Coding Social Change For Houston

PLAN. DEVELOP. DESIGN.

Urban Code, a series of events using technology to implement social change and solutions for Juvenile Justice. The first hackathon at Texas Southern University, provides the Houston community and students a chance to code change.

Plan Ideas

Join us for a Think Tank session as we learn the issues of Juvenile Justice Reform and brainstorm ways to reform the system using technology.

Develop Solutions

The best solutions from the Think Tank will be presented to an audience of college students split into teams. Each team will code against an 48-hour window to develop a solution for Juvenile Justice reform and present their projects to a panel of industry experts.

Design Change

Sponsored by Best Buy, we are inviting youth to get involved in social change. High School students will help design the user interface and website for the winning Development project.

PLAN IDEAS.

Pitch your technology ideas to reform Juvenile Justice, for our hackathon teams to implement at the Develop event.

Submit Technology Ideas

DEVELOP SOLUTIONS.

February 17-19, 2017

The best solutions from the Think Tank will be presented to an audience of college students split into teams. Each team will code against an 48-hour window to develop a solution for Juvenile Justice reform and present their projects to a panel of industry experts.

Event Summary

About

Presented at Texas Southern University, the Urban Code allows college students the ability to gain experience in working on solutions in a collaborative team environment. The call for Millennials to get off the sidelines continues to increase as the need for social changes become more apparent. The Urban Code will help facilitate this issue by giving Millennials direct access to creating a positive change in their community.

What

The foundation of the Urban Code is a three day hackathon event. A hackathon is an event in which computer programmers and others involved in software development, including graphic designers, interface designers, project managers, and community subject-matter-experts, collaborate intensively on software projects.

Details

The top concepts from the Plan event will be presented to an audience of developers, designers, and non-tech professionals. The attendees split into teams and work against a 48-hour window of time on proof of concepts. At the end, all teams present their projects to a panel of industry experts, Houston Area Urban League, Tech Companies, and leaders in the Justice community. The winning concept will now have the opportunity to be implemented to directly improve Juvenile Justice reform in the city of Houston.

Get Involved

Hack-a-thon Teams

Texas Southern University students are invited to participate in the first campus hackathon. This event is a great experience for students from a variety of majors including, computer science, engineering, business, communications, public service, education, political science, criminal justice and law. During the event, students will work in teams over a span of 3 days to develop a project to help with Juvenile Justice Reform. Teams will present their projects to a panel of judges on Sunday who will reward the best concepts with prizes. Limited space is available, please register early.

Mentors

Professionals are welcomed to sign up as Mentors to assist student teams during the weekend. Mentors will provide insight on the topic of Juvenile Justice Reform or Application Development and help assist the team with project management.

Volunteers

Volunteer to support event day coordination and registration. Several shifts are available throughout the weekend.

Community Partners

Community Partners help support the success of Urban Code. We are seeking contributions from partners to assist with the cost of food, t-shirts, host workshops, and provide other items to help make the event comfortable for our participants. Several opportunities are available for our partners, review our Sponsor Packet for more information. If you are interested in more details on becoming a Community Partner, contact Cherrelle Duncan at funddevelopment@haulyp.org.

Event Registration

Event Schedule

Time	Activity	Location
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2017
5:00 – 7:00 PM	Registration Check-In	Lobby
7:00 – 8:00 PM	Opening Ceremony	Room 156
8:00 – 10:00 PM	Team Formation & Brainstorming	Lobby
8:00 – 10:00 PM	Dinner Served	Lobby
10:00 PM – 12:00 AM	Hacking Begins	Lobby
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2017
8:00 AM	Hacking Begins	Lobby
8:30 AM	Breakfast Served	Lobby
9:00 AM	Level Up Lounge Open: Workshops	Room 156
12:00 PM	Lunch Served	Lobby
6:00 PM	Dinner Served	Lobby
12:00 AM	Hacking Ends	Lobby
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2017
8:00 AM	Hacking Begins	Lobby
8:30 AM	Breakfast Served	Lobby
11:00 AM	Hacking Ends	Lobby
12:00 PM	Presentations & Judging Begins	Room 156
1:00 PM	Closing Ceremony Luncheon & Awards Presented	Lobby

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is eligible to participate in the hack-a-thon?

The Hack-a-thon is open to all Texas Southern University students. We have a limited number of spaces available this year, register early.

Do you have to know how to code?

No. We welcome all skill sets to participate in the hack-a-thon. Insight from a variety of backgrounds will produce the best result.

Is there a fee to participate?

The Hack-a-thon is free for students to participate. Just bring your laptop, ideas, and materials to keep you comfortable during the weekend.

Do I need to have a team?

During the opening of the hack-a-thon, participants are able to mix and mingle to create their teams. Teams will consist of 5 students, with 2 mentors assigned.

Is the Level Up Lounge open to the public?

The Level Up Lounge is open to the general public on Friday, February 17, 2017 from 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM. The rest of the weekend, the lounge is restricted only to participants of the hack-a-thon.

What Items Should I bring?

Please provide your Student ID for onsite registration. Other recommended items include, laptop, mobile chargers, headphones, sleeping bags, pillows, and any other items to keep you comfortable during the weekend.

Am I allowed to leave?

Yes, participants are able to leave during the event. We recommend staying as much as possible so that your team has a great project to present at the end of the event.