Health and Social Justice Hackathon!
About the Hackathon
Bakersfield College hosts an annual open competition on the Panorama Campus which involves pitching, programming and presenting a functioning technology application over a three-day period.Registration is required, but the event is free and open to all BC and CSUB students. Participants receive a swag bag, prizes, and an excellent opportunity to network with community organizations.
The goals of the competition are to increase awareness of public health, augment student learning, foster interdisciplinary collaboration, improve community and industry partnerships, and further develop local talent capable of meeting local needs. All disciplines are welcome to participate in the competition.
The Challenge
Students from all disciplines will be inspired and challenged to design and build tech tools that respond to specific community needs. Teams will be formed at the event and participation is encouraged from diverse academic backgrounds and disciplines (i.e. technology, graphic design, communication, STEM, and social science, as well as artists, writers and more). Each project will become an excellence resume topic and have the potential to make a difference in the community by providing a useful tech tool for public health information.
Theme
The theme for this year's Hackathon is Health and Social Justice. Teams will be challenged to develop proposed technology tools that bridges the gap in accessing services throughout Kern County. These services include but are not limited to:
- Access to fresh fruits and vegetables
- Transportation to receive healthcare services
- Medical services
- Housing
- Safe Water
- Assistance Services such as victim assistance to drug treatment or behavioral health
An important aspect of each team’s proposal would include a feedback mechanism to determine the user’s ability to access the services and any challenges or barriers faced.
Strategies can include using video to capture the challenges of accessing services, social media hashtags on where the gaps are to raise awareness, apps or websites that compare services in one area of Kern County to the other, or apps that report or raise awareness to decision-makers.
For more information or to have any questions answered, join the conversation on Slack.