Community hackathon: Creativity and collaboration to combat child labour
The Community Hackathon unites young people from vulnerable communities to create innovative solutions to address child labour. Led by the ILO, ITCILO, and Nascent RDO, this unique event helps participants transform their experiences into actionable ideas, fostering creativity, teamwork, and practical skills for real-world impact.
As the first hackathon of its kind, it is specifically designed for young people from vulnerable backgrounds, many with personal experiences of child labour. This pioneering event empowers them to confront child labour challenges through innovation, collaboration, and creativity.
What makes this hackathon ground-breaking?
This is more than a hackathon—it's a platform for transformation. By amplifying the voices of young people from vulnerable communities, the event fosters an inclusive space where participants can share experiences, exchange ideas, and develop impactful solutions.
Our Approach: Empowering Community-Driven Ideas
- Creativity: Inspiring fresh, innovative thinking.
- Open mindset: Fostering positivity, resilience, and collaboration.
- Pushing boundaries: Moving beyond conventional thinking to embrace innovation.
- Understanding the challenge: Analysing problems deeply to craft meaningful solutions.
Why this hackathon matters
This hackathon is an opportunity for young people who have faced adversity, offering them an chance to transform their experiences into solutions that address the systemic issue of child labour in their communities. It is a chance to collaborate, learn, and create meaningful change while demonstrating the power of inclusive innovation
Dreaming Solutions: A 4-Day Hackathon Journey
The hackathon is a four-day experience built on design thinking methods, guiding participants from framing challenges to developing sustainable solutions that are meaningful and actionable.
Key Elements of the Hackathon:
- People at the centre: Challenges are rooted in participants' personal experiences, making them relatable and fostering innovative, context-aware solutions.
- Collaborative solutions: Solutions are shaped through teamwork, where participants identify common themes, merge ideas, and refine their concepts to craft impactful and well-rounded outcomes.
- Impact-driven solutions: Every idea is designed to deliver tangible, positive change for the community or target group.
Dreaming solutions: A step-by-step process
- Identifying challenges: Participants begin by identifying key problems and challenges faced by their communities.
- Brainstorming solutions: In small groups, they collaborate to brainstorm potential solutions, fostering creativity and innovation.
- Refining and prototyping: On the third day, solutions are developed into prototypes. Constructive feedback is provided throughout the process, ensuring refinement and introducing fresh perspectives to create stronger, more impactful concepts.
Together, we can imagine and create a future free from child labour—one solution at a time.