The Event Will Focus on Immigration & Innovation
GlobalHack, a St. Louis-based nonprofit focused on driving social impact through technology, has announced the theme and location for its seventh large-scale software competition, GlobalHack VII. The hackathon will take place at Saint Louis University’s Chaifetz Arena from Oct. 12-14, 2018.
At the hackathon, technologists and citizens will work over the course of an entire weekend to build software solutions which address specific challenges that face foreign-born and refugee communities of all skill levels. Teams from around the country, as well as several international teams, will compete for $100,000 in total cash prizes.
The competition is part of a larger process where civic-based problems are sourced from community members, prototypes are built during the hackathon, and software solutions are implemented within area organizations. GlobalHack will provide capital, technical assistance, and oversight after the hackathon to ensure the top projects are actually implemented.
Courtesy of GlobalHack
“One of the biggest critiques of hackathons to date is that they often lack follow-through,” GlobalHack Executive Director Matt Menietti said. “We will work with our community partners to ensure the most promising solutions are implemented, either as an addition to an existing platform or as a standalone application.”
GlobalHack VII community partners include the St. Louis Mosaic Project (STLMP), International Institute of St. Louis (IISTL), Casa de Salud and Saint Louis University (SLU), among others.
“Our new ecosystem map detailing hundreds of resources serving immigrants and refugees is just a start,” IISTL President & CEO Anna Crosslin and STLMP Executive Director Betsy Cohen said. “Ideas generated from GlobalHack VII will provide new ways for service providers and immigrants themselves to connect and be successful in our community.”
SLU and the John Cook School of Business will serve as the event’s title sponsors.
“SLU and the John Cook School of Business are proud to again be sponsors for GlobalHack VII,” School of Business Dean Mark Higgins said. “It was extremely rewarding to see high school and college students from across the country coming together last year at GlobalHack VI to solve a social problem affecting St. Louis. When we heard that Global Hack VII will again tackle a problem consistent with our mission as a Jesuit institution and impacting our region we knew we wanted to be part of it.”
About the St. Louis Mosaic Project
The St. Louis Mosaic Project is a regional initiative within the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership and World Trade Center St. Louis. St. Louis aims to be a cultural mosaic because this community believes that immigrants invigorate our region and drive innovation. Together, we welcome newcomers because they bring new energy, ideas and talent with them. We want to share our community with its great neighborhoods, outstanding schools, plus some of the
best hospitals and cultural destinations in the world.
