Three Months Later: A Reflection on Last February’s Climate Change-Makers Challenge!

Caption: A collage of the sixteen teams that submitted projects at our hackathon!

130+ Youth Registered. 15 Countries. 5 Continents. 16 projects to fight climate change… When we launched the Climate Change-Makers Challenge three months ago, it was hard to imagine how important the event would be as a chapter in our organization's evolution! To update on some great things that have happened since & to honour the incredible change-making youth who took part, here’s a bit of a reflection. 😊
 
The Inspiration... Credit: Ocean Bridge + Hack the Earth!

When joining Ocean Bridge at the start of 2020, it was out of a longing to do something about the environmental crises that confronts us. As a Bengali-Canadian, it was hard to avoid the reality that my country of origin in Bangladesh was quite literally sinking due to climate change (Schleien, 2020). And even my adoptive home of Halifax NS, which lies in the unceded territory of the Mi'Kmaq peoples, was going to be subjected to sea level rise in the next decade (Dini, 2019).

To this end, I was inspired to apply for Ocean Bridge, a program run under the Ocean Wise non-profit, and designed to help Canadian youth take action for ocean conservation. The program taught me so much, but in particular challenged me (and all its youth) to engage in service projects that can make a difference.

This led me to Hack the Earth! Hackathons were these super-fun 48-hour events, where folks came together from different backgrounds to network, learn & develop ideas to address our world’s biggest problems.... And with Hack the Earth, here was a chance to properly develop that idea for OATHE that had been percolating for a few hours, ever since I resolved to pick up one piece of litter a day after hearing what plastic pollution does to turtles (our origin story here).

The result? That initial concept for OATHE won "Best Pollution Hack" in the hackathon, but that was the smallest of what we gained... The real prize was the chance to work on an idea that spent too long sitting on the shelf. It was the opportunity to network with people all over the world including someone in Germany (Leon) who ended up becoming a future OATHE board member (he was actually on the competing team that won the best overall hack!). It was the chance to create something that could make a difference for our beautiful planet, indeed the spark for what has now become an incorporated non-profit with hundreds of followers, an amazing team & lots of great initiatives.

The hope with Climate Change-Makers was to give back to the broader world some of what we received from folks like Ocean Wise and Hack the Earth. And if not for their help, the logistical support of SURGE from Dalhousie, the organizational know-how of Earth Hacks & so many others, our own hackathon would not be possible. Indeed, behind the scenes was literally hundreds of hours from all our partners, for which our OATHE team is incredibly grateful! 
 
The Weekend Itself: What Fun It Was!

And here’s what happened! Truthfully, as newbies to hackathon organizing, we had to learn FAST, often making things up as we went... Our initial goals were to get at least three partners on board, $1.2K in prizes, 24 to max 120 participants, a 20-40% increase in our social media following,  5 mentors or judges & have a bunch of great projects of which at least one might be developed after our event. Looking back, we definitely blew those metrics out of the water!

On February 26th, about two thirds of our 130+ registered youth gathered virtually for the opening ceremonies... And they came from a wide variety of backgrounds too: 48% identified as female. 70% were considered hackathon “newbies”, having competed in fewer than two hackathons before. Ages ranged from 10 to 60+. And there were a wide variety of educational backgrounds, ranging from engineering to environmental science to business & more... Joining too were 25+ incredible mentors & judges from four continents, with $5K+ in total prizes thanks to Ocean Wise's support.

And the weekend itself was full! Day 1 featured our opening, some match-making events, getting everyone settled onto our Slack & a super-fun environmental trivia event, courtesy of Hack the Earth. Day 2 saw teams brainstorming, doing lots of market research, connecting with mentors, a Slideshow Karaoke to end the day & a bunch of great  workshops in between that were run by some pretty rad partners, on topics like the value proposition canvas (courtesy of SURGE), food waste (Zero Waste McMaster), prototyping (Hack the Earth) & environmental justice (Watering the Grassroots).

