CAMPBELL RIVER, BC – The City’s first-ever Hackathon for youth will take place in Campbell River this summer.
The City of Campbell River’s Youth Action Committee (YAC) is looking to give youth a voice in the community by hosting a hackathon.
Nina Baksh, the City’s geographic information systems coordinator says the event is great for youth to create ideas in a friendly and safe environment.
“A hackathon is competition where people with different skills team up to solve a particular problem. It’s also a platform to explore, and envision and a great way to generate solutions in a supportive environment,” said Baksh.
Students in grades 9 to 12 will gather at the Sportsplex on May 2nd and 3rd, and will work together with the support of mentors and trainers to create an idea for the community.
There’s no charge to participate, and a panel of judges will award prizes for first, second and third place, and the winning team will present their solution to City Council in June.
Paige Pierce, a Carihi student and current YAC member, says this event is great for the youth in Campbell River to feel involved in the community.
“A survey distributed by YAC revealed that the majority of youth felt that there was a lack of things to do in the community.”
“Now is the time to bring forward your ideas that will create the change of tomorrow.”
Anna Bissonette, another student, and YAC chair says all you need is an open mind.
“You don’t need to know how to code. You just need ideas on how to change the City. You’ll learn to develop skills such as presenting, writing, program design, team building, programming and problem-solving.”
The Youth Hackathon is hosted in partnership with the City’s Youth Action Committee, Information Technology Department and Economic Development’s Modern Entrepreneur series.
–with files from Jon Gauthier
