Students.
Jerusalem.
Now.

TL;DR

The YoungCity Hackathon focuses on three pillars of our lives as young adults living and studying in Jerusalem: employment, education, and leisure. We believe in your creative ability to develop innovative solutions to meaningful challenges, and invite you to think collaboratively about ways to improve the urban environment for our collective benefit. Join us in developing out-of-the-box solutions to these challenges, and you'll win exciting prizes to boot!

About the Challenges

Urban centers rely heavily on young adults for economic growth. Although Jerusalem has experienced urban renewal and development in recent years, halting and reversing the brain drain remains a significant challenge. The JLM Impact consortium invites students of the Hebrew University, Bezalel Academy of Art and Design and Azrieli College of Engineering to join us in the YoungCity Hackathon to develop solutions to the employment, cultural, and recreational challenges faced by young adults in Jerusalem. By leveraging the unique assets our capital city has to offer, you can position Jerusalem as a city that offers top-tier academic education, employment, and varied entertainment options.

Challenge #1: Employment

Jerusalem's academic institutions nurture talented alumni, but many of them struggle to find employment in the city after graduation. Graduates view the city as a waystation post-graduation because there are few relevant job openings and little information on longer-term employment options available. In addition, Jerusalem has a relatively young population, so it is also home to some at-risk teens. In spite of efforts by the Municipality and other organizations to turn this population into a prosperous future generation, teens are often trained in professions that aren't in demand by employers. In addition, because of a lack of mapping of qualified employees and a lack of recognition of Jerusalem's unique advantages, international corporations are reluctant to establish local offices, which, in turn, decreases the number of relevant job opportunities for young Jerusalemites. We invite you to think creatively about ways to help make diverse and high-quality jobs more accessible to Jerusalem’s young adults, map the existing workforce to bring more corporations to the city, and solve other challenges pertaining to employment in Jerusalem.

Challenge #2: Education

Jerusalem boasts some of the best academic institutions in the country, as well as the highest number of students - and growing every year. The large number of institutions attracts a wide variety of students. Distances between campuses and differences in academic specializations cause students of different institutions to feel fragmented, reducing their ability to experience the city as an academic hub. The learning experience in Jerusalem is also impacted by other factors, including the communication between students and institutions, the diversity of academic corridors, and the opportunities for experiential learning. We invite you to innovate and build creative solutions for the challenges stemming from the learning environment in Jerusalem.

Challenge #3: Leisure

Jerusalem is 3,000 years old, but it continues to grow and change every day. Despite its rich culture and history, and its burgeoning entertainment scene in recent years, it still fails to attract young people. The city's relatively small number of entertainment venues, clubs, and stages, combined with a nonexistent weekend nightlife culture, cause younger demographics to feel drained of entertainment options. Jerusalem's mosaic of communities and populations is further divided, compounding this challenge. The population of Jerusalem is the most diverse in Israel, and each group has its own needs. Although the diversity of the city is one of its biggest challenges, it also holds enormous potential for expanding culture and entertainment. Collaborate on ways to highlight Jerusalem’s unique history and culture, enhance the range of possibilities for changing the urban landscape, and celebrate Jerusalem’s diversity.

Time left to register:

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What’s in it for you?

You will have the unique opportunity to shape the present and future of the city. Moreover, participating in the hackathon gives you hands-on experience in leading entrepreneurial processes that will help you solve challenges, implement innovative ideas, and manage projects after graduation. And yes, there are also prizes.

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The Prizes

First prize 15,000 NIS
Second prize 10,000 NIS
Third prize 5,000 NIS

Professional guidance and support will be provided to the winning teams as they continue to develop their projects.

How does it work?

Working in teams for 12 hours, identifying problems and developing solutions, with delicious food, workshops, and mentors to help any way they can. Your solutions will be presented at the end of 12 hours to our judges for a chance to win great prizes. We will meet at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, 29.12.22, to develop solutions for challenges affecting your life in Jerusalem. The Hackathon will kick off with an explanation about this year’s challenges. Then, we'll help you flesh out your ideas, and you can start working on your project! We'll be there throughout the day - the JLM Impact team and a large group of mentors and advisors - to help develop these projects. In parallel, we will run workshops that will help the teams develop different skills in ideation, storytelling, market research, and more.

Adjudication

Our Hackathon will conclude with semifinals across each challenge area. In the semi-finals, judges will select two teams from each challenge area to advance to the finals. In the finals, the six selected teams will present their projects to the judges, who will determine the three winners.

Don’t have teammates?

Don’t worry about it! The Hackathon is great for meeting new people and forming diverse teams. Before the event, you're welcome to search for teammates on our Facebook group. Additionally, we will conduct a workshop before the Hackathon, where you can meet potential teammates and brainstorm project ideas.

What do the teams need to present?

Teams will be asked to introduce themselves, share a presentation on the problem they chose to work on and explain the solution they’ve developed.

In what language will the Hackathon take place?

The Hackathon will be held in Hebrew, and presentations will be written by the teams in English and presented in English or Hebrew according to preference. Throughout the day, mentorship will be available in both English and Hebrew.