Smart Balbriggan is delighted to announce the ‘The Changing Face of Balbriggan Hackathon’. This free, day-long event will be held on Saturday 16th October from 9am-6pm and is open to everyone over the age of 18. This is a hybrid event, taking place both in-person at the Bracken Court Hotel, or on-line. You can choose to attend in-person or remotely, whatever works for you!
This community event is an opportunity to explore new and creative solutions to local challenges in the town of Balbriggan – with prizes for the best ideas! Register here now to take part or read on for more info.
What is the Changing Face of Balbriggan Community Hackathon?
A ‘hackathon’ is an event that brings together lots of people from different backgrounds to work together to solve challenges.
‘The Changing Face of Balbriggan’ is a community hackathon open to anyone, from anywhere in the world (over 18) where participants will explore key challenges facing the town of Balbriggan and create new ideas to overcome these challenges. The event is a fun experience where you will meet new people, hear from guest speakers, learn new skills and you might even win a prize!
Is this event for me?
This event is open to everyone over 18. We encourage people from Balbriggan and anywhere in the world to take part! You don’t need any experience to get involved, just an interest in exploring new creative ideas to benefit our town.
This event will be “hybrid” meaning it will be held both in-person and online. If you want to come to the physical event, join us at the Bracken Court Hotel, if not, you can join us online from wherever suits you!
If you are attending in-person, please bring a laptop if you can (if you don’t have access to a laptop, just let us know).
If you are joining remotely, on-line, you will need access to a computer and internet.
Participants need very basic digital skills – but the event facilitators will support you throughout the event.
You can sign up as an individual or as a team. If you join as an individual we will assign you to a team based on your interests.
What local challenges are we trying to solve?
The historic town of Balbriggan is located on the northern edge of Dublin. A coastal location, approximately 32 km north of Dublin city centre. Balbriggan has experienced huge population growth since the 2000’s. As one the fastest growing, youngest and most culturally diverse towns in Ireland, these rapid changes bring exciting opportunities for Balbriggan, but also present a number of key challenges.
- Economic Challenge: How do we make Balbriggan an investment destination?
Balbriggan’s close proximity to Dublin means that a large percentage of people commute daily creating a ‘Dormitory Town’. We want to bring investment to Balbriggan, to support local jobs, enterprises, start-ups and to attract larger companies to set up base in our town. We are looking for exciting ideas to support this goal.
- Culture Challenge: How do we foster and develop a thriving creative arts and culture sector?
Balbriggan is home to a vibrant creative and culturally diverse community of artists and musicians. We want to harness the strength of diversity, culture and creativity in the local community. We are looking for ideas to nurture and support Balbriggan’s existing and emerging talent, promoting it as a destination for both locals and visitors.
- Community Challenge: How do we build a stronger, cohesive and vibrant community?
Balbriggan is the youngest town in Ireland with an average age of 31 years. As the local population has grown rapidly, local amenities and services have not been expanded at the same rate. We believe the youth and diversity of our town are its strongest assets. We are looking for innovative ideas to help promote unity, tackle social issues and help highlight the many positive aspects of living in Balbriggan.
What will happen on the day?
Throughout the day you will learn about the town of Balbriggan, hear from guest speakers and learn how to create, develop and pitch your idea. With support from the event facilitators and mentors, your team will work together and present your final idea to our judges with prices for the best idea! For the full break-down of the day see here.
How do I get involved?
Register HERE today or contact Caitlin caitlin@what-the-hack.co or Sophie sophie@what-the-hack.co with any questions.
