Saturday to Sunday, 5-6 November 2016, Parramatta – Calling all hackers, hustlers, hipsters and humanitarians to come build solutions, make a difference and help to welcome young refugees to the Australian community.
Once again, we will bring together developers, designers, entrepreneurs and community members to develop creative tech solutions.This Hackathon will focus specifically on hacking the challenges faced by young people (~16 to 24). It doesn’t matter if you are older and have never been to a Hackathon. Everyone is welcome and you’ll have tons of fun while learning new skills and meeting lots of great people.
Hacker Teams will develop tech solutions for young refugee settlement challenges articulated by our partners including Settlement Services International (SSI) the largest not-for-profit humanitarian settlement organisation in Australia. Themes for the Hack will include: safety and well-being, learning the language, community connections, recognition for prior qualifications, employment, identity and belonging.
Refugees especially young refugees who have already settled in Australia will participate in the event to help teams deeply understand problems and challenges faced by new arrivals. Those who participated in our first events know that hearing from and working alongside refugees was an absolute highlight of our previous Hackathons.
Leaders from the Tech Community will mentor teams through the weekend. On Sunday afternoon, teams will pitch their solutions to a Judging Panel of Tech and Community Leaders. There is no cost to participate and wonderful food and snacks will be available all weekend.
Date and time: Saturday to Sunday 5-6 November, 9.00 to 6.00pm
Venue: Information & Cultural Exchange (ICE), 8 Victoria Rd, Parramatta
Prizes
We are planning to award sensational prizes that help teams complete and launch their solutions including a place at Catalysr, a refugee and migrant incubator, a cash prize from the Awesome Foundation Sydney and a whole bunch of awesome stuff from Academy Xi who provide tech courses for UX, UI, Virtual Reality and more. We will also award a prize for the Hack that makes Sydney more Awesome for Young Refugees, thanks to support from the Awesome Foundation Sydney.
- First Prize: $15,000 cash prize to fully develop the solution jointly sponsored by Settlement Services International (SSI), Stripe and the City of Parramatta. The winner will also win a place at Catalysr, the incubator focussed on developing Migrant and Resource startups
- Second Prize: Courses valued at $3,500 from Academy Xi
- Awesome Sydney Hack: $1,000 cash sponsored by the Awesome Foundation Sydney for the Hack that makes Sydney more Awesome for Young Refugees and a Premium Subscription to Social Change Central, a new online resource.
- People’s Choice Award and Best Contributor to the Hack Award: Mentoring by Leaders in the Sydney Startup Community
Sponsors and Supporters
- Grok Ventures
- City of Parramatta Council
- Telstra Foundation
- Information & Cultural Exchange (ICE)
- Devpost
- Muru-D
- Chief Disruptor
- Spark Festival
Please contact us if you’d like to contribute a prize or sponsor the Hack!
Contacts
Twitter: @TechfugeesAust1, Facebook: Techfugees Australia
For questions about the event including media inquiries please email Nicole Williamson at techfugeesaustralia@gmail.com.
About Techfugees Australia
Techfugees Australia is the tech community’s response to the current refugee crisis involving a network of concerned individuals who want to help refugees settle happily and more quickly into the Australian community. In Australia, we’ve held two events, the first in Sydney (November 2015) and then in Melbourne (April 2016). Many of the solutions developed are now operating as tech start-ups in their own right.