Photo Credit: Alameda County
This past weekend, big data and big issues convened at a hackathon co-hosted by Youth Radio and Alameda County’s Youth Leadership Academy. Young people teamed up and harnessed brain power to create app ideas to address critical issues facing our communities.
Hackathon participants were were introduced to the power of data, and learned about data visualization, and how data can tell stories and solve problems. The teams then had just 30 minutes to work together to design an app idea.
Some of the ideas generated at the hackathon included an app to provide information on local clinics, hotlines, and shelter for teens, a “Hire Me” app to help young people find jobs, and another called “SuperSafety,” which would provide helpful tips for people to stay safe.
Photo Credit: Alameda County
Youth Radio Interactive interns thought this opportunity for collaboration and ideation was a success. “I really liked being able to work with young people who I don’t know to reach a common goal,” said 19-year-old YRI Intern Storm White. “It was exciting to see how creative people are and how we met this challenge in a limited amount of time.”
Hackathon participants learned how to come up with ideas for their own apps using Youth Radio Interactive’s ideation toolkit. Check out the full curriculum here on Teach Youth Radio.