Well here we are: it’s two-thirds of the way through Winter, Punxsutawney Phil has prognosticated, the Year of the Wood Dragon has begun… and there’s still a dearth of hackathon events (in-person events at any rate). But Spring is on its way! In the meantime, if you’re looking for a good problem to chew on, check out these two platforms and see what they’re working on.
Challenge.gov
Challenge.Gov, managed by the U.S. General Services Administration, is a leading program that supports federal agencies in advancing their missions by maturing and scaling the use of prize competitions. The Challenge.Gov team offers advanced infrastructure, empowers members of the Challenge and Prize Community of Practice, hosts interactive learning experiences, and develops practical toolkits with robust repositories of resources, best practices, and case studies.
There are tons and tons of really interesting competitions in the areas of science and technology, software and hardware, and business plans and analysis - just to name a few! Agencies like NASA, the Departments of Energy and Health and Human Services, and the EPA are all hosting challenges, some of which span over several months. A little over a year ago I entered a competition for the USDA Agricultural Research Service to name a new breed of spicy ornamental pepper - and I won the contest! A pepperhead’s dream come true!
Open Sprints
While not quite in the same category as challenge competitions, the Open Sprints platform provides a virtual workspace to contribute and collaborate on social good projects. It’s a great workspace for content editors, designers, and developers who are looking to upgrade their skills by contributing to projects within a team environment.
And there actually is an Open Sprints in-person event coming up in NYC at the Flatiron School on 09-March! The one day event is set up as an unconference style session where attendees can choose demos or sessions that align with their interest.
Open Sprints is operated by the Femmecubator, a volunteer-led community that connects aspiring software developers and UX designers to social good projects through mentorship. Volunteers and mentees accepted into the program gain experience and new skills by building digital products in an agile-driven environment.
From Femmecubator’s website:
Technology needs more women of color at the table. Femmecubator is an online community for women of color (WOC), including self-identified and non-binary individuals, who want to transform their careers - and the world - through tech. With access to resources and a supportive network of leaders, we’ll help you find your next step in tech.
[…]
Only 12% of BIPOC women occupy seats within the technology field and Femmecubator strives to bridge that gap through our App Development mentorship program. We aim to bridge the gender and racial inequities in tech – that double bind of the low representation of women and women of color.
One of the key factors that hinders POC and women from even getting in the door at tech companies isn’t the lack of education but the lack of access to a network and the obvious lack of representation.
Got Anything To Share?
Feel free to drop me a line and let me know what you’ve got going on, especially if you’re planning (or thinking of planning) any social good hackathons yourself.
Ciao for now! 🫶