1. TECHNICAL AND LOGISTICAL PREPARATION:
Venue Selection:
It’s crucial to choose suitable venues for both in-person and online events. When selecting physical venues, such as youth centers, cultural hubs, schools, and technology parks, ensure they are easily accessible and equipped with the necessary technology infrastructure. Keep in mind that your event can have from 20-120 participants, so you need to plan accordingly. Don’t forget all the materials needed: e.g. flip-charts, papers, pens, projector and all other basic workshop equipment that you would need for such an event.
BRANDING THE SPACE:
Design a cohesive visual theme that reflects the hackathon’s mission and spirit. This can include logos, color schemes, and consistent design elements used across all materials and digital platforms. Brand the physical or virtual space with banners, digital backgrounds that reinforce the hackathon’s identity and create a vibrant, inspiring environment.
PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS:
Develop promotional items like t-shirts, bags, and posters that participants can take home. This not only enhances the experience but also serves as a promotional tool.
Technology Setup:
For online events, it’s essential to opt for reliable platforms that can accommodate interactive sessions and a large number of participants. Platforms like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Google Meet are excellent examples of reliable options. Before the event, thoroughly test all equipment and online tools to ensure smooth operation. For facilitating creative outputs in youth community hackathons, especially when it comes to collaborating and showcasing ideas, it’s helpful to use tools that are versatile and user-friendly.
You can use Miro for online collaborative white-boarding platform that allow participants to brainstorm, organize ideas visually, and work together in real-time. It’s excellent for mapping out concepts, designing project layouts, and engaging in creative teamwork. Canva is easy to use for all skill levels and helps in creating high-quality visual outputs such as infographics, presentations, and posters. Audacity is a free, open-source tool perfect for audio editing and podcast production. Meme generator is a free tool that allows you to create critical memes for addressing fake news. Don’t forget Google Forms or SurveyMonkey for gathering feedback, conducting surveys, or even voting on ideas during a hackathon.
Schedule Planning:
When designing the event schedule, it’s important to allocate time for various activities such as workshops, discussions, and creative sessions. Additionally, incorporating breaks and informal networking opportunities into the schedule enhances the overall experience for participants. This is not a “real” hackathon where participants work 24/7, so it is important to allocate some quality and fun time for participants to relax, breathe in and out and connect in a more casual way. Perfectly all activities will not last more than 12 hours a day. Each Youth Community Hackathon consists of Meet Ups that should not last more than 30 minutes per session, and creative workshops that should not last more than 60 minutes per session. Both formats of work are presented in the implementation section of the Guide.
Choose a thematic focus area:
You can find sample fake-news in the second part of this Guide on 4 different topics, where you can use them while working with your participants. You can also choose some other relevant theme.
Thematic Focus Areas in this Guide:
- Fundamental Rights in the Time of COVID-19
- Climate Challenge
- Migration and Populism
- Euroscepticism
*Remember to allocate separate hackathons or sessions for each thematic area, providing relevant resources and expert guidance.
Fundamental rights in the time of Covid-19 – right to be (dis)informed
The pandemic has tested nearly all fundamental rights, with a surge in misinformation and conspiracy theories challenging the core values of dignity, freedom, equality, solidarity, citizens’ rights, and justice as enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. Hackathons focused on this theme can help dissect such misinformation, discussing and clarifying them with young participants. This will enhance their understanding of the EU’s role during the pandemic and the actions it has undertaken.
Climate cha(lle)nge
Climate change and environmental issues have significantly mobilized young people towards activism and participation. However, this policy area is also rife with misinformation, such as claims that “the EU relocates polluting companies to the East while pretending to champion environmentalism.” Hackathons can help delve into these misconceptions, educating young citizens about EU environmental policies and encouraging their support for genuine sustainability efforts.
Migration: “Hometown of disinformation and populist campaigns”
The topic of migration has deeply polarized European society in recent years, often exacerbated by disinformation and populist campaigns. As migration is poised to be a key issue in the 2024 European Parliament Elections, it is crucial to increase understanding and address the topic effectively. This methodology focuses on unpacking the most prevalent fake news related to migration, aiming to foster a more informed and cohesive approach to this divisive issue for young people.
Euro-skepticism as a democratic barrier
Although Euro-skepticism may seem like a broad topic, the focus here is on empowering young Europeans about their citizenship, fundamental rights, and values. The past decade has seen numerous challenges fueled by populist narratives and misinformation, fostering skepticism about the very foundation of the EU and the purpose of European Citizenship. Hackathons help to collaboratively analyze, critically assess, and creatively respond to the various myths and misinformation surrounding European values and the purpose of the EU’s existence.