And Sunday had more sessions + workshops but was also deadline day, with teams working hard to put together their concepts, build out their prototypes, make lots of last-minute pivots & to fit their epic stories in a four-minute video to share to the world.... Although it definitely was not easy! In the words of Swati from Dhiray Kapde, which provides a platform for stores selling second-hand-clothing, "There was a point I felt like withdrawing, but everybody gave me confidence in my idea, and encouraged me to go for it... It was really beautiful." And in the end, with each team having their own unique journey through the hackathon weekend, many meeting each other for the first time, some going through moments where they wanted to quit, others trying to figure out meetings across 10+ timezones, we received 16 submissions. And, to use Swati's words, all were inspiring, uplifting, truly "beautiful."
 
The Grand Finals Weekend
 
After the first round of judging, a total of 12 teams qualified for the final round of judging at the Grand Finals on March 6th, 2021. This was supposed to be a small, private-ish event but with how everything thus far exceeded our wildest expectations, the organizing team decided unanimously that we should make it a "thing"... And what did that mean? We went on a marketing blitz, encouraged teams to invite their friends, families & others, brought in some pretty epic guests to speak at an AMA (ask-me-anything session) & completely re-did our finals plan last-minute!

And it turned out pretty super! 100+ tickets sold. 10+ judges joining us from some of the foremost climate action organizations across the world. And 12 teams which left us collectively awestruck with the level of innovation, creativity & passion they brought, with powerful stories told through pitches + the live Q & A. It was something truly inspiring to see.

The results? As we told our peeps through the course of the hackathon, the real "winner" would be anyone who took something away from the event: One new friend. A new skill.. An idea that sparks more. A mentor connect... Still, there were folks who got a chance to take home a prize as well, and here they are:

• 1st Overall: I Forgot​

I Forgot is a mobile app game that teaches players about the negative effects of pollution! Players are rewarded mini-grants for reaching net-zero carbon emissions in-game, prompting users to learn how to be environmentally friendly.

• 2nd Overall: SolarUp

SolarUp is a new technology designed to help upgrade solar panels.  The smart technology places sensors on solar panels and keeps them clean, measures their energy output, and uses axis tracking to make the panels more efficient.

• 3rd Overall: Be-COOLess

Be-COOLess is a mobile app that helps customers shop for more eco-friendly groceries. Users can input their expense and budget limits so the app can calculate how much money could be spent on greener items.

• Best of the Rest, Environment: Mangrove

Mangrove is an application that allows for Mangroves to be detected with the Mangrove Vegetation Index. Users can click on a digital map to see where Mangroves are located, allowing for these ecosystems to be conserved and understood.

• Best of the Rest, Economic: Re Li-On

Re Li-On is a network of community recycling centres that recycle and repurpose the chemicals in dead lithium-ion batteries. Using a mobile application, users are able to exchange their batteries for energy points, which can be used at the Re-Li-On centres. 

• Best of the Rest, Socio-Cultural: Food Forests for All

Food Forests for all is a website that educates users on Food Forests - urban gardening, as a solution to food insecurity. The website also connects individuals and families in local areas who want to cultivate their own food.

• Best of the Rest, Informational + Public Choice: Firefly

Firefly is a tool that can be installed in nature in order to detect forest fires. The box reports information about air quality, soil quality, temperature and light to a digital database, in order to prevent forest fires before they spread.

• Spirit Award: Dhiray Kapde, Climate Connections 

Dhiray Kapde is a platform that allows for second-hand clothing shop owners to sell and market their clothing. Consumers are able to purchase a variety of clothing in one accessible place, making eco-friendly shopping simple.
Climate Connections is a website that helps support disadvantaged and marginalized youth with their climate change activism ideas.  Youth will use the websites to get inspired and either join or create their own projects.

• Our Other Epic Finalists: Plastic-Reducing Vending Machine, CHOMP, Fish 'N Chips​

Plastic Reducing Vending Machine is exactly what it sounds like! The project is a vending machine that accepts plastic in exchange for money, encouraging folks to recycle.
CHOMP is a mobile app that helps individuals track their carbon footprint based on their food consumption. The app provides data that allows for food redistribution and food security in local communities, while reducing food waste.
Fish 'N Chips uses blockchain technology to lets consumers track where their fish is coming from. This serves as a deterrence for governments to overfish, and can help policymakers make more informed decisions.

