Learn to be eco-friendly: an online hackathon will be held for Ukrainian teenagers

From October 1 to 3, UNICEF in partnership with INSCIENCE will hold Ecotone, online training for adolescents seeking to become environmental activists. As a result, participants will develop their projects. And the top five teams will receive mentoring support and 20,000 hryvnias each to implement their ideas.

According to UNICEF, applications are accepted until September 27. Teams of three to eight people and individual participants, who'll join the already formed teams, can join on the last day of selection.

What will they teach? ECOTONE is training for teenagers on climate change. Here they will be able to implement their ideas, work in teams, chat with leading experts and environmental activists and learn more about communications and project management.

In particular, they'll talk about the course for the "green city," water pollution, forest fires, waste sorting, air pollution, and the concept of eco-consciousness.

What is the format of Ecotone? Everything will happen online. On September 30, the organizers will select projects to participate in the hackathon and hold the opening. From October 1 to 3, the teams will work with mentors, listen to five educational webinars, deepen their knowledge and improve projects.

Then the final versions of the projects will be presented, after which the ten finalist teams will have to pitch their ideas live. Five of them will be the winners.

Who can become a participant? The organizers invite teenagers from 12 to 17 years old who are interested in climate change and have ideas that they want to inspire others with.

What idea should be submitted? The organizers don't restrict participants in formats. Projects can involve creating interactive maps or chatbots, as well as filming documentaries or educational courses. The team can suggest any project, and mentors will help to improve it.

Fully finished projects mustn't be allowed to participate. The team must turn their idea into a product right during the training.

Regarding teams, the organizers note that if the idea has a technological component, then the team needs a person who can implement it (data visualization, web front end, or backend). They also definitely need people who can help explain the project: designer, copywriter, business strategist, marketer.

How to get to Ecotone? The application can be filled in until September 27 at the link. The participant who sends the questionnaire automatically becomes the leader of his team. More details about the upcoming hackathon and speakers on the INSCIENCE website.