Charlottesville Random Hacks of Kindness

Many thanks to everyone who made the inaugural Charlottesville Random Hacks of Kindness event a success!!! Here are  some highlights:

• Over 40 students from Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Virginia and Starr Hill Pathways participated.
  
• 16 volunteers representing 8 community organizations joined us to be mentors and facilitate workshops.
  
• 5 morning workshop options including web design, game design, interactive animation, digital storytelling, and physical computing.
  
•  2 problem statements shared by Charlottesville Community Bikes.
  

What is a hackathon?
A hackathon is a social event where participants learn new technology creation skills and collaborate to solve real-world problems. The Charlottesville Random Hacks of Kindness event will engage 7th-9th graders in a hackathon experience where they learn new skills, collaborate, problem solve, think creatively and communicate their vision.

A Random Hacks of Kindness Hackathon
We are modeling our hackathon on Random Hacks of Kindness, Jr. which is a non-profit organization that brings young people hands-on learning experiences where they apply technology to achieve social good. A Random Hacks of Kindness event engages young people in a hackathon experience where they learn new skills, collaborate, problem solve, think creatively and communicate their vision. Students of all backgrounds have a chance to get outside their comfort zone and be exposed to the inner workings of the world of computer science, in a fun, stress-free and safe environment, where no prior coding experience is necessary. All the while, participants make new friends, build self-confidence, and get inspired for career opportunities.

What participants can expect

• During the morning, participants will join fun, hands-on workshops designed to get their creative juices flowing while they learn to create tech.
  
• During the afternoon, participants will come together to collaborate on creating prototypes to solve a real-world problem and create social good. 
  
• Participants will receive light snacks and lunch at no cost.

What youth organizations can expect

• Recruitment material
  
• Work with organizer to identify number of participants
• Provide an adult chaperone for every 15 participants
• Provide transportation for their participants

When
January 26, 2024, 9am-3pm

Where
Albemarle Campus Club of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central VA

Who

• Participants: 7th-9th graders from local youth organizations
• Mentors and workshop leaders
• Organizational partners 

Schedule

• 9:30-9:50 - Check-in
• 9:50-10:00 - Welcome & intro to event
• 10:00-11:30 - Workshops (Game design; Web design; Digital storytelling; Interactive animations; Physical computing)
• 11:30-12:30 - Lunch
• 12:30-12:45 - Intro problem statement(s)
• 12:45-2:30 - Form teams and work on prototyping solution
  
• 2:30-3:00 - Celebration
  

The 2024 Charlottesville Random Hacks of Kindness event was made possible by the UVA Innovation Hub lab school planning grant. The annual event will be a UVA Innovation Hub outreach endeavor with lab school students eventually helping to plan, organize, and run the event. Through the hackathon, we will also gather real-world problem statements from community partners that can then be integrated into the UVA Innovation Hub curriculum during the school year. For more information contact Kim Wilkens, [email protected].