About
About Launchathon-x
Right now many of us in our community and beyond are feeling powerless in the face of this pandemic. Just at the time we need community the most, connection has become precarious, making it easy to become scattered and lost. Let’s do something about it. As specialists in our own fields, now is precisely when our skills are the most vital, so we organize remote hackathons to bring together our community and show how much the work we do is meaningful in these troubling times.
Where will it happen?
Our “Main Stage” — where all welcomes, important announcements, and presentations will happen — will be broadcast to the full audience via Twitch.
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The organizing team will be using Zoom to talk to each other and participants, including presentation rounds. Those Zoom conversations will be broadcast to the Twitch space.
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For your team communications, we recommend using Discord as your main platform to keep everything tidy. We will also provide free access to tools such as Figma for web and app collaborative prototyping, Miro for virtual mapping and more.
How will teams work?
Teams will be groups of 2-5 individuals self-formed around complementary skills, interests or an idea. We will be kicking off the event with 1-minute lightning pitches and having a discussion period to facilitate team formation.
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As this hackathon also serves to strengthen the community, we highly encourage you to collaborate with new people in the community. Meet new people and find which concept resonates most with you.
What can I make in the hackathon?
Some examples include a data visualization project to track an issue, creative and informative videos, infographic design, tools to combat misinformation, tools to organize the local community, or a meme generator to cheer people up… there are no constraints.
Some broad categories to help you ideate:
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Data Visualization
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Public Information
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Community Tools
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Self-Care & Isolation Guides
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Humor!
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You can find some select inspirations here: Inspiration.
What happens to my project after the hackathon?
You can use the Launchathon-x as the start of a longer-term project, and there are grants out there to fund your projects!
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The following links are just a few grants out there that can support your project. We encourage every team member to research more opportunities.
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Don't forget to submit your proposal even if you are not done executing it!