Be sure to check out their full submissions in our public gallery on Devpost (here)! Truly, all the submissions were high quality, with judges sharing that it was a tough decision, especially after a long period of deliberation

Some Reflections: Five Take-Aways

With many months now passed, it is interesting to look back! Honestly, in the midst of a pandemic & climate crisis, the hackathon for the OATHE team was just an uplifting experience. We were inspired by all the participants & how they rallied together behind a common cause, how they worked so hard to turn an idea into something bigger, how they took things on the chin & adapted on the fly, even when we were learning alongside them & changing plans often too-last-minute (a constructive that we will need to improve, also identified in our feedback received).

On the whole, participants reported a 95%+ rating for the hackathon overall, but what lifted our spirits even more were the testimonials. For instance, 10-year-old Zoe from team "I Forgot!" shared how "It was really enjoyable and so much for to create/ collaborate with my friends! Winning the hackathon was just a big bonus, and I was blown away by the other projects." Prajna from SolarUp felt it was "one of the best hackathons she attended this season," sharing that she was "very passionate about climate action and found it an absolute delight having a hackathon that echoed that passion."

A lot more was shared, with constructive notes mixed in with the positives, and reflecting on this all, here's a few things we see as key lessons, both in terms of what we could have done better & what we did well/should strive to continue in the future. Here's our five big takeaways from the weekend:

• Team Work Makes the Dream Work: This hackathon was not just about OATHE... It was about the way that four core partners in OATHE, SURGE, Ocean Wise, Hack the Earth & Earth Hacks coordinated to pull off an event like this, alongside so many other incredible folks as well (with special shout-outs to Zero Waste McMaster, Watering the Grassroots & the Ocean Clean-Up Project). In the same way, each of the teams had to find their own unique balances & use each other's strengths to pull off their projects. We often shared this African proverb, which proved true time & again: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together"
• Colloboration Over Competition: This connects with the first point & was something else that came up lots! As Lisa (from Food Forests) put it, "It was very cool to see Canadian & international participants coming together to address climate change... Even though the hackathon ended, climate change still affects us all, and I'll definitely treasure the unique community and connections that we fostered during the weekend." Indeed, it is so cool to hear about connections happening across teams & mentors, even weeks after the hackathon. This is true for all, but especially so when we talk about a global issue like climate change that impacts us all.
• Always Think About Equity & Inclusion: This is something we did not do perfectly. On the one had, I am proud of our hackathon's diversity. As well, we were flexible when needed, especially with our first-time hackathoners.. Yet, also reflecting on our feedback, there's more we could have done: For example, our timing was oriented towards a North American audience, but so many participants came from across the world, making joining workshops difficult. We could have been more flexible for participants needing special accommodations for any number of reasons. The diversity of judges & mentors could do better to match that of participants.
• Set the Right Tone: Michael (also from Food Forests) shared that he "had a very positive experience, because the hackathon was presented in a very supportive, welcoming and engaging way that encouraged a lot of participation." Daniel (from Climate Connection) shared that we did a good job to "set the tone about making this a fun experience, and providing lots of great resources, such as workshops & lots of mentoring opportunities"... The lesson for us? Keep things positive! With climate change in particular, it is natural to feel down, yet also so important to maintain that sense of hope that we can still make a difference.
• Give Youth (& Others) a Chance: As a final takeaway, I reflect with great gratitude how fortunate we were to have folks like our partners & in particular Ocean Wise "buy in" to our team of inexperienced, idealistic & at times too-naive youth who had an idea for a hackathon but lacked know-how, resources & connections to pull it off. They helped us & that spirit also inspired us to give our participants encouragement as they made their own idealistic, sometimes-naive & ever-developing ideas a reality. People, young & old, have the power to change the world... Sometimes, we just have to give them a platform & the chance!

At the end of the day, a single event like Climate Change-Makers, or even the sum of all the incredible innovations we saw there, will alone not solve climate change. However, what the hackathon proved is that there is hope, there are change-makers, and there is still opportunity to make a real dent in the climate crisis that befalls us. It is our firm belief that all human beings, like the youth we saw, can make a huge difference if just given the chance. As Lisa Chen from Food Forests shared: "Together we can solve climate change one small action at a time."