What to Expect From Our Organization
The projects that the students work on at the hackathons vary widely and depend on the nature of the nonprofit they are helping. Not only are they generally informational and functional, but they serve specific purposes. The students create applications that are educational, insightful, and engaging to all ages.
Our Learning Opportunities Help Communities
Students are taught powerful skills that allow them opportunities to help their communities in many ways. To give you a better idea of what the students create, we show two samples here.
Maddie’s Herd
The goal of this project was to provide information on Maddie and Primary Immune Deficiency Disorder. The information App told Maddie’s story, along with a video, as well as background data on this medical condition.
Woodbury Middle School & Regional School District 14 Hackathon, Woodbury, CT — November 2016
Global Connections
This App is called Switching Lives and was designed to connect girls with their peers around the world. The motivation for this role-playing App is to give the users the opportunity to see what life looks like from someone else’s point of view.
Westover Hackathon, Westover School, Middlebury, CT — April 2017
What Our Events Are Like
RHoKJr was featured on CBS News in 2014. In the video below, Patrice Gans (the founder and executive director of RHoK, Jr.) explains how the students learn about the non-profits and how to help the populations of those non-profits.
“It was a great day. The children were so focused and excited about what they were doing and how what they were doing demonstrated how you can use technology for good. If we can harness that positive energy in our youth today we can certainly hope to create lasting and positive change in the world.”
KEN MURDOCH
CIO from Save The Children, representing Newtown Kindness
Everyone Benefits From RHoK, Jr.
Preteens
- Have fun and make new friends
- Get the good feelings of having made a difference
- Understand better the world of computer science and its career potential
- See how technology can help society
- Have direct experience in creative thinking, teamwork, presenting
- Overcome any fears or anxieties regarding computers
Mentors
- Have fun while gaining valuable teaching experience
- Apply classroom learning to real life situations
- Develop leadership skills
- Contribute to social good
Nonprofits
- Present message to new audiences
- Look at needs in a new way
- Get prospective solutions to real needs and issues
- Obtain free consulting on challenges and problems
- Stimulate your ‘thinking outside of the box’
- Expose and explain the reason for being to a broader market
A Typical Day At RHoK, Jr.
Here’s a look at a typical day at RHoK, Jr. The day runs roughly from 8:00AM-3:30PM with two breaks and 1/2 hour for lunch.
8:00 – 8:30 AM
Mentors and nonprofits check- in
8:30 – 9:00 AM
Arrival & check-in team assignments
Students are seated at tables (either with friends or randomly) where they have the opportunity to talk with the Mentors and nonprofits before the program officially begins.
9:00 – 9:20 AM
Opening remarks – overview of the day
Information about App — Video about App Inventor (from Made with Code) which helps to demonstrate the power of coding for good.
9:20 – 11:00 AM
Identifying the problem and researching a solution
Learn about the nonprofit and its challenges. Walk through of Starbursting – the first step of the brainstorming process. Begin design. Snack break.
11:00 – 11:30 AM
Start coding — pair programming video check-in
11:30 – 12:00 PM
Lunch
Coding continues
Afternoon break
1:25 – 3:00 PM
Implementing the solution
Code, upload App to google drive, save App to Device. Package the App, and prepare for Poster Presentations
3:00 – 3:30 PM
Poster presentation to family and friends
3:30 PM
Pickup and check-out
Are you a nonprofit or mentor who would like to help out?