Jugend hackt Frankfurt 2021
One weekend of Coding: The youth hackathon was back in 2021!
Our junior hackers met in digital worlds for the Frankfurt edition of Jugend hackt tackling the question of “what is coming next?”. The next generation of Coders and Creatives were discussing possibilities and plans for the new normal.
Challenging the new normal
This Summer the 4th edition of Jugend hackt Frankfurt took place from May 14 to 16. With 19 teens and eleven mentors we all enjoyed a full weekend of hacking, coding and project conceptualization.
The organizers team had its head-quarter at jugend-kultur-kirche sankt peter maintaining connections and infrastructure for the event which took place remotely on the custom-made WorkAdventure Island shaped as the Jugend hackt Alpaka.
Brainstorming for all the great projects already happened a week before, on May 8. There the Jugend hackt format was presented along with the Code of Conduct and this year’s motto. Then it was time to get started: divided onto the different thematic islands, the participants teamed up to develop and formulate project ideas.
During the few days in between the brainstorming session and hackathon weekend, everyone had some time to let all those great thoughts sink in. We met again on Friday and the coding-magic got started. First, the teens had to prove their know-how in hacker-ethics with a quiz prepared by our beloved friends Linn and Chris from Gamers Paradise in Frankfurt. Then the final groups were formed to work on the projects. Each group had their own designated work-space named after a female pioneer in computer science to work on one part of the Alpaka Island.
After a long Friday evening the next day was even busier: the participants had time to continue coding until 4 p.m. Then the presentations were rehearsed for the first time. Teams of organizers and mentors provided tips and feedback, and then sent everyone off for another round of coding and further development. Finally, Sunday was the big day: After another rehearsal and finishing some final touches, the teams presented their projects via Big Blue Button as a livestream on YouTube! Watch their wonderful project presentations.
The Projects
Missing your friends or family? Feeling homeschooling could be going better? Too many tools for online communication and no one keeps track anymore? This year, the young people dealt with how to solve problems and worries caused by the pandemic.
With WikiLearn and the Video-Quiz-Platform two teams have joined forces. WikiLearn collects and categorizes learning videos, creates possible quiz questions for the videos and thus provides the backend for the Video-Quiz-Platform. The platform is designed to make it easier to teach from home and keep it exciting through game-based learning. Also, it helps schools with digitization and promotes social interaction among students through a live chat.
Museums are closed again or the place you would like to visit is too far away? With Inspiroom artists can exhibit their works online and those interested in art can experience a virtual museum visit. The whole thing is provided in the form of an HTML website and is graphically represented as a marketplace. Artists have their own stall which links to their exhibition space, which they can design themselves.
When video conferencing chaos reigns and no one knows which software is best to use, Videokonferenz-Vergleich comes to the rescue! The tool makes the selection process easier even for non-tech savvy people and helps to find the right software for school, work or meeting with friends. On the website, you easily click through a few questions about your video conferencing needs and get a recommendation for one or more suitable platforms.
If contact restrictions make life difficult or you simply live far away and miss your friends, the Digital Universe is here to help! This is a digital WorkAdventure-based world where you can meet, do homework together or play games together. The pixel world was designed by the team itself and can be used in many ways.
Thank you!
We say a huge thank-you! First of all to our wonderful participants – Thank you for taking part in this experience and making it what deserves to be called a Jugend hackt Event. Thanks for your kind and respectful behaviour with mentors and among each other. It was wonderful to see you developing such exciting projects despite our somewhat different set-up!
Just as much, we want to thank the energetic and wonderful crowd of our mentors: Thank you for your patience and support all weekend long while participating from your living-rooms in Frankfurt and beyond!
Last but not least, of course, a huge thank you to all our sponsors and cooperation partners without their support, the whole event would not have been possible.
Partners & Sponsors
Team
Nils Weger
Jannik Buddeberg
Andrea Eberlein
Anna Meik
Elena Schweikert
Rainer Killinger
Christian Schneider
