RILINK Schools: Rocky Hill Country Day School Library: H4GG

ABOUT

HACK FOR GLOBAL GOOD

By Students. For Students.

Hack For Global Good is a hackathon created in 2017 by two high school students from Rocky Hill Country Day School, Cortlandt Meyerson ‘20 and Ben Pogacar ‘20. Their goal was to unite public and private schools across Rhode Island to solve local and global problems while incorporating innovation and entrepreneurship alongside real-world mentors, experts, and policy leaders.

The purpose of this hackathon is to offer students an experiential learning opportunity focused on citizenship, innovation, and entrepreneurship to tackle a real-world problem. Each year, student organizers from Rocky Hill Country Day designate the next global problem.

Students are placed into teams for this interactive event to brainstorm a bold solution to a U.N. Global Challenge and ‘pitch’ their novel idea to industry Judges.

February

18-21

UN

Global

Challenge

Rhode Island

Founded

“I want to see a change in our
culture to be more
environmentally minded that will
lead to ‘green’ innovations”

Cortlandt Meyerson,
Hack the Power Founder & RHCD Class 2020

“There are many very real
problems in this world and I
believe that it only takes a few
people to make a long lasting
impact”

Ben Pogacar,
Hack the Power Founder & RHCD Class 2020

GO BIG. GO BOLD.
No more. No Less.
Then think even bigger!

WHAT

A social good hackathon is a gathering event for all doers committed to solving important problems in the world. The event is limited in time and scope, with the ultimate purpose to discover new and effective ways to overcome an existing hurdle.

WHO

Rhode Island Students in Grades 9-12. All expertise needed: creatives, writers, techies and athletes—all working together to identify a solution to the proposed topic. No coding or prior Hackathon experience required!

What is a Hackathon?

A hackathon is a time-bound competitive event where diverse individuals collaborate to create a new product or solve a critical problem.

Hackathon is a blend of two words: “hack” and “marathon” – taking apart a difficult problem and prototyping a solution in a specific period of time.

The goal of a community hackathon is to expand on the group’s collective imagination, network, access, and expertise in order to find new solutions to a real world challenge.

Goals

To launch a statewide initiative that exposes students to 21st Century skills during a real world scenario.

To develop learning modules that incorporate innovation and entrepreneurship exposing RI students to new ideas, opportunities, and an innovator’s mindset.

The goal is to come up with
the most creative and
imaginative idea to solve
a real-world problem.

Goals

The goal is to come up with the most creative and imaginative idea to solve a real-world problem.

To launch a statewide initiative that exposes students to 21st Century skills during a real world scenario.

To develop learning modules that incorporate innovation and entrepreneurship exposing RI students to new ideas, opportunities, and an innovator’s mindset.

STUDENT GOALS

To have fun and learn
something new

To meet student peers and
industry leaders

To work on things
that matter

STUDENT GOALS

To have fun and learn something new

To meet student peers and industry leaders

To work on things that matter

AWARDS

Moonshot Idea

The “Moonshot Idea” award is given to the team with the most audacious and groundbreaking idea, impacting RI and the world (does not have to be possible in the immediate present). This teams shoots for the moon!

Global Impact

The “Global Impact” award is given to the team that presents a bold and broad solution, capable of impacting the most amount of people on planet earth.

Best Pitch

The “Best Pitch” award goes to the team that best articulates the problem, identifies a clear solution, and delivers a powerful presentation or “pitch” to the Judges in Star-like fashion.