If you could help any non-profit in Metro Vancouver fulfil its mission, who would you choose, and how would you help? That’s what VanHacks – for Social Good asked of participants this past weekend.
The annual hackathon charged participants with creating tech solutions that help solve challenges faced by local non-profits.
Organized again by TTT Studios, this is the third year the event was hosted by BCIT Computing at the Downtown Campus TEC Hub, home to the Computer Information Technology (CIT) Diploma program. The space, designed for active learning, is well suited to team projects. Designers and developers can ideate on the writable surfaces and hunker down to work in movable pods.
Choosing to Help
As for the challenges, “we’re aiming to act local and think global,” explained Chris Hobbs, President of TTT Studios. “We encourage open-source hacks that can help organizations locally and far beyond.”
Held as part of Vancouver Startup Week (VSW), this is the first year that hackers were able to choose their own non-profit to help. After selecting a non-profit organization, teams selected a technical need they could help fill.
“We’re excited this year because we think this element of choice – the hackers creating relationships with the non-profits themselves – will bring out even more creativity,” says Chris.
“In aligning themselves with something that appeals to them, we think we may see some relationships develop beyond the event, and maximize the reach and potential for ongoing synergy.”
Harnessing the Creativity of Local Tech Talent
Thirty-four teams participated in another sellout year, with topics ranging from Girl Guides website redevelopment to an app that fosters peer support connections.
With input from mentors, and a lot of caffeine and food, many teams worked overnight to pull together a solution. At the end of the weekend, it was team Pet Luv who took home the top prize for their pro-social Go Doggy app. The app aims to make it easy to volunteer to walk dogs for rescue organizations and animal shelters.
“It’s great to see the interdisciplinary teams come together at an event like VanHacks, harnessing the creativity of the local tech scene for social benefit,” said Dean Hildebrand, Dean of Computing and Academic Studies. “We have a lot of students taking the weekend to work on this end-to-end solution too – they’re well suited to this kind of challenge because of the kinds of projects they see while studying at BCIT.”
BCIT Student’s Team Placed with App for Kids Help Phone
Computer Systems Technology (CST) student Trae Bold was on the team that placed third for its “Shake it Off” mobile app. Designed to meet the needs of the national ‘Kids Help Phone organization, the app allows users to connect with assigned volunteers instantly, and sends push notification by shaking the phone.
“Mental health has become something that we can no longer ignore. I wanted to make something that I truly believed in, and was happy that my group decided to go with my idea” – Trae Bold, CST Student
“The whole concept of our app is to reduce the stigma behind calling those call centers, and acts as stepping stone for young people to step out and reach for help,” explains Trae.
About his first hackathon experience, Trae felt that skills he’d learned early in his diploma program were highly transferable – he’s only in term two! “I found myself taking the lead in both planning and developing in my group. Experience in my BCIT project course helped me apply every technique I learned from the classroom.”
Are you a non-profit in need of technical help? Learn more about computing student projects.