inclusive world.
Prototyping in Figma with Jaimil and Kamaldeep
Youth Culture Team Members Jaimil and Kamaldeep facilitated a prototype workshop in which teams learned how to mock up an app using Figma. This proved to be an integral part of many teams’ presentations and hackathon projects and was a valuable, new skill participants picked up through the day. Jaimil and Kamaldeep also hosted a workshop on how to prototype websites using HTML code. Because HACK To Tomorrow was a beginner hackathon, this workshop taught participants the basics of HTML code and how to use that in their projects.
Projects
During the HACK To Tomorrow beginner hackathon, we had 10 innovative teams work on some amazing projects that were forward-thinking and really reflected the amount of hard work and effort they put into them. Check out our hackathon project winners from our top three teams of the day!
First Overall Prize Winner
Team: The Pseudocodes
Project Name: HEAR ME OUT
This team worked on an app that would help people with hearing impairments by connecting them with volunteers who would be their ears. Inspired by how COVID-19 impacted their friend with a hearing impairment, the Pseudocodes worked on Hear Me Out, an app that is powered by volunteers who sign up and go online when someone with a hearing impairment needs assistance. With their innovative design and inclusive principles, this team was able to win first place!
Second Overall Prize Winner
Team: The Hello Worlders
Project Name: Know Your Class
This team worked on an app and website that connects students and teachers to bridge the gap created by COVID-19. Know Your Class allows students who may not have the opportunity to talk with their teachers as often online provide feedback and voice concerns and allows teachers to get to know their students better and understand their learning styles. By tackling such a prevalent issue and added accessibility features like speech to text and control over the visuals of the app, the Hello Worlders were able to become our second overall prize winner for the day!
Third Overall Prize Winner
Team: Study Room
Project Name: Study Room
This team worked on an app that helped students feel more like students during a time where compartmentalizing school and home life can be difficult. Study Room is an app that supports students through lack of motivation, lack of social interaction, and lack of mental health support and helps them optimize their learning processes. By creating an academic environment through their app and supporting students through this trying time, this team was able to win third place